Meeting people as a mechanic.

[Forever_frost]

Which dealer? Make sure you fill out a customer survey if they have one and give the managers name. If you couldn't tell being a mechanic or a service writer is really thankless work

When I get good and bad service, I fill in the reports Ford sends me. I also take pizza and cokes up there for the techs. What burns me up is I took pizza and cokes to the guy who cut up my car. That's a kick in the nuts.

[LaserSVT]

I have gotten all kinds of various fun-ness as of late.

Customer calls: How much for a tune up?
Me: What kind of car?
Customer: I dont know. Why does that matter?
Me: Because it tells me how many plugs you have, if I need wires and if I have to charge you 1. hours or 4 hours.
Customer: Well only one has a missfire so just replace that one and charge me the lower rate.
Me: Thats not how it works. Thats not how any of this works!


Customer: My cars making noise in the front. What is it and how much?
Me: Dunno, I need to look at it first. What kind of car.
Customer: Its brown.
Me: Argh *go out, find car, bring it inside and get it in the air,
Me: Cars ball joints are literally about to fall off, you have no brake pads left and your rotors are missing the inner surface because the calipers piston ground through it. Its a death trap and you need everything and it will be about $1900
Customer: Well cant you just throw pads on it?
Me: No! Look outside. You see how your wheel is hanging out by a foot? Thats because the ball joint is no longer attatched.
Customer: Well cant you just tape it back together?

Customer: My BMW M Roadster has no brakes, can you look at it?
Me: Tried to pull car in, there is no brake pedal. There is no fluid because the grommets on the res have eaten away and all the fluid is gone.
Me: You need new grommets. They are $15 and then its another $80 to refill the system and bleed it.
Customer: I will just go to BMW
Me: BMW will insist you replace the master. It will run you at least a grand.
Customer: *goes to BMW anyway, gets $1100 quote and comes back* Can you replace the grommets?
Me: Yes but its now $200
Customer: Why?
Me: Stupid tax.

Customer: My transmission clunks when it shifts.
Me: Your carrier bearing is gone and your driveshaft is bouncing 3" every time it changes gears.
Customer: That cant be it, what else could it be.
Me: Carrier bearing. Its gone. Driveshaft is bouncing.
Customer: I will just bring it to the dealer then.
Me: They will want $145 to tell you the same thing and then $300 to fix it or I can just fix it for $105.
Customer: I will just go to the dealer anyway.
*comes back three days latter* Dealer charged me to tell me $150 and said it needs a carrier bearing. So since I paid them $150 you can fix it for free right?
Me: *Blank stare*
Customer: Well!? You said $105 and they charged me $150 and didnt fix it.
Me: How is this my problem?

Customer: My cars leaking coolant
Me: Okay, lets see whats wrong..... where is your radiator cap?
Customer: I lost it but can you find the leak?
Me: yeah, its missing a radiator cap.
Customer: Yeah, I know that! I aint stupid! But where is it leaking from!?
Me: Your. Radiator. Cap.

Customer: You remember me?
Me: No.
Customer: You replaced my brake light bulbs 3 years ago.
Me: Okay
Customer: Now my front window wont roll up as of this morning. What did you do wrong?
Me: Apparently I didnt charge enough to replace your brake lights.

Customer: I have a 2003 F250 that needs new rear brake pads and I have the pads so how much to change them?
Me: $88
Customer: But my cousin said he would do it for $20
Me: Then why are you here?
Customer: Because I thought you would do it for free!
Me: Why on earth would you think that?
Customer: Because you didnt charge me to put air in my tire last week.
Me: *stares in Texan*

Customer: My oil pressure gauge doesnt work so I got a sensor from Autozone. Can you install it?
Me: Yes but it will break in under 6 months and I wont warranty it because I didnt supply the part and would never use a Duralast oil sender.
Customer: Okay, install it anyway.
2 months latter
Customer: The oil gauge stopped again.
Me: Yup
Customer: I need you to warranty it.
Me: Remember our conversation two months ago?
Customer: Oh, you were serious?
Me: *dies a little inside*

[Gasser64]

I keep coming back to this question but...

If you're getting work that makes you want to puke, why don't you turn it away? Sounds like you have plenty of other work, and won't be bothered by the loss of the nausea work.

[helosailor]

I have gotten all kinds of various fun-ness as of late.

<dealing with teh dumb dumbs>

You know, somebody should really give people that have to deal with mentally defective car owners (and national chain "repair facilities") a free supply of xanax. I know I'd take em up on it.

[4king]

I keep coming back to this question but...

If you're getting work that makes you want to puke, why don't you turn it away? Sounds like you have plenty of other work, and won't be bothered by the loss of the nausea work.

Because he turns bays quickly , more so he doesn't expect every customer to be a sour puss it's just that most of them are.

Some times the dude Rolling up asking him to put freon in is actually chasing down a problem and you get an intelligent conversation. You just never know

[Jewrrick]

I should have specified. I was looking for LaserSVT's stories, not your dumbass whining about people.

