Auto service mechanics

Auto service mechanics can make more than $90,000 a year and pile up a bunch of poorly done jobs in the process. The top guns of these mechanics may apply a technique known as the stick and move.

They chow down on as many jobs as they can for as long as they are able (the stick). Then they reach the saturation point were their comebacks and complaints reach a point that stops them from receiving enough new jobs to pull down the big bucks.

Then they move, to another auto service center. So first they stick the shop owner and customers and then move to another shop and do it again.

I have worked with auto service mechanics that made a science out of the stick and move. You would think mechanics like this would run out of places to work, in their area but its not true.

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Why doesn't the auto service shop do something?

They only remember hey we made a lot of money when that mechanic was here. That’s why I know of mechanics that will return to the scene of the crime and will wind up working for the same shop they pulled the stick and move on just a few years back.

Now once again I ask you not to lose hope and faith in finding good auto service mechanics, just as I did when I talked about finding a good repair center.

So if we sat down me you and the crooked auto service shop owners along with the questionable mechanics this is what they would say in their defense. The owner would say but I have overhead. And He is right. The shop owner pays for the building, advertising and equipment also all the bills associated with that.

My answer to this is so does a doctor. A doctor pays for an office, x-ray equipment and medical supplies and so on. But a doctor doesn’t tell their patients they have cancer when they don’t just to get the bills paid.

The auto service mechanics will say well I have to pay for tools and the job is hard work. I agree with him. But you don’t replace unneeded parts and recommend bogus auto service like a power steering flush just to recover your investment in your tools.

The shop might hold the potential money to be made above all other aspects of the business including customer satisfaction and employee health and well-being. The shops tendency to lean toward greed can also give us an advantage during negotiations in their attempt to secure our long-term business.

The repair center looks at your vehicle as worth x amount of dollars in service sales over its lifetime. The more miles on the vehicle the greater the potential for large expensive repairs. The older the vehicle and the more miles on it, the better for the service center. This is truer today than ever before.

Why your mechanic loves your old car

A vehicle near the end of its life cycle can be very costly to maintain. Factory original parts start failing at an accelerated rate. And its also common place now a days to try and exceed the vehicles life expectancy. This is possible but expensive.

Auto service mechanics and shop owners have a nickname for a vehicle near the end of their life cycle. The term is called a gravy boat. Which is an all you can eat buffet for the mechanic and shop owner. When a vehicle is old and has high miles everywhere you look you can find repairs to recommend to the vehicle owner.

In most cases the owner will justify the increased repair costs by saying well I can repair this old car for a thousand dollars but I can’t buy a new car for that. Well this a slippery slope.

The vehicle is most likely on the road to nickel and dimming you to death. Lets for example say you go whole hog and replace the engine for the cost of about $4,000 dollars. The new engine is still surrounded by old parts.

Transmission, suspension, brake components, steering, heating and air conditioning systems can continue to provide high repair costs even though you just installed a new engine.

So make sure you think it through before approving that high dollar repair on that older vehicle. Sometimes an unbiased third party opinion can help you step back and make an informed decision instead of making an emotional decision.

People get very attached to their vehicles and they become like family members. The auto service center counts on this and uses it against you when they negotiate. The shop is not beyond saying the car is worth putting the money into, even if its not.

If the vehicle is going to nickel and dime you the auto service shop gets all that money over the following months and years. If you get a newer car he stands to loose money by not seeing you as often.

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