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mapbike

Well-Known Member
Mar 14, 2010
5,502
109
63
Central Area of Texas
yup... or deciding to take a look and "holy#@$@#$%!!! How does this thing still run like that?" then take it apart and make it worse by losing something tiny but critical or breaking something trying to get it apart when it was working just fine to start with...

I do like people who do stuff like that because they pay my bills now... lol
Not uncommon for someone to come by my shop that either tried to do an alignment on their car at home or change out a spring, tie rod end, or ball joint, then call me after they got it all in pieces wanting to know how much it's gonna cost if they let me fix it...
I deal with that at work all the time, what really bugs me is when they ask, you start to work on it and then suddenly they know more about it than you do..☆☆☆☆☆
 

maniac57

Old, Fat, and still faster than you
Oct 8, 2011
4,484
22
0
memphis Tn
I deal with that at work all the time, what really bugs me is when they ask, you start to work on it and then suddenly they know more about it than you do..☆☆☆☆☆

I simply smile and up the price, nodding as I add another zero...
 

Davezilla

New Member
Mar 15, 2014
2,705
10
0
San Antonio Texas
Yup... I get that all the time here too... they bring me the work because they got in way over their head, then once I start on it then they come by to check how things are going and now all the sudden they know everything... I've also been known to up the price for know it alls or if somebody thinks their vehicle is the only one I'm working on the whole time it's at the shop... So far most customers are cool and patient, but I did stick this one guy for $75 just to reconnect his inlet duct, then when his wife angrily asked me "what did you do that it costs $75?" I just simply told her "I got it running".
 

Intrepid Wheelwoman

New Member
Oct 29, 2011
2,830
61
0
Hauraki District, New Zealand
I do like people who do stuff like that because they pay my bills now... lol
Not uncommon for someone to come by my shop that either tried to do an alignment on their car at home or change out a spring, tie rod end, or ball joint, then call me after they got it all in pieces wanting to know how much it's gonna cost if they let me fix it...
My brothers work in the motor trade and I remember being told about a breakdown job that was supposed to be a simple get-the-car-going-again type job, but when my brother got there the owner had the distributor and carburrettor entirely apart in small pieces and was starting in on the alternator. Needless to say my brother did not even attempt to work on the car on the side of the road and back to the shop it went. My brother said he'd never seen anything like it before on a breakdown job :eek:
 

Davezilla

New Member
Mar 15, 2014
2,705
10
0
San Antonio Texas
Yup... people do some crazy things sometimes... Funny part is this all started becasue this older gentleman tried to replace a set of lower ball joints in his driveway, then he comes to me and asks if I can et it back together. I told him "sure..." just have it towed over to me and I'll take care of it. He calls AAA and they brought it to me on 3 wheels, then ripped his front bumper getting it off the truck, had to call him and let him know about it etc etc etc... Anyway, got his car fixed, stitched up his bumper with zip ties just so the car wouldn't look so bad etc... he's happy so he sends me his son in law to fix His car that won't start... Same thing, I told him have it towed over here and I'll get to it shortly.
Sooo... it's busy as **** this day and 30 minutes later here comes the tow truck and drops his car off... AND he's right behind the tow truck and expecting me to drop what I'm doing to look at his car.... Strike 1... I tell him I'll have to get to it after I'm done with the other stuff that I got gooing on and call when I find something out.
After things calm down I go out and jump start his car and after reconnecting his intake duct from the air filter to the throttle body it fires right up.... I told him to check this Before towing it in and spending $50 or so on a tow... anyway, I call him up about closing time and tell him I got it started and what I had to do to get it started, he tells me to keep it overnight and check it out real good... O... K...
Next day about 30 minutes after opening.. guess who's here?... and he's not happy to see me inspecting someone else's car... Really?!! you're pissed because I'm away from your car to do a 10 minute inspection? strike 2...
He then tells me it wasn't driving that well before and he wants a tune up and oil change done... Ok.. no problem, but I'll start on it later this afternoon when things calm down over here.. So I do a couple alignments and a few other jobs but I'm still swampped with inspections since it's the end of the month... Guess who shows up about an hour before closing time? ... Yup... Here he is again asking about his car... I told him I hadn't had time to start on it yet and the parts are on order, Now he's really pissed and asking how more people I'm gonna take care of in front of him... Again??!! So he's now complaining I won't have time to work his... Duh... I'm the shop owner... I can stay late if I need to I'm thinking to myself, then I explain to him "I'll have it done but it'll be after closing time, I can do that because I'm the one who calls the shots and we're not gonna close the doors right at 5:30.... He agrees to it and decides to take off and wait for me to call him to pick up his car... So he takes off and I go back into the office for something and there he is walking into the office looking for me to tell me he's gonna take the car now... I tell him ok and get his keys then he asks me how much he owes me.. just off the top of my head I told him $75, he agrees and pays me so I get his car out of the shop and give him his keys. At this point his wife is just glaring at me everytime i look her way then she starts asking me what all I did that it costs $75... I told her really casually "I got your car running" so she's pissed but accepts the answer for a few minutes, then she asks me to show her exactly what I did... I said "ok", popped the hood and showed her that I reconnected the intake duct. Then I went on to say to the guy "this is all I had to do to get your car going" and you could have saved yourself the $75 and the towing costs if you would have just done this first" and i made sure I said it right in front of his wife who was already really pissed by this time.
So not only did I stick him with a high bill for being such a pain but I also got to throw him under the bus with his wife at the same time.
Most people I'd never pull that on, but this guy has been begging for it from the time they dropped the car off til he got ni it and drove off...