Installing a passenger side mirror?

[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by Exoter175

Which brings me to my second point.

Labor Hour. If you don't understand what Labor Hour is, or what it means, you shouldn't be dictating price.

Simply put, Labor Hour is what I'm going to charge you PER HOUR to fix your car. IT doesn't stop there though, because I'm probably going to pull up something like Mitchell or Alldata to find out how long it is going to take me to fix it, when you come in and ask for a quote, and I'm probably going to mark up the base labor hour by 10-25% on top of that.

Why? Because its going to cost me 400+ per day to have this building with these tools, with these employees, with the insurance to cover all of them, just to be in business. I have to make my money somewhere, and where I make it is labor hour, and parts.

Since you are bringing in a part I can't mark up, I ONLY make money on the labor hour, where I'm less likely to discount you on.








This. But, as I've said, labor hour is labor hour. It doesn't go up or down depending on the condition of the car being worked on.

i cant see raising the labor because i didnt make money on the parts.

thats not really ethical to me, and i put parts people bring with them just about EVERY day. i charge what the labor would be and make sure to let them know AND note on the ticket that the parts were customer supplied and not under warranty in any way by my shop.

if thats not acceptable they can go elsewhere but i cant see charging more to make up for it.

book time is book time.

but again that probably why i'm still in business and running my ass off every day working on tons of cars

[Frosty]

Originally Posted by JASONSAUTO

but again that probably why i'm still in business and running my ass off every day working on tons of cars

A good trustworthy mechanic is worth his weight in gold, imo.

[Hootie]

Originally Posted by JASONSAUTO

i cant see raising the labor because i didnt make money on the parts.

thats not really ethical to me, and i put parts people bring with them just about EVERY day. i charge what the labor would be and make sure to let them know AND note on the ticket that the parts were customer supplied and not under warranty in any way by my shop.

if thats not acceptable they can go elsewhere but i cant see charging more to make up for it.

book time is book time.

but again that probably why i'm still in business and running my ass off every day working on tons of cars

so I'm getting some basic electrical work done on my car today and they said since it is an Audi it'll take about an hour and cost around $120...

if this was your shop and your quote how much additional would you charge me to install my own side mirror on a car that I was told the job is VERY simple and not time consuming?

I'm honestly JUST curious.

[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by Peyton's Princess

so I'm getting some basic electrical work done on my car today and they said since it is an Audi it'll take about an hour and cost around $120...

if this was your shop and your quote how much additional would you charge me to install my own side mirror on a car that I was told the job is VERY simple and not time consuming?

I'm honestly JUST curious.

in my shop?


probably right around 20 bucks. LOL. seriously.

especially if you were a repeat customer.

its a really easy job on most rigs. just gotta hold your mouth right

[Hootie]

Originally Posted by JASONSAUTO

in my shop?


probably right around 20 bucks. LOL. seriously.

especially if you were a repeat customer.

its a really easy job on most rigs. just gotta hold your mouth right

my roommate is a big car guy and he told me to go in there and ask them if they could do it for $20 since I already had the part and since it was such an easy thing to do...

as a person who doesn't like to make an asshole out of myself (sober at least), I made this thread to solicit opinions on whether or not this "hey by the way, I have this mirror and was wondering if I could get you to change it for like $20" would be an offensive offer and apparently not only is it offensive...but it warranted 35 life lessons.

[notorious]

Originally Posted by Peyton's Princess

but it warranted 35 life lessons.

This is how we roll.


You do have the unique ability to draw a lot of attention.

[The Franchise]

Originally Posted by Peyton's Princess

my roommate is a big car guy and he told me to go in there and ask them if they could do it for $20 since I already had the part and since it was such an easy thing to do...

as a person who doesn't like to make an asshole out of myself (sober at least), I made this thread to solicit opinions on whether or not this "hey by the way, I have this mirror and was wondering if I could get you to change it for like $20" would be an offensive offer and apparently not only is it offensive...but it warranted 35 life lessons.

I wouldn't offer up an actual number. I'd just ask them how much they would charge since they're already working on your car. If you don't like the quote....obviously don't do it.

[seclark]

Originally Posted by Pestilence

I wouldn't offer up an actual number. I'd just ask them how much they would charge since they're already working on your car. If you don't like the quote....obviously don't do it.

damn, that seems pretty ****in simple...
sec

[Hootie]

Originally Posted by seclark

damn, that seems pretty ****in simple...
sec

I agree, I n00bed myself. I just know I'm not willing to pay more than $20 for it...

but now that makes me cheap.

If I was ugly as sin and couldn't get a chick with a $300 bill hanging out of my zipper...

I'm not going to go to the mall and spend $500 on a new t-shirt.

