When you do a little research on the business and understand how it works, instead of applying it to the business you are currently in, give me a call, I'll school you in the world of automotive repair so that you KNOW what you are talking about.

I don't charge anybody for anything they don't need, including hours. I charge them based on how long this job should take my mechanics, based on how quickly my mechanics work on average compared to book time, and scale appropriately.

No it doesnt. If I bill 4 hours for an intake job and my lead Tech has done a hundred of them and he can do it in three, why should he get paid less because he is really good at it.

Do you know any other job that pays you less the better you become?

Now the marking up of the book time is slightly different, I do believe ethics comes into play if you are doing it on every job but to say I have never marked up book time would not be truthful.

Book time on an exhaust manifold is assuming everything comes apart like it should, there is no additional time for broken exhaust studs, which happens all the time. So I generally give my customer a range on something like that. If the studs dont brake its book time, if they do, it can add quite a bit to the labor.

Whether a shop chooses to raise their labor rate or bump their hours or mark up their parts, is up to them. There is no wrong way to do it.

As some mentioned earlier, the price of the job is what you want to shop. Of course if you only shop for price, I guarantee you, you wont find the best shop.

THANK YOU, somebody who fully understands what I'm talking about here.

This guy truly gets it, I'm buying him a beer.:thumb:

The only way to find the best shop is to ask around, and talk with them face to face.

My job, as an owner, manager, and mechanic, was to show YOU what you were paying for. I might not have always been the cheapest, but I was the best, and for GOOD customers, I'd work almost any way I could and bend over backwards for your business.

However, I'm probably not putting a mirror on your car for 20 bucks or less.LMAO

this is entirely true.


but that comes with TRUST.

half the time my customers dont even WANT an estimate. they dont call around to other shops.

they trust me.

ANYONE who bills lump sum jobs bills for hours not work. Period.

Someone who quotes the book rate and completes the job in less time bills for "hours not worked".

Aren't you an attorney?

so your mechanics werent good enough to do the jobs in book time?

got it.


and the only perrson assuming anything here is you buddy.

you assume i am what you THINK i am. all the while i have told you exactly what i am.

And TRUST is exactly what I provide.

I think you have him confused with Saul Goodman from Breaking Bad, if this Saul Good were an attorney, formerly insurance adjuster, he's a shit attorney according this argument were' having and his lack of understanding the real word and all of these accusations about "illegal" and "unethical".

My labor rate is 98.00 an hour. We arent the cheapest but we dont charge what the dealer does either?

thats not saul's point.


he's talking about the guy inflating book time and charging for it.


if you beat book time good for you its a bonus for the shop and the mechanic.

saul knows this and has stated as such multiple times

so your beef is simply that he bills $80/hr instead of $82/hr?

but those customers that trust you trust that you are charging them according to what the industry standards are.

book time is actually industry standard IMO, thats why every shop buys those over priced things

my beef is that he marks up the time in his labor guide anywhere from 10- 20%.

No, my mechanics were top notch, they can do fast work when I ask them to, but I ask that they do PERFECT work. Something you probably don't know much about. I can charge you for 2 hours and get your car done in an hour, but I can't guarantee it is perfect because I'm putting a rush on them. I'd rather not rush them and sacrifice my product and my credibility.

As for the assumptions, I'm referring to you making the assumption that I had two failed businesses that I ran into the ground, when I didn't.

I like money, I like being paid more for less work, that's why I no longer own my own shop. I like the freedom of doing whatever I want, when I want.

You don't get that freedom at a mom and pop shop, and if you were half as busy as you claim to be on these forums, you wouldn't be here posting.

From someone in the "know" about being busy, I can tell you that I NEVER had the time to post on a message board when I was working at my shops, i was......TOO BUSY......

Business hours 8-6, real hours 7-10. That's what busy looks like chump.