Re: Auto Repair Questions
I just so happen to be a collision repair technician (body man)at a baltimore area dealership and I can tell that most of the time they really are just trying to take your money.The thing about dealerships is that there is so much overhead that they have to find everyway to squeeze the dollars out of you.They do this by "recomending" needless repairs.Fluid flushing,belt or hose changes,tire rotations and the like are all easy to do and you can charge a lot for it. I dont know of anyone who charges $100 a labor hour for mechanical labor, It is usually around $80.Of wich the technician is lucky to see 40 percent of the labor charged.Another thing is, dont think for a second that the term labor "hour" is in any way a reflection on the actual time it takes to do the job.I think its that way just to confuse people but I dont really Know.
Finding someone you can trust is the most important thing you can do.Im not saying that you should avoid a dealership, but dont go there thinking that everything is going to be all right just because it is a dealership.Like I stated before,Dealerships have more overhead than small independants and therefore are more likley to try to get all they can.On the other hand there are a lot of good people working at dealership and if you trust yours than stick with it.I work for a dealer ship so I cant think there that bad, and frankly I write honest estimates.Then again its much easier for me to justify a repair seeing as all you have to do is look at the car and see that it is f-ed up.
In closing I will tell you a story about one time I went to a tire merchant with my girlfriend at the time.She owned a fairly new cavalier that needed a new tire.So we go to the store and the guy behind the counter looks up here car in the copmuter and tells her that she needs a ZR rated tire that was like $150.The ZR rating means that the tire is safe to up to 140 mph.I told they guy that she didnt need that kind of tire but he just kept on insisting that she had to get the ZR rated tire.After about ten minutes of arguing with the guy I decided to let him in on two little secrects.one,That I was a body man and that I knew exactly what I was talking about and second that those cavaliers have a kill switch that will stop the engine if it goes past 110 mph.He didnt have an answer for me when i asked him why he was trying to sell someone a tire that is rated for 140mph when there car cant even go over 110 mph.
I dont know if anything I have just told you is helpfull but pm me if you have any specific questions.
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