[Hootie]

Originally Posted by Pestilence

I wouldn't offer up an actual number. I'd just ask them how much they would charge since they're already working on your car. If you don't like the quote....obviously don't do it.

I probably will do this today...

I'll be like "hey, sup bros! Notice my jacked up mirror? Well I brought the new one along and was wondering how much it would cost for you guys to snap that on for me?"

that's not a bad idea

[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by Peyton's Princess

my roommate is a big car guy and he told me to go in there and ask them if they could do it for $20 since I already had the part and since it was such an easy thing to do...

as a person who doesn't like to make an asshole out of myself (sober at least), I made this thread to solicit opinions on whether or not this "hey by the way, I have this mirror and was wondering if I could get you to change it for like $20" would be an offensive offer and apparently not only is it offensive...but it warranted 35 life lessons.

i understood the question right off.

it will never hurt to ask. all they can do is do the job or say no and laugh at you when you leave.

[Saul Good]

Originally Posted by JASONSAUTO

i understood the question right off.

it will never hurt to ask. all they can do is do the job or say no and laugh at you when you leave.

A couple of hours ago, I would have agreed. I now know that some self-important mechanics will insist upon lecturing him about all sorts of tangential topics in addition to swearing at him and hurling insults his way.

Go with the Mexican. It's not worth the risk of crossing paths with some insufferable asshole.

[Exoter175]

Originally Posted by Peyton's Princess

and exoter...

I'm not the type of person to ever go into a place of business and make any demands. I may go get an estimate, and if I feel like it is too much, I don't barter. I thank them and move along...

I work in the hotel industry now and I ****ing hate people who call me and barter their rates...it happens every ****ing day and drives me crazy.

So I am not a hypocrite. Someone quotes me...I either pay it or I don't...but I don't make demands and I don't say 'how about this amount instead?' I'm not that type of person even if I wanted to be...I would find it to be awkward.

No, you'll post here on your personal blog about it before you even get a chance to barter, you'll have already set your rate because you don't know better, and then yell at those who seek to enlighten you so you don't make the same mistakes.

Originally Posted by notorious

You don't get it, and never will.



Good luck. You know that you are the equivalent of the guy expecting to get a free or discounted beer even though he never tips and/or rarely comes into the bar.

"But the beer only cost you $.75! Why do you charge $3!"


Or better yet, you are the guy that tries to sneak his own beer in.



Reality is a bitch. You could have replaced the mirror yourself instead of wasting time complaining about it here.

This guy gets it

Originally Posted by Peyton's Princess

so I'm getting some basic electrical work done on my car today and they said since it is an Audi it'll take about an hour and cost around $120...

if this was your shop and your quote how much additional would you charge me to install my own side mirror on a car that I was told the job is VERY simple and not time consuming?

I'm honestly JUST curious.

However much the labor hour is on the repair, simple as that. If you are a buddy or repeat customer, probably free. That's how the business works. If you are some Joe Schmoe off the street, labor hour is what you get. If I NEED your business badly, I'll probably knock 20-40% off the labor hour. But you rarely see that unless it is a mom and pop shop.

Originally Posted by Saul Good

Hopefully you've never bought food from a street vendor. You can't be sure that the hotdogs are cooked properly. It's a very complicated and expensive processes. If the cart explodes and kills your entire family, they probably won't even give you a free brownie weigh a scoop of ice cream on top.

Street Vendors in most places are required by law to hold some kind of coverage, in this case though, there are many coverages they don't have to keep. In the case that they aren't filed as an LLC/LLP, I'll be suing them directly, if they were an LLC/LLP I'll be suing the business. However, since they are a street vendor, they don't have a landlord and thus don't cover liability for accidental mishaps in an environment, that is going to be done on a strictly "as is" basis.

Originally Posted by JASONSAUTO

in my shop?


probably right around 20 bucks. LOL. seriously.

especially if you were a repeat customer.

its a really easy job on most rigs. just gotta hold your mouth right

And your labor hour is like what? 50-60 bucks because you are in BFE right?

Sounds basically spot on to what I said a few quotes ago.

[Exoter175]

Originally Posted by Peyton's Princess

I'm full of negativity because you keep handing me these life lessons I never once asked for...