[Whiteboy]

Sold a customer a nice fox gt Then did eibach springs,kybs adjustable struts shocks was very happy, Brought it back did edelbrock heads, Anderson cam, gt40 tubular intake,1.6 rockers,bbk headers, car was fast rode very nice. He drove came back said it didn't feel faster? I took him for a ride drove the hell out of it he realized it was fast and he couldn't drive for shit. I bent over backwards fixing little stuff here and there he texted me 24/7 with what 347 he should buy Then he took the car to some other shop and tried telling me I didn't break in the cam proper and it has soft spots ?? I informed him its a roller cam not flat tappet and whatever shop he had it at was taking advantage of him not knowing shit about cars. I don't do much work on peoples car way too hassle. I had another car should have been a 2 day motor swap 4 month ordeal I don't even want to get into that.

[LaserSVT]

You know, somebody should really give people that have to deal with mentally defective car owners (and national chain "repair facilities") a free supply of xanax. I know I'd take em up on it.

lol

[4king]

I should have specified. I was looking for LaserSVT's stories, not your dumbass whining about people.

Then I won't tell you about the 5 customers I had come in yesterday asking if we carried anything that would take ice off of their radiators. Yes, "my radiator is covered in ice, do you guys sell radiator de icer I've seen it online I thought you guys would have it in the store. ".

[JC316]

Once again, I didn't meet this person, but I am definitely dealing with his aftermath. Bought a 94 Z28 with a blown head gasket. Not a real big shocker with that car. Pop the valve covers off and there is this crusty, glass like shit baked onto the rocker arms.....

Ah hell, don't tell me he put in stop leak. Yep, that's exactly what he did, so now I have stop leak baked onto the rockers. Pull the heads, realized what killed the head gasket, it was wrinkled, looked like he folded it in half and then installed it... Evidence of stop leak in the block..

At this point, I am pulling the motor to make damned sure that the lower end isn't fucked up as well. I find a freshly rebuilt bottom end, looks like it has less than a mile on it. Best guess, they had a professional rebuild the short block, then some heavyweight dipshit assembled the rest. Flip the heads over and the sealing surface is CAKED with gunk, looks like they never bothered to clean the heads before reassembly.

I also found two loose bolts that got wedged behind the flexplate and cut some nice grooves into it, the steam tube was cut and put back together with fuel injector hose and clamps....

I've seen some half assed people before, but this one takes the cake.

[Gasser64]

I also take pizza and cokes up there for the techs. What burns me up is I took pizza and cokes to the guy who cut up my car. That's a kick in the nuts.

Seems like that wouldn't really ever be of much help. If the pizza and drinks are what makes them begrudgingly do a good job, you probably don't want that person working on your ride at all. And the good techs would have done a good job with or without the food bonus. I'm sure they all still appreciate it, but I don't think its going to make a lousy tech do good work.

[4king]

Seems like that wouldn't really ever be of much help. If the pizza and drinks are what makes them begrudgingly do a good job, you probably don't want that person working on your ride at all. And the good techs would have done a good job with or without the food bonus. I'm sure they all still appreciate it, but I don't think its going to make a lousy tech do good work.

You're looking at it backwards. The tech already took care of him in some fashion, he's not just walking around handing out pizzas for an oil change. They can't really take any tips and sometimes you feel you owe some one and you don't feel right about leaving that on the table so you do something extra to balance what you feel is right. Maybe that's just how I was raised though

[BP]

When I get good and bad service, I fill in the reports Ford sends me. I also take pizza and cokes up there for the techs. What burns me up is I took pizza and cokes to the guy who cut up my car. That's a kick in the nuts.

If you can get that stuff into the dispatcher and warranty clerks office you'll be better off. The dispatcher can make sure the good tech gets your car and the warranty clerk is who can make things fly under warranty.

[Gasser64]

You're looking at it backwards. The tech already took care of him in some fashion, he's not just walking around handing out pizzas for an oil change. They can't really take any tips and sometimes you feel you owe some one and you don't feel right about leaving that on the table so you do something extra to balance what you feel is right. Maybe that's just how I was raised though

Agree with your point, but the way he words it, it sounds like he was sort of using that to help ensure they like him and wish to do good work for him. I've heard of this tactic before, I know a guy who always takes his mechanic a case of cokes or sometimes a case of beer. This is when he drops the car off, or during the time its being worked on.

[4king]

Agree with your point, but the way he words it, it sounds like he was sort of using that to help ensure they like him and wish to do good work for him. I've heard of this tactic before, I know a guy who always takes his mechanic a case of cokes or sometimes a case of beer. This is when he drops the car off, or during the time its being worked on.

Yeah if it's a family friend or close friend you should always do it, if that person is an actual mechanic



Had to share this one.

Customer tried to remove the engine from his 91 Cadillac using a chain lapped over his big tree in the yard, using his nissan truck to pull the chain. So yeah he got the motor freed up and was pulling it up far enough to push the car out from under it, broke the tree limb, engine fell and smashed his front end on the caddy and rolled back into the bay, and Then the huge branch fell on the cadillac.

Why was he in today, to return the gaskets he bought so he could go get some liquor money. He was already reeking of alcohol.