Damn I hate having relatives sometimes...Ya ever have a cousin call ya up and ask for help getting a car put together? My wife's cousin wanted me to do some work on his old car so I shot him a nice "family price" about 1/3 of what I should have charged him....now it's been done for a couple of months and I see it on Craigslist for sale or trade.....and the guy still owes me a few bucks on the job!!!!! I worked for about $10 an hour on this car just because it was his "dream car". Sorry for the OT rant but this really ticked me off. So....from now on there is one price for everybody and cash is due before the car leaves the shop.
They say you can pick your friends, but not your family. As i get older i find this less and less true.
Never had that happen but how about hearing the old hardship story of how a bud of yours doesn't have this or that and really needs them, so ya give up and give the stuff to your friend and deliver it to him on your dime, only to find out a little later that he sold the shit for cash. That pisses me off
Thats part of the reason I moved 1500 miles from my side of the family! Makes it easier to choose who I talk to.
Let it go.... I know it sounds jerkish and I agree with you but the easiest thing to do is just let it slide and never be available to fix another car for him. Staying pissed at family for this kind of stuff or bringing it up always has a way of turning on you...
I'm an ASE Master Tech, my parents and little bro live within 10 miles and they take all there cars elsewhere for service. I'll help a little and offer advice here and there, as soon as the tools come out I'm on the clock. Wife doesn't understand- her brother works on their parents cars for free, guess all families are different. Sometimes family and business just don't mix well!
Exactly...my relatives & my wife's relatives have used up their "Get Out Of Jail Free" cards (so to speak) long ago. Since they weren't available to help us move, once, even though I've helped one of them move 5 times previously, and most of the others have gotten numerous help, moves, repairs, etc.... funnily enough, I am too busy to do any more free repairs. Ever. Not mad...just...too busy.
Aww I'm almost over it already....I don't hold grudges ....mostly because I have a short memory and forget little things like this fairly quickly! But next time he doesn't get quite as good of a deal!
Same bullshit here! It really sucks when its the inlaws ,, (when you going to paint my car, wha) Sucks I tell ya!
Here's a good one for you all..... GF was given a 71 Vette by her dad, she drove it around as a daily driver when she was 16 or 17, gets married to a dumb ass, her dad passes away, she and dumb ass moves here and dumb ass can't be bothered to move up the Vette, so her sister moves it up, stuffs it in her garage and won't let anyone near it..... Just found out, sis has since gone and registered it with DMV as having a lost title, so now it has a salvage title on it and is in sis's name, saw it finally yesterday, poor thing is rusting away from neglect, I am realy sure I would be the only one that would probably get the thing running again.... and GF is beside herself pissed, since her dad gave her the car way back before he passed away... Ah, well, I'm tying to keep out it... way out of it.
That and "owning" every single problem that comes up with the car for the next 5 years get's under my skin. I've gotten to the point that I try not to offer advice for fear that the response will be "Ya think you could look at it?"
Only if I offer to help is it free. Everyone else gets charged the same. That way I don't get.."but you only charged ----- this much...(whine whine whine)" b.s.
If any relative or friend needs help with anything(as long as it doesnt cost me money) I will help them out anytime free of charge. I guess im just a nice guy. You dont charge your friends and family for helping them out. Maybe this is why America is going to shit. Self serving attitudes Sorry I got a little carried away there.
The best I've ever gotten along with my brothers has been since I stopped working on any of their vehicles.
There are people you help cause you want to and people that take advantage of you and then blame you when anything else goes wrong. I'll fix my moms car...but my aunts' brother-in-laws' stepmothers' god-child can take it to a shop.
I thought they said " You can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friends' noses'!!!" Either way, Why would dude be selling his dream car????? Sometimes it really sucks to help people.......
3mike6, "you put wipers on my car and now my brakes are out and it overheats1 Its all your fault!" Been there, done that. dannyego, helping out friends and family is one thing, letting them take advantage of you is another!
I don't think that was the point most or all of us were trying to make. I've never charged any family member for anything. But, it's a two way street. Since I have helped them numerous times, I think it's not unreasonable to expect help once in return. Since that evidently was not possible, it's no longer possible for me either. It appears to me that most of the other posters had much the same feelings about their own situations. If someone expected an amount of help that would consistently affect another's family over time, i.e. a big long term project, then I don't think it's unreasonable to expect some sort of compensation for that, either. Glad to hear you're a better person than us.
Tell...me...about it! I've been professionally working on cars for over 15 years and you can bet I've had my fair share of 'old friends' I haven't heard from in years pop up when "coincidentally" there just happens to be something wrong with their car and they need a favor. Family is a whole different thing. My parents live about 15 miles away. They ususally don't bring their car to my shop because they have a place near where they live that they've been going to for MANY, MANY years. I don't take it personally- they often will call me and ask for advice and my opinion on things but they don't want to "bother" me. (Even though I tell them it's no bother) Ironically they're on the 'short list' of people I'd love to be able to help since, 1) they're my folks, and 2) they paid for my Vo-tec and my first tool set! The wife's family is another story...one sister STILL owes me $24 bucks (for parts- I didn't charge her any labor) from a repair I did on her car around 4 years ago. I'm not holding a grudge, but I figure she burned that bridge- I think she knows it 'cuz she hasn't asked for any more favors since then. The other sister I tried to do a favor for and fix her truck's brakes for Christmas (on my dime and my time) since she couldn't afford to repair them and continued to drive the truck with unsafe brakes. I fixed the fronts for her (the problem) but didn't have a tool to get into the rear drums to inspect them at the time and that's all I heard about for weeks after even though the brake problems were fixed. According to her I wasn't a competent mechanic and didn't know what I was doing- (15 years ASE certified tech and ASE certified brakes tech.) Just goes to show sometimes you can't win and no good deed goes unpunished... They're all family so you can't turn your back on them when they need help but you can't let yourself get taken advantage of either. It can be a tough line to walk. Jay
You can't ignore or lose your family. But... sometimes ya gotta cut 'em let em go. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PiTBVRiokM
I call my brothers for free advice and get it, but I had them do some work on a vehicle, paid a healthy deposit and each invoice when it came due. They do it for a living and I felt it was fair all the way around.
Inlaws can be a real hassle..the only thing i was glad to lose in the divorce Referred my ex's uncle to a friend of mine, I did half the job for 0$ (or appreciation) and my buddy figured out he ended up with $2.50 per hour. A simple "scuff and shoot" turned into a full resto! My friend stuck with the orig quote out of respect for me but we both got the shaft!
Not mechanical, but years ago I loaned a guy a front fender & a dented, but useable gas tank to get his Harley on the road. A couple of months went by & I couldn't get a hold of him. I go into our local bike shop and my fender & tank are hangin' on the wall for sale. Fortunately I knew the shop owner & got the parts back without a hassle.
The Jalopy Journal