I don't give a shit what you guys charge for anything. Charge 2 billion dollars per labor hour for all I care...

this whole thread was a 'hey I think I'm going to ask these guys tomorrow if they can change out this side mirror for $20 because I just want to get it done and I was told it was a 5 minute job, what is the etiquette on that?'

to which Bwana told me 'no way in hell.'

to which I thought, cool.../thread over...glad I didn't embarrass myself

but then I get 10 life lessons and a 14,000 character post telling me how much of a dipshit I was from Mr. Body Shop Man exoter

to which I said, "fine...I'd hire a Mexican to do this easy job anyways..."

because, as cheap as you think I'm being, I DON'T NEED TO SPEND MONEY ON THIS CAR TO REPLACE A MIRROR I DON'T EVEN REALLY USE. I'M ONLY REPLACING IT BECAUSE I FOUND THE PART ON EBAY FOR $100 AND I WAS TIRED OF DRIVING AROUND ON A BUSTED MIRROR (THAT SOMEONE VANDALIZED) AND LOOKING LIKE A ****ING SCUMBAG.

I'm not NOT paying for your LABOR HOUR because I'm cheap, I'm not paying it because it isn't worth anything to me....this car gets me to and from...it's not my 'pride and joy'...I don't give a shit what it looks like...it was a nice car for a really, really long time...now I'm just riding it out until it dies because it still runs really well.

Legitimately the only reason I am getting this fixed is because, as a respectable adult, I feel like I shouldn't be driving around with a busted side mirror and looking like I am from the god damn ghetto in a ****ing Audi.

You don't get it, and it is exceptionally hard to drive the point through your head, despite the fact that I've gotten much praise in PMs and Rep for my "14,000 character posts".

The point I'm trying to drive home to you is simply this.

-You clearly do not understand how a business works, how it operates, the costs associated with US bringing the Services to YOU, and extending that coverage in the case that something bad and unforeseen happens.

You sit here and bitch about not spending more than 20 dollars to get it fixed because the car is worth nothing to you, but that isn't how a mechanic or shop owner sees it. Just because you don't have pride of ownership in your stuff, doesn't mean that we don't have pride in our work.

Even if a car is worth 1 dollar, it doesn't devalue my services offered to you, that is your choice to get it fixed, but you should NEVER assume or suspect that the cost of repair would be cheap because it is a cheap car, and that is exactly what you've done here.

You commented on the fact that you'd rather toss 20 bucks to a mexican to have them fix your car, than to have your mechanic do it, if it isn't less than 20 dollars.

All I did is explain to you how business works from inside the business all the way to the customer.

The problem here is either your skull is too thick, or you really are just too stupid in the world of business to understand what I've told you.

Not my problem.

I will admit though, I used you as a soapbox to hopefully explain to others how the business works so people like you don't make the same foolish mistakes.

Originally Posted by JASONSAUTO

i cant see raising the labor because i didnt make money on the parts.

thats not really ethical to me, and i put parts people bring with them just about EVERY day. i charge what the labor would be and make sure to let them know AND note on the ticket that the parts were customer supplied and not under warranty in any way by my shop.

if thats not acceptable they can go elsewhere but i cant see charging more to make up for it.

book time is book time.

but again that probably why i'm still in business and running my ass off every day working on tons of cars

Read that again Sauto, I didn't speak about raising the labor hour because I wouldn't make profit, in fact it was the inverse, that I wouldn't be lowering the labor hour because I couldn't make profit on it.

Disregard the unethical bit, it is strictly unlawful to do so in a place of business.

[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by Exoter175

You don't get it, and it is exceptionally hard to drive the point through your head, despite the fact that I've gotten much praise in PMs and Rep for my "14,000 character posts".

The point I'm trying to drive home to you is simply this.

-You clearly do not understand how a business works, how it operates, the costs associated with US bringing the Services to YOU, and extending that coverage in the case that something bad and unforeseen happens.

You sit here and bitch about not spending more than 20 dollars to get it fixed because the car is worth nothing to you, but that isn't how a mechanic or shop owner sees it. Just because you don't have pride of ownership in your stuff, doesn't mean that we don't have pride in our work.

Even if a car is worth 1 dollar, it doesn't devalue my services offered to you, that is your choice to get it fixed, but you should NEVER assume or suspect that the cost of repair would be cheap because it is a cheap car, and that is exactly what you've done here.

You commented on the fact that you'd rather toss 20 bucks to a mexican to have them fix your car, than to have your mechanic do it, if it isn't less than 20 dollars.

All I did is explain to you how business works from inside the business all the way to the customer.

The problem here is either your skull is too thick, or you really are just too stupid in the world of business to understand what I've told you.

Not my problem.

I will admit though, I used you as a soapbox to hopefully explain to others how the business works so people like you don't make the same foolish mistakes.



Read that again Sauto, I didn't speak about raising the labor hour because I wouldn't make profit, in fact it was the inverse, that I wouldn't be lowering the labor hour because I couldn't make profit on it.

Disregard the unethical bit, it is strictly unlawful to do so in a place of business.

why would you raise the labor rate 10-20% then?