Date: Thu, 17 Sep 2009 11:14:46 -0400
Reply-To: Benny boy <huotb@VIDEOTRON.CA>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Benny boy <huotb@VIDEOTRON.CA>
Subject: Re: Mechanics using customer supplied parts.. Was bars leaks
Thank you.
So why people bring their own part?
To save money is one, difficult part to get is #2, in the tuner world, some
mechanic will ask that the customers get everything himself and that's is fine.
That said, some parts are available online and with a price tag, customers
are quite aware. Ex: Fuel tank at BS is 159$ USD, about 185 CAD, not ship
and no custom. My cost price for a fuel tank is 235$ CAD (made locally, very
good quality), i sell this one for 290$ + installation. I think it's a fair
price and the profit is welcome. So if a guy as is own tank i loose 55$ on a
1.5hours job. Of course i will also loose all the westy talk time, so over
all it take like 4.5 hours of my time in one day, i make 100$ on labour and
nothing on the tank. I am aware of that i'm am sick and tired of trying to
justify myself. So I don't no more, i just don't care. Not happy, go elsewhere.
So don't ask me why i'm not doing normal maintenance anymore. Any newcomer
mechanic will do anything to get new customers. But he will realize pretty
quickly that it's not good money when his compressor break down.
This as been discuss here before, like anything else. The one with business
fully understand the situation, the one with normal job don't, period.
So don't come to my shop with your own parts, nop! unless i ask you to and
you better have the right parts.
Doing stuff like brake, or anything under a car is real good money as to
part profit, i mean big time. Doing insurance claim for body work is the way
to go, very good money also. Doing full paint job / body work like I do on
rusty van is simply plain stupid financially. The Subi conversion is ok to
good money if i have to change a bunch of other parts like starter,
radiator, axle, muffler... Me stupid, but I get it this year.
Why don't you think i don't even touch old VW Bus's no more. Lack of parts,
van stuck on my lift because i don't have the part i just broke trying to
fix something else. That problem is slowly including the Vanagon.
To keep running a Vanagon repair business you need to make good money to
compensate for the job that don't or didn't pay before.
It took me some years to stop worrying about the invoice i was doing after a
job, even me i was like: Men it's to much $$$, i felt bad, got to remove
some... Today, i don't even care. Come with me work for a week and you will
go back in your nice office.
This morning i can't stop cuffing, i forgot to put my mask yesterday night
(yea, night!) wile sanding a van, even with the mask i still cuff.
So please, if you have a good and honest mechanic stop bringing you parts,
and be happy that he make a bit more money with you instead of trying to
save a few $$$.
It's a business. Not happy, get dirty!
Regards, Ben
http://www.benplace.com
On Thu, 17 Sep 2009 09:29:34 -0400, Allan Streib <streib@CS.INDIANA.EDU> wrote:
>If you've ever been on the shop owner side of the counter, you might have a
different perspective. I personally have not but this is how it was
explained to me by a person who has:
>
>Shops have two basic sources of revenue -- labor charges, and the markup on
parts.
>
>It's unlikely that you as an individual retail consumer can get parts
"cheaper" than the shop can. What you are seeing as cheaper is the shop
markup. 100% is not uncommon. Sounds like a lot but this covers some of
the shop overhead and convenience to the customer.
>
>So if the owner has his costs and prices calculated assuming a markup on
parts, and you show up with parts in hand, he's now LOSING MONEY by doing
the work for you. And of course if he does this too much he's either going
to have to charge more for labor or go out of business. That's why many
shops dislike or refuse to install parts you bring in.
>
>Allan
>--
>1991 Vanagon GL
