Stone Soup! (and bacon and eggs)

When I was a much younger child (about 5 or 6, i don't exactly remember), I recall watching Sesame Street (which was popular back in the day before people thought that Ernie and Bert were gay lovers nor cared whether Big Bird was a male or female). Or was it Captain Kangaroo?  Long live Mr. Green Jeans.  Anyways, there was a story being told called 'Stone Soup.'   Some of you may recall this story about how a family fed themselves with a simple pot of water and a stone at the advice of some bird or something like that.  You might ask yourself, "How the heck did they feed themselves with just a stone and water?"   I asked myself the same thing.  Well, as I recall, the bird advised the family to add carrots to the soup to help give it flavor.  Then they'd add a little bit of spice.  Then somehow they came across some potatoes and a side of beef.   Then magically they found a bottle of chianti to wash it down.  Wait a minute.  How did a hungry family which was begging for food suddenly come across all of this food when just two minutes ago they only had a pot and a stone?  It may not have actually happened that way, but that's how I remember it.  I was five, give me a break!

Where are you going with this, Dan?

Periodically we get customers who come in for just an oil change.  No problem, it usually takes about thirty to forty-five minutes to complete. 

"Great!  I'll go ahead and wait on that, you have free WiFi, right?"

Most of our customers do understand that we're not a Jiffy Lube; we don't have a dedicated pit where four to five teenagers attack a car ripping out all the filters to show the customer how dirty they are and how they will die if they don't flush their transmission fluid.  No, we have one dedicated technician that does our complete oil changes while our other technicians are busy with other repair work.  Every so often within this group of oil change customers we'll get someone who will request other work while the car is in the air.  Now this is usually not a problem if they want us to do a tire rotation or to just check brake pad thickness, but we do get some odd requests.

"Oh, while you're doing the oil change can you have someone check out the radiator?  The car is overheating."

"Oh, also, there's this knocking noise that only happens when it's 40 degrees outside and I'm traveling over this particular road near my neighborhood.  Can you check that out, too?"

"You all top off fluids, too, right?  I know that I have a freon leak in my a/c, you'll top that off, too, right?"

Suddenly our stone soup 30-minute oil change job has turned into a 3-hour diagnostic procedure and the customer doesn't quite understand why they can't wait on it?  The reality is we can't just poop carrots and potatoes.  An engine overheating can be caused by at least three different problems (lack of coolant, no fan operation, stuck thermostat etc.)  The freon issue (which is a gas, by the way, and not a fluid) will require a leak detect because freon is supposed to recirculate through the system during the life of the vehicle.  If you're low, you have a leak.  Finally, we probably couldn't fit a quick drive to your neighborhood in the winter during that 30-minute wait.

Remember, the purpose of this blog isn't to call any of my customers <ahem> uneducated, the purpose is to provide useful information to you on what's expected of certain situations and why!  Always keep in mind that if you see a room full of customers waiting to all have their oil changed, you may be in for quite a siesta!  Bring a book or drop it off.  Otherwise, we do provide shuttle service to and from work, unless you live in Bastrop. (in which case if you do live in Bastrop you'll have to call ahead and schedule an appointment for that ride.  ask for Jeanette!)

Now that we're all hungry and on the subject of food, let's talk about our bacon and eggs special.  You might visit a shop and hear some yelling in the background along the lines of, "Bacon and eggs special!"   Chances are you brought your own parts or provided your own oil and filter.  We don't bicker about it unless it's a big job.  We don't expect you to come in with a complete engine gasket set and say, "Reseal my engine."  It's even ok to bring in your own specific engine oil and filter if you like. The term comes from a comparison of walking into your local McDonalds, handing them a muffin, a slice of cheese and an egg and say, "I'd like an egg mcmuffin, please. <smile>"   We do keep the lights on by not just charging for labor but also for parts.  Bear in mind that if you do bring in your own parts that we don't provide a warranty.  Not only that, but if they don't fit your car and your car is now stuck on our lift while you get the correct parts you will be charged for the amount of lost revenue for monopolizing that particular bay.  And finally, if your part fails six months down the line you will be paying labor again to install replacement parts even if your parts are being swapped out by your supplier for free.  Suddenly it doesn't sound like a very good idea to bring your own parts, does it?  Again, we don't mind doing the work just be prepared for the consequences if any of the above scenarios pan out.

Mmmmm....bacon and eggs.

We have a B.S. button. And so should you.

This is why I started this little blogging site in the first place.  I just need a place to rant and at the same time educate my readers.  Knowledge is king.  I think NBC said it best, "The more you know!"  I knew watching cartoons in the morning would pay off eventually.

Anyone who knows our shop at all knows that we have a little thing for Miatas.  Call it a love affair, or an addiction, or a passion or even a fetish?  Whatever terminology you choose, just know that we know Miatas like the back of our hands.  As such, we have customers all over Austin and we understand when some of them can't always afford to take the time to drive all the way north to us for simple oil changes or the like.  If we can't provide them with on-site repair or maintenance service I always highly encourage our customers to call me if they ever have any questions or concerns about their Miatas.

