shop rant!

[d0ubledown]

so i go to my shop before my calgary road trip to fix my u-joint issue (constant squeaking). i tell the shop owner what i need done (quoting exactly what the stealership said i needed replaced). shop owner says "it wont be that much and we do a much better job than those techs at the dealer". sounds good right? i also requested an oil change and a full chassis lube. nothing else.

so i bring my truck in..and a few hours later i get the call that my truck is done...and that the ujoint didnt need to be replaced. so all they did from my request was replace a sheared off zerk fitting and an oil change. i get there and was told that there was no play in the joint so they didnt replace it. they then tell me that they did a bunch of other 'freebie' work...exhaust hanger fix..new air filter. i said cool. payed the $220 that they wanted. didnt think at the time that it seemed kinda high since these guys did a great job for me before.

i get home and notice some fluid leaking...WTF? turns out to be some spilled new oil that collected under a skid. yeah great work. so in calgary, i still get squeaky ujoint noise. WTF?! on my way to edmonton..i start hearing/feeling vibration at speed. WHAAT TF? figured it was that bloody ujoint. so to the dealership in calgary i go. $300+ later...truck is fine. no squeak, runs like a champ. start to figure wtf i payed 2 bills to these clowns. dealer wanted 100 to replace zerk, so in essence i payed about 100 for an oil change.

called up the shop and inquired why they charged me $120 for an oil change & lube chassis (got that figure since the dealer wanted 100 for the zerk replacement). immediately buddy got all defensive accusing me of calling him a "gangsta thats ripping me off". he said they only charged 20 for the zerk. even better! so i payed almost TWO hundred for an oil change? then he goes off n says 'oh we did all this other work for you, were trying to save you $$ on work you dont need etc etc...'. i didnt ask for that other crap done..nor did i need it done. so much for "we're much better techs than the dealership" ...complete BS. they offer a full refund and a ' and dont f***ing come here again'. yeah..great customer service :rolleyes:

i asked for half that back...i hate these clowns. i know i should have bit the bullet and done it myself or payed the dealer to do it. properly. but i just didnt have the time...

so anyone want $100? go get it from these idiots. seriously. dont have the time to go get it..and id rather someone else have it than these fcuktards...



thanks for listening

[big wop on top]

what shop is it not that i want ur money so i and others dont end up going there

[sk8bor]

wow i think its time for you to learn how to replace your own u joints bec $300 is way to much for a $30 u joint and 15mins of work in the garage replacing it .

[bobknob]

Yeah but think of the time you saved:rolleyes:

[rattle]

That is why I would rather do work myself. You save a lot of money and if you screw it up it is your fault. U-joints are easy to change after you have done one or two.

[r_jacksontrucks]

It can be hard working in a shop and trying to keep customers happy. We had a powerstroke come in that the dealership couldn't fix. We spent a week trying to diagnose it. Nothing came up on the computer that made much sense. Evetnutally we changed the oil pressure regulator and it was solved. We charged the owner for the part, 4 hours labour, and oil and filters. Even thought we spent a week working on it he came back and was upset he got charged for a fuel filter. He said he just changed it before the problem started. So we ate the $40 for the filter and 41/2 days work.

[westcoaster]

Originally posted by r_jacksontrucks
It can be hard working in a shop and trying to keep customers happy. We had a powerstroke come in that the dealership couldn't fix. We spent a week trying to diagnose it. Nothing came up on the computer that made much sense. Evetnutally we changed the oil pressure regulator and it was solved. We charged the owner for the part, 4 hours labour, and oil and filters. Even thought we spent a week working on it he came back and was upset he got charged for a fuel filter. He said he just changed it before the problem started. So we ate the $40 for the filter and 41/2 days work.


The next time a ford diesel comes into your shop with a problem you can't easly fix try this site.
http://www.flatratetech.com/forums/

Buried somewhere in there is a list of problems and fixes. They call them the ford 6.oh no's for a reason.....

[r_jacksontrucks]

They call them the ford 6.oh no's for a reason..... [/B][/QUOTE]

We've seen the common problems, with the wiring harness throught the valve cover and crank sensors, oil pressure sensors etc, but those problems are common to the Intenational 466 and the cat 3116. They also show up on the scanner, but the oil pressure regulator doesn't have a code. But thanks for the site, I'll pass it on to the other tech's at our shop. Intenational/Navistar actually has a pretty good website too.

[96 runner]

sonny that sucks next time give me a call i'am the champ at changing u-joints. speaking off u-joint mine still haven't been done on my runner yet

[Hayes]

Changing U joints was the first thing I learned years ago all you need is a good vise with a large enough throat. You can pound them in but thats hard on your yokes and drive shaft.

The only thing I take to a mechanic is stuff that I don't want to try do but 90% of the work done on my trucks is done by me.

I rarely have U joint failures because I grease my truck monthly.

Grease and Oil is cheap to replacing parts. Once a U joint starts squeeking means the needle bearings are worn and damage is done.

[u2slow]

I prefer to cuss and scream in my own driveway while doing the work myself. That way it feels like my creative expression helped the whole process. :redneck

[belmont mild]

go back get your 100 bucks and torch it infront of them while you walk away.......

[vince69007]

Originally posted by u2slow
I prefer to cuss and scream in my own driveway while doing the work myself. That way it feels like my creative expression helped the whole process. :redneck


you said that for me as well LoL

[Hayes]

I think my neighbours have heard a few different versions of the "F" word :laugh

I have spent allot of time wrenching I won't pull wrenches on anybody elses equipment or trucks anymore. Where I learned was watching heavy duty mechanics working on equipment.

The worst thing for me to work on is light duty brakes I just don't have the patients. I cut my teeth on a set of brakes on my 79 F-150 4x4 when I was 16. It was frustrating I lost my temper a few times. From there I got into changing clutches to replacing engines etc. Worked on heavy trucks and equipment later on.

I had people tell me go for your Heavy Duty ticket I never did, now that I'am 30 its a little too late to go for my trade ticket.

Oh well some people are not that mechanically inclined. One thing you have to get used to is getting dirty, getting used to bonking your noggin, a good pain threshold.

If you want to do your own wrenching you definatly need a place with a concrete or pavement surface to work on. I spent many years working on dirt driveway using old cardboard or plywood to lay on.

[d0ubledown]

yeah...i usually do most of the stuff i can do myself. but for this job, i had no vise, proper place or more importantly...time to do the job. time is money and at the time, i had the G's to get it done...but of course i didnt want to pay stealership prices. so i went elswhere...i guess you only learn from your experiences. i used to be in the BCIT AST program...but i wasnt dedicated enough back then and um..involuntarily withdrew. perhaps i might take it back up with more of a mature & disciplined approach.


belmont..yeah i should definitely do that huh haha. im sure barry would just love seeing that... :laugh