I don't do routine repairs anymore. My friends and neighbors are nice people, but they would try to turn me into an unpaid mechanic every weekend. These days, I offer advice, diagnose simple problems, help out in EMERGENCIES, but I don't do repairs. I would be consumed. The weekly brake jobs alone would take up all my free time. So now, I'll look at a leaking radiator, for example, and tell them what to ask the PAID mechanic. And when they get the bill, I'll usually explain to them that $65/hr is probably not a bad rate for a SKILLED mechanic in a well-equipped shop.
What REALLY sucks is when your free labor isn't enough and they look at you like it's your fault when you tell them that the parts are going to run them 285.00. Like you are supposed to come up with free parts too!
Working midnights, time is a precious commodity. So, I do the following. Family Late models, Diagnostics and recomended repair facility(usually a friend with shop and a good rate for friends). Hot rods, classics and streetrods, I will help YOU with the repair or install at your garage when ..I ..have the time, usually for free, or for the return of a favor, of which I have no problem calling in markers for. Friends of friends, with the afore mentioned cars, the rate is $20 an hour for as long as I am there, the clock starts ticking when my feet hit your garage and dosent stop untill I get back in my car. This usually shuns the squeemish away, especially those who like to bullshit while I am laying on my back under the dash trying to figure out who the hell used 22 gauge wire to feed the fuel gauge, power windows, and his 500 watt amp for his stereo all off the ignition switch without a fuse, and can't understand why his car has a funny smell coming from under the dash. I guess its all in how you judge the people you are helping. The question I always ask my self is; What is the probability of the favor being returned when I ask them for help? You definitly have to know who your friends are.
My immediate family members all have newer cars. I don't work on newer cars, enuff said. My cars are all old so I get away with it. My brother on the other hand, I sold my 55 Nomad too. Big mistake. He knows next to nothing about cars. He had warranty for 14 years. When he sold it I never even asked if he was getting another car. He ended up buying a mopar muscle car, and I don't do mopars. I am a chevy guy power train wise so he got it fixed elsewhere. I only work on my son's chevy powered 51 ford or my daughters 65 chevelle or T-tub with the chevy ll 4 banger. Pat.
I tell them the truth. I tell them, 'I don't know anything about cars. Why do you think I'm still working on the same one for four years?! I'm learning as I go. Do you want me to turn YOUR car into a lab experiment?' They usually change the subject pretty quick about that time. Vance
I agree with Zumo, just tell them the truth, eyeball to eyeball. The other thing I do is barter. The lawn needs mowing, leaves raked, painting, etc. All the crap that you hate to do around the house/shop, have them do it while your working on the car. I'd rather do a repair anyday than do yard work (the most useless task on the planet). Another thing that most people don't consider is this: I've always helped someone in need if I felt I could help. Consider it a compliment that someone thinks enough of you and your talents that they would ask you for help. The number one rule of being a mechanic is: The mechanics car is always last to get worked on. Check it out, how many mechanics do you know that drive an absolute POS as a daily? See what I mean?
Well I got something going for me that you don't I guess; I fall back on my disability. Somrthing that has worked for me for several years is that I tell folks that I don't work on anything newer than 1965. That weeds most of 'em out. But it hasn't completly done away with all of 'em so lately I've been telling folks that I don't do that anymore. The folks who I do help out are all bound to tell you that I'm real expensive and real slow. That's actually half true. I am slower than molasses in January.
It's hard to say no to people who need their cars to get to and from work. the work and the time don't bother me as much as whenever I say I'm going to work on MY daily or MY 46 and would like so help, they always have other plans (or their wives have other plans for them). I need some new (car) friends
"Friends" being the operative word here, my friend. They're easy to weed out. When I got to a point in mylife where i was out of cash and not able to pull everyones old hooptie down and overhaul it in a weekend my "friends" became real sparce. I got a couple of good buddies now.One is a HAMBer who will remain unnamed. If I need something I drop him a PM. He's always there unless there is a genuine reason he can't be, even for stuff non car related. The other is an older than I car nut that is always up to the task no matter what it is. He was one of the few that stayed by me when I first became un-employable. If you come to the end of life and have one true friend you've done good. OH BTW I'm up for a weekend of wrenching with ya but you'll have to feed me. And we'll have to plan way in advance its not like its just across town.
