headinthetrees
Member
- Joined
- Dec 22, 2014
- Messages
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Here's my approach to used vehicle repair. If I can't do it myself, I find someone who will help me do it for money. Especially on older vehicles, there are plenty of people knowledgeable enough to help. They don't necessarily have to own a ASE certified repair shop to be a good mechanic. That said, its almost always been word of mouth that brought us together so I'm not just dealing with randoms off craigslist.
I've had really good experiences this way. The main reasons are this:
1.) you're not paying $100/hr for some $15/hr guy who's probably over-exaggerating the hours as it is
2.) you know what you're getting in terms of replacement parts (mechanics will often replace parts with used parts and say they're new, or band-aid the problem and not even change it at all)
3.) you learn how to fix the problem yourself for next time
4.) by helping with your own time (hey you were broken down so you're not going anywhere anyway) you can get the job done faster and thereby reduce costs
5.) by being present you make sure there's no hour padding going on at all, if anything they'll probably round down
Of course I realize you might not have this luxury if you're on the road and don't know anyone. But ask around, you'd be surprised what you can come up with when you ask questions starting in "would you happen to know anyone who could help me with..." and ending in "... I'll be happy to pay of course." You might even be able to barter something you have or your own labor to offset the costs too.
For example, the tranny on my old dodge went out. I could barely afford the gas to put in the thing to get to work at the time. I was pretty overwhelmed, only being about 22 at the time. Luckily by asking around, I found someone who knew the owner of a shop in town. I went in to talk to him and explained I was hard on cash. In the midst of the conversation, I also noticed his secretary running from the front to back constantly between dealing with customers and answering the phone because they had no phone line up front. When I inquired, he said their phone system was FUBAR and nothing worked how or where it was supposed to. Jackpot! I arranged to rewire his phone system in exchange for the labor of taking the tranny out and putting it back in. I still had to pay to have the thing sent out to an auto tranny shop, but I cut my original estimate in half, and was out the door for less than $1000 with a very strong rebuild, kevlar bands, shift kit, external tranny cooler, etc. I later put that truck through hell and back, hauling way more water than the truck should be able to handle, up a crazy hill, in the middle of summer... all summer long, no problems.
I've had really good experiences this way. The main reasons are this:
1.) you're not paying $100/hr for some $15/hr guy who's probably over-exaggerating the hours as it is
2.) you know what you're getting in terms of replacement parts (mechanics will often replace parts with used parts and say they're new, or band-aid the problem and not even change it at all)
3.) you learn how to fix the problem yourself for next time
4.) by helping with your own time (hey you were broken down so you're not going anywhere anyway) you can get the job done faster and thereby reduce costs
5.) by being present you make sure there's no hour padding going on at all, if anything they'll probably round down
Of course I realize you might not have this luxury if you're on the road and don't know anyone. But ask around, you'd be surprised what you can come up with when you ask questions starting in "would you happen to know anyone who could help me with..." and ending in "... I'll be happy to pay of course." You might even be able to barter something you have or your own labor to offset the costs too.
For example, the tranny on my old dodge went out. I could barely afford the gas to put in the thing to get to work at the time. I was pretty overwhelmed, only being about 22 at the time. Luckily by asking around, I found someone who knew the owner of a shop in town. I went in to talk to him and explained I was hard on cash. In the midst of the conversation, I also noticed his secretary running from the front to back constantly between dealing with customers and answering the phone because they had no phone line up front. When I inquired, he said their phone system was FUBAR and nothing worked how or where it was supposed to. Jackpot! I arranged to rewire his phone system in exchange for the labor of taking the tranny out and putting it back in. I still had to pay to have the thing sent out to an auto tranny shop, but I cut my original estimate in half, and was out the door for less than $1000 with a very strong rebuild, kevlar bands, shift kit, external tranny cooler, etc. I later put that truck through hell and back, hauling way more water than the truck should be able to handle, up a crazy hill, in the middle of summer... all summer long, no problems.
