josephautomotive

Seems to me there ought to be a lot of potential here, add fuel stabilizer and generator maintenance to the list

I only bring up the anode rod because on the majority of RV’s you must remove it anyway in order to drain the water heater.  Since most water heaters would require 6-10 gallons of RV antifreeze, it makes sense to drain it and install a bypass valve if not already equipped, reducing the antifreeze requirement down to 2 or 3 gallons total.  And m…[Read more]

I have spent my entire career screaming “It’s the money,stupid” but no one listens, they would rather cry about how they can’t find techs

its not.

I usually do a check spin at rotation time, and it is not unusual to see a tire out by an ounce or more at 10K.  .5-.75 is pretty common.

While we are on the topic, I am curious to know what you all get for tire rotations, and wheel balancing.  Seems to me that these are often used as a loss leader or even a freebie to get a chance to look at the brakes, and wheel balancing is artificially low because it is  so often sold as part of a new tire package.  Me I figure a rotation and ba…[Read more]

Not a bad idea! I mean how many of us have done a straight tire rotation only to have to pull it back in the shop to balance the front tires because we now have a shimmy?  I know I have.  I prefer to sell a full rotation and balance all 4 wheels as I am convinced that an imbalanced rear tire is still hard on things like wheel and axle b…[Read more]

Well I have been seeing times ranging from 4.5 ( the OE TSB) to over 12.0 with most guys saying about 8.0 and Chiltons publishing 7.7  Still seems like you need to raise the cab up a little to clear the mess at the left rear cab corner and to access the clips

Of course there is not a repairlink dealer within 200 miles of me.  An OE application chart would be nice, it is a real PITA to have to phone the dealer with a VIN every time you want to write an estimate

Great, now can you tell us which major parts suppliers carry them?

I looked into them, two major issues: Since I am a one man shop, they wont even list me, a customer could be broke down a block from my door, but if they check repair pal, the nearest listed shop is over 40 miles away.  So that does me no good.  Second, their estimates are usually clear out in left field somewhere, no where near realistic. They d…[Read more]

Not quite related, but it kills me when people come in with quotes to install used major assemblies (engine or trans) for an overall estimate that is lower than the All Data or Chilton labor for the job.  Now figuring the engine, fluids, and incidentals, you must have guys who are crazy enough to install these for a couple hundred bucks.   A tr…[Read more]

Not anywhere around here. An A tech may make that, but more likely he was promised a “potential” and you can’t eat potential.  Entry level starts at around $11 hr, and McD here will start you at $10 hr., no tools and no skills required.  It was pretty bad when I had to take a part time job driving truck, and that pays more than I make fixing t…[Read more]

Moot since I run a one man shop without employees. I can tell you that as an employee I had to pay for my own certifications, and train on my own time (although the boss usually picked up the class fees)  I think making the tech bear these costs out of pocket is nuts.

I always had to pay for my tests, even as an employee.  I will tell you I have heard every excuse in the book why techs wont take the exams, and always from guys I know damned well would fail.  Certification ought to be a job REQUIREMENT.  (not merely a preference) If you as as employer are paying for the exams and providing training, what is th…[Read more]