Years ago I was "dumping" my V8 powered Ranger truck - my Dad could use a spare farm truck (he's in a different state so no emmissions) so I thought I'd give it to him, but first I had to yank the steel crank 327 and replace it with a 305. Like a moron I mentioned this to my Aunt and at first all was well. But then my Dad started having problems with his truck and could really use that spare truck I was gonna give him. THAT'S when the fun started, my aunt kept calling me- "IS IT DONE YET?" "IS IT DONE YET?" -This happened with more and more frequency. Then when a SECOND Aunt started to do the same thing I about had it. Finally I carefully explained to them that it was EXPENSIVE to get parts immediately, but being broke I had to get them cheaper scrounging swapmeets and such. This obviously took more time. Funny thing - they stopped calling and I got back to work on my truck. I finished it and gave it to the old man just like I had planned - he was greatful - so it worked out. But it turned into such an ass ache and I really could have used the money - oh well - No good deed goes unpunished. As far as "friends" go - you had better get a few credits in the "bank" before you ask me to work on your car.....I already learned that lesson and the few times in life that I forgot it - I quickly learned it again.
I have family in California, Nevada, Florida, and Tennessee, all of them wanting their cars worked on for free, while they tell me how wonderful their worthless kids are. That's one of the reasons I live in Texas! "Gooood day!" (Red Neckerson) pigpen
Re-printed from my web page: I don't wrench on cars for a living so, my perspective on this is likely to be quite different from those who make or augment their living with their tools, skills and labor. I'm in this for the fun of it. Long ago I thought the coolest job in the world would be working on hot rods but in recent years I fear that if I was doing it for a living I might lose my love for it and maybe even begin to hate it. Then what would I do for fun? Golf? I don't think so! Except for a very small select group of friends who I know have the same perspective that I do, I always ask once "how much do I owe you?" after someone has done some work for me. It does not matter to me if they are in the business or moonlighting in their garage, I feel that is the considerate thing to do. I do not want to presume upon any relationship or take advantage of anyone. I'll pay whatever they think is fair for their effort. If they don't charge, I thank them and make mental note that this person has "favors on deposit" with me. I don't play the tit-for-tat game but I do go out of my way to help those who have helped me in the past. For the aforementioned small select group, the rule with all of us is "I don't want to make money off my buds". The exception being, that if the one receiving the goods and/or services is doing it to make money, then the one providing the goods and/or services gets to make money on the deal too. I offer different levels of help to different people based on their situation, closeness of the relationship and how much they've helped me in the past. For single moms who struggle to provide food and shelter for their kids I've bought parts and made repairs and would not accept any payment. If I see a rodder stopped on the side of the road, I will stop and offer help. I won't accept any payment there either. If I'm ever broken down on the side of the road I hope someone will do the same for me. That'll be my payment. Sort of like "hot rod Karma". For my family and 2 or 3 really close friends, I will drop everything to help them anytime anywhere because I know they won't abuse the offer and I know they will, and have, done the same for me. For anyone else I don't usually do work for them. I will help them and work right along side them as long as they want to work. Just a few rules to follow there. When they stop working, I stop working. They buy their own parts and supplies. They can't leave a dead car at my house. Once in a while I will do work for friends, like a tranny rebuild. I tell them up front that they have to pay for all the parts and I give them an idea what it's going to cost. The "payment" that I receive is more valuable to me than money. Sometimes my "payment" is the good feeling of knowing that I helped someone who really needed help and appreciated it. Sometimes the "payment" is being able to thank, in a tangible way, someone who has helped me and other times the "payment" is just the good time that I had hanging out with my buds wrenching on old cars. It doesn't get any better than that. With all this payment I receive, I am a rich man.
