I've noticed, in a lifetime of fixing stuff, the people you go overboard to help are the ones that are not appreciative. The ones with easy jobs, are thankful. Go figure.
ABSOLUTELY!!!.....let me fix the door dings that arent related..or fix your bumper that's falling off for free....they will be the asshole to cry about the 3 specks of dust in their $2500 pile
When I was a kid my mother would tell a similar story: A woman had a water pipe that would not flow. She called a plumber who came to her house and looked at the pipes; he then grabbed a hammer and tapped on the pipe a couple of times. The water started flowing immediately. The plumber said "$20 please." (this was a long time ago) the lady said "$20 for tapping on a pipe?" The plumber said "$2 for tapping on the pipe, $18 for knowing where to tap".
..."Everyone thinks auto repair is so easy." Nope. Everyone KNOWS auto repair is so expensive. Everyone who thinks it's easy does it or gets lost trying. "I like helping friends and neighbors with repairs." Y'all are just too nice. Before volunteering, think about what you're not doing with the time. There's nothing wrong with "be glad to when I have the time," and if you're lucky, they may find someone else. And there's the internet, with a YouTube vid for everything. Even those of us who are pretty good watch vids to see a better way/a tool we don't have/how much we underestimated complexity/etc. The people you describe are professional chiselers who are always trying to get something for nothing, not someone who will appreciate you, and will want to pay you back in some way...
...I remember the single panel comic in the newspaper called "The Born Loser" in the '60s, with that caption. Another fav had Born Loser hit back of tanker truck with "Milk" written on side, and tanker driver standing by his car saying "Boom!"...
A remark that I use quite regularly, and I confess that it is not original, is "No good deed goes unpunished."
I try to stay away from jobs that don't make money, or make people happy. Working for family and friends often contain both ingredients.
I'll never forget my mechanic saying the real secret out loud:" This job would be great if it weren't for the customers"!
Also, we get. Can you put your diagnostic machine on it. My check engine light is on. Sure it tells me the code. Or they get it checked from another store and 90% of the time it says the code for an oxygen sensor. And 90 % of the time it’s the oxygen sensor just going out of its range trying to correct another problem. Oxygen sensor is fine but there’s another problem. Customer insists on purchasing the sensor. Doesn’t fix the real problem. And they blame us for the missed diagnosis. Try to explain that to them that it’s not the sensor…but nooo, they won’t listen to us. Deal with it every week. I hate people.
My neighbor is an auto tech at a local shop. Heard numerous stories similar to what's been posted so far from him. He's also done several small jobs on my Navigator. I don't tell him how to fix problems since electronics on engines are above my pay grade. A few years ago mentioned to him one weekend that my check engine light had come on. He drove to the shop an hour later to get his scan tool. Problem was a loose fuel cap. Refused to accept any payment. No way I'm messing that up trying to bargain on job costs.
I went to a friends shop to get an emission test. When he went to put the probe in the tail pipe....it was hanging from the hanger. Busted loose about a foot in.... I had a car battery going dead. I pulled all the fuses and tried to figure out what circuit was drawing the juice. I did not have the wring diagram so I couldn't figure it out. Took it to my mechanic. He found the interior rear light on.... I could go on but I'm starting to blush!
Reading this brings several thoughts to mind. First is" I hate people". Was sitting in a bible study class a while back and the pastor said you'll know when you are truly saved when you love people. Thought to myself ... Im in real trouble! Next was the comments about driving an old car and others think your an auto wiz and can fix their newer car.. Nope. I only will work on pre 75 or just my own stuff.. I really hate working on cars in general but am too cheap to pay someone to do it. Last Nov I put my Sprinter van in the shop to get the turbo and cat converter replaced. Engine had to be dropped down to access the parts. I'll bite the bullet and pay up to have it done. Dodge charged me 3500$. They did the work but caused a few new issues namely being a huge oil leak. After a month she got picked up and taken to another shop closer to my place. That dude replaced the turbo gasket but the leak was still there,1500$ . Youtube tells me its the oil cooler seal up under the intake is bad. I buy the parts and back to the second shop. During that work they find a broken swirl valve actuator motor. Fresh breaks on the mounting tabs like something got dropped on it and a bad sensor / plug. All done, no oil leak but the van only drives marginally better than it did back in Nov. another 4500$. Didnt like it but I paid the bill. Did the owner over charge.. maybe. I paid him to do something I simply didnt wanna do.
I keep helping my neighbors with their boats for some reason.... One guy just asking for advice after he tried to put his newly acquired INBOARD Shamrock boat on his boat lift designed for an OUTBOARD boat. Totally bent prop shaft, etc. He puts it on land and says bilge pump not working....I said pull the drain plug! So 6 months go by and he says pulling drain plug didn't work. Boat is full of water up to the spark plugs. I go to stern of boat and see he didn't pull drain plug....just removed the balls from the deck drain scuppers. Other neighbor calls in a panic saying he was trying to pull his boat out of water on his boat ramp at his house and it won't move. Trailer brakes stuck on. I remove wheel and get it freed up and told him don't use your trailer brakes just launching your boat at your house!!! (drum brakes on boat trailers that get dipped in saltwater have to be one of the stupidest ideas ever)
...I've never had any shop work (major, I do minor) where I got car back without a problem I didn't have before. Or, check engine light come on. Scanner sez "Minor emissions leak." After doing all the simple stuff, took it to local shop, who did everything thru smoke test, tells me couldn't find it but they "think" it's a $900 part. Told them I'd think about. A month later light goes out, and since then comes and goes. When it stops going out, I'll fix it, or get it fixed...