Last week (a Wednesday, perhaps) I had a customer of ours call me because she was concerned about a noise coming from her exhaust and asked if it was OK for her to drive it until she could get it to us to check out.  She drives a 2001 Miata with an automatic tranmission. (normally being an automatic wouldn't have any weight in this discussion, but bear with me, it does play a role further down).  I told her that normally exhausts leaks won't cause a major problem but to get it to us as soon as she could so I could make sure she wouldn't burn up an engine harness or other surrounding parts.  The next day she called me saying that the noise was getting much worse so she stopped at a nearby garage to look at the problem.  This other shop told her that she had an engine vibration that was due to broken motor mounts.  She was quoted $485 to fix the problem and asked me if this was both a reasonable fix and a reasonable cost.  At that time I told her that I would look up the job operation and call her back as soon as I could.

When I get off the phone I thought to myself whether or not this was a reasonable diagnostic.  Let's do a little background first on just what an engine mount does in the first place.  An engine mount is what supports the engine on the subframe and is usually made of a solid rubber material.  Some mounts are even liquid filled as technology forces you to pay more money to fix them when they fail.  It's purpose is to absorb engine vibration so that you get a smooth ride in the cockpit.  It also allows other attachment points such as wiring harness or rubber hoses from being yanked around and being damaged.  Over time these rubber engine mounts get hard and brittle and start to either crack down the middle or separate itself from their metal plates. That said, we rarely see Miata engine mounts go bad. They only have two (one for each side of the engine) and are quite beefy. The exception to that rule are the automatic transmission Miatas.  Because the automatics are always in 'D' (Drive), the engine is constantly under load and it tends to collapse only one mount as its being torqued over even if you're sitting still at a light idling quietly.  When they do fail then there can be all kinds of engine vibrations and rattles that will absolutely drive the car owner nuts, not to mention your neighbors as you rattle up the driveway night after night.

Now let me talk about (2) red flags that I noticed right away:

1. She called me on a Wednesday complaining of a slight rattle.  It was only one day later that she called saying it's getting much worse.  Engine mounts don't fail this way.  They usually tend to degrade slowly over time.  A rapid degradation tells me something else is possibly going on.

2. $485 for mounts?  According to our shop labor guide (Mitchell's) the parts, labor and tax is half of that total.

So I called her back and asked her if she could possibly give me more information.  Perhaps they were quoting her some other work in addition to the mounts?  Perhaps because of the broken mounts she also had worn out hoses or harnesses?  Something would have to justify the additional cost.  She made the phone call and they said that they couldn't print out the quote because, "Our shop software doesn't allow us to print out estimates."  Wow, someone raise the B.S. flag.  I even pressed our 'BULLSHIT' button.    When asked why they were so expensive their advisor told her that they had to justify the cost because of the ASE Certified Master Technicians they employ to do such fine work on her fine automobile and provide a proper warranty.  Ok, I'll buy that explanation, but not for that price.   I told her to bring the car to me.

She showed up the next day and I personally test drove the car to verify the concern.  Sure enough there was an exhaust rattle so up in the air it went on the lift.  Motor mounts? check.  Engine vibration?  none.  Exhaust rattle, ah yes.  We found a 4-inch long broken exhaust bolt that had rusted through and was vibrating like it wanted off of this ride now!  This useless bolt simply supported a heat shield around the midpipe and served no other purpose whatsoever.  We removed it at no cost and I then went for a ride with our customer.  She was ecstatic.  I was fuming.

How can an independent shop with "ASE Master Certified Mechanics" rip off this poor older lady for $485?  Why can they not provide her with an actual breakdown of the estimate?  How do they sleep at night? ("On a big 'ol pile of money!")

As a consumer at any retail level the customer needs to know what they're buying.  We know exactly what we're buying when we plop down $900 at Best Buy for a big screen tv, right?  You did your research, you compared different brands and you trusted Best Buy's reputation.  Why shouldn't you know exactly what you are getting when you pay that amount at a repair facility?  Our average repair ticket is about $300 per job.  That's a lot of money to be paying, wouldn't you agree?  A knowledgeable customer not only makes more efficient use of their money but also does their part in KEEPING THE INDUSTRY HONEST!

This is the heart and soul of rebuilding a positive reputation. Knowledge is power.  If you have questions, ask them.  If you're afraid to ask them, then call me and I'll ask for you.  I have oftentimes posed as someone's brother calling a repair facility and asking questions on their behalf.  I love pinning them in a corner.  Never accept an answer from a service advisor that starts and ends with, "Because the tech said its bad."  Your confidence in them just got dropped to below zero and he needs to switch jobs and start flipping burgers.