DRD57, you said it. i tell my friends and family if i was charging you couldnt afford me. for my real friends and family i am always there.
Go through your toolbox and discard everything metric. You are now entirely unable to help on any uninteresting cars. Sorry.
I'd change my policy to emergencies only for them, if at all. I was fixing a fleet of 5 cars for my family (bro is a near total mechanical idiot since birth). After I hurt myself (minor, but pain for a week or so) on crap they knew was bad and should've fixed earlier and with less stuff broken - I told them that was it. Only my stuff or emergencies. I'll give advise, but no more. As you can see from these posts, there is a general pattern of being taken advantage of - do you want to be some people on her *cough* that have not worked on their stuff in years, but fixed every one of your family's new POS??
I spent a few years where I was the family mechanic. It got to the point where I'd look out in the yard and somebodies car would be there for repair with a note on it. I was spending all my time on them. Finally, one day, I put it to a screeching halt. I was putting a tranny in my no-load brothers car. He was supposed to be helping. There I am out in the hot ass yard under the car with the tranny up on my legs trying to line up the bushing when I look over toward the house and see him looking at me out the window. The prick is setting in the A/C having a brew watching me work. End of that shit! Now I do mine and my mothers, thats it!! Of course with the newer cars it's easy. If it doesn't have a carburetor to tweek or a dizzy to twist I know nothing!
I explain to them that I don't work on family or friends cars because of our relationship and that I value our relationship too much to put it at risk over something as stupid as a vehicle. I explain that if I fix it and charge them and then it goes out, they are resentful to me and/or want it fixed again for free. If I charge them, they are resentful to me for charging them when we're supposed to be family/friends. If I do it for free and it goes out, they want it done again for free. In both cases I'm resentful because I should be paid for my work. So, in the interest of maintaining our friendship/happy family, it's just best if they get a normal shop to do it and keep it a business relationship. I will, on occasion, do very close family stuff and certainly immediate family (wife/kids) stuff but even then, with the newer cars, I tell them to take it to the shop as they are more setup to do the work right and quickly with computer stuff etc.
I tell them that I will only do side jobs for sexual favors and that my wife will only let me receive sexual favors from her, so if I am to work on there stuff they have to work it out with her. So far no takers, no sexual favors either, dammit. LOL
What is everyone definition of "emergency"? Having to bum a ride to work from somebody is not an emergency to me. Daily kidney dialysis is. My kid has a soccer tournament Saturday, Isn't.
F%#* em all................It seemed the only time my "friends" came around was when they want something.........
this works - "I could, but I lost my feeler gauges for the points and plugs" , because I can build n tune a SBC or my 54 Olds ,neighbors think I can tune their '05 PU
I though I was the only one who had a Chevy V8 Powered Ford Ranger I don't have a garage - so I don't work on "customer/friends/family cars" as I have to rent a garage spot for my own stuff as it is .
In 1990 when my dad passed away. I deliberately didn't teach myself about EFI until it was necessary to do so for my own cars. Then I only bought a code reader that works through '94 (EEC-IV) so that I wouldn't have to bother with others' newer cars. Hell, except for rods, older cars and racers, I don't even LIKE working on passenger cars.... Jan
Let me ad my thoughts here. As an ex-garage owner I often helped out friends with their cars. New, old, hot rods, classics, whatever. And I never asked for much in return. the problem lies there. If you don't ask for anything in return, they expect it. this is a problem when your busy, broke, tired or all three and you don't have the ability or want to help right then. I also learned that karma doesn't work on cars with friends. Now i will say that family gets the work done for free, but they always insisted on paying. even my ex-wifes parents insisted on paying me, but that is because they didn't want me to have something over them...lol. Fatassbuick was always an exception to the rules posted above.
I use my disabilities too.. I'm not "supposed" to lift anything over 20 lbs because of my arthritis according to my dr. I'm supposed to work right handed because the carpal tunnel in my left arm is bad. This stuff is true. Of course, all of this blows out the window when GOOD friends , rods and circle burners are involved... I just take lots of breaks. Jan
The Jalopy Journal