This shop is located in S. Austin.  If you want the name, shoot me an email.

Crazy tamale lady turns into crazy cat lady.

There aren't enough keystrokes in me to document the long history that we had with our 'tamale lady.'  She's the lady that comes to your office selling a dozen tamales for $5. I think Taco Bell put her out of business.  Anyhow, past stories of her adventures aside, she recently came to us in her old rickety 2001 Dodge Caravan saying that we need to rescue her cats.  Apparently she recently adopted a litter of kitties that were only a couple of weeks old when suddenly she noticed them missing.

So why is she at an automotive shop, you ask?

"I just KNOW they're stuck underneath the van!"

"Well, ma'am, how do you know this?"

"I can hear them!  I can hear them meowing! and I just know its them and we have to save them or else they'll fall out in traffic and I just can't find them, oh please rescue my cats!"

"Ma'am, no problem, just give us a few minutes to clear a bay and we'll put the van up in the air to take a look."

Approximately 7 minutes pass and she just can't wait any longer.  Two minutes later we have three firemen crawling all over her van looking for cats. (there's a fire department next door to us, which is very convenient for us since we have multiple nominations for the annual Whiskey Tango Foxtrot award in which we give one of our techs an award for being the biggest dumbass.  The past two years it has involved fire.  But I'm going on a tangent.) What's better than having a real fireman rescue real cats!  BRILLIANT!  If we can only get them to stop laughing first.

Finally our shop foreman decides to rescue the firemen by taking the van and driving it on the alignment rack so we can take a look underneath.  The firemen then start walking back to the station.....and on the way go ahead and write a ticket on my windshield for parking too close to the fire hydrant.  Ok, I'm just kidding....it was a customer's car.

Ok, so back to the alignment rack.  My foreman is underneath with his flashlight poking around in all the crevices while our ex-tamale-now-crazy-cat-lady is calling for them underneath the van, "Here kitty kitty kitty, come to mama!."  It would be easier to hear the cats (if they were actually there), but her dog won't shut up as it's yapping its little head off being trapped in the drivers seat 20 feet in the air.

I guess it would have also been easier if one of my other techs wasn't hiding behind his toolbox lightly whispering "Meow, meow, meow"

So after we convince her that there are no felines anywhere in the vicinity she decides to leave.  So what noise did she actually hear?  She has suspension bushings that are about to fall out and are squeaking like...well....a herd of cats.

What's this all about?

So I had a customer bring their car in to our shop this morning for a second opinion on a potential fix of a rattle she was encountering.  I was so disgusted by the lack of ethics from the initial shop that I briefly posted about it on Facebook (you know what Facebook is, right? it's a passing fad) and it was suggested to me that I go ahead and start blogging about my experiences.  The experiences of an automotive shop aren't necessarily limited to blasting other shops, that's certainly not my intent.  The automotive industry is already tainted by bad eggs in the basket, but I feel its important for the public to know what to look out for in order to avoid being misled by corporate greed and a lack of ethics that's so rampant in the industry. This blog, though, will also include the day to day stories that also involve customers, venders, meth heads, the taco guy, and the occasional exploding battery.  I debated with myself whether this would be a good idea or not since the potential readers of this blog could, in fact, be the subject of a story or two :)  Do I want to risk offending a friend?  Have I really ever cared about that in the past?  Of course I have, but I believe that my friends and family understand that it's all in good fun and if FOX eventually wants to make a reality show out of it, so be it.

I'm the Service Manager of an independent automotive repair facility owner of a transmission shop in Pflugerville (see that! i've moved up in the world!).  If you drive a car or truck, there's a good chance that you'll run into someone like me at some point in your life.  Do your best not to end up as the subject of one of my blogs.

This isn't meant to make fun of anyone or to slam other business entities.  I honestly love all of my friends and customers.  This is a career that I chose because I never stopped playing with cars.  I race them, I break them, I even fix what I break at times!  It's a passion and I want to make sure that each job is done correctly and efficiently every single time.  When we started this shop back in 2004 we were asked what our Mission Statement should be.  I had to think about that for a little while before I jotted down any plain jain motto.  I thought about my experience working at a dealership, at previous independent shops and wanted to piece together the bottom line of what I wanted to bring to the community.  I came up with the following, which still holds true.

To Return the TRUST Originally Instilled by the Family Mechanic Through Honest, Ethical and Thorough Workmanship

That mission hasn't changed in the past six years and I believe we're doing our part in bringing back the family mechanic that you can call your friend, or at least bring a 4-pack of Red Bull and a box of breakfast kolaches.
 
This blog is more of an avenue to share experiences that will hopefully teach you a little something about our illustrious industry or even make yourself giggle a little bit (even if it means laughing at yourself).  Sometimes it will be a post about a funny moment in the shop. Sometimes it will be a rant about the service industry as a whole.  Regardless, I hope that you will enjoy reading my tales from the shop.