very well put!
have pulled a wrench for 38 years,
have never charged what it is really worth
Greg in Fla
56 short!
-----Original Message-----
From: Kevin D. Pennell <oletwuk@fastrus.com>
To: Oletrucks <oletrucks@autox.team.net>
Date: Wednesday, July 19, 2000 1:28 AM
Subject: [oletrucks] In Defense of Mechanics.
><<<Snip>>>I tell ya.. I have ALL the luck with slow,
>unreliable and mostly inadequate service. But lets not get me started! In
>the engine shops defense (sorta) they have a 70+ year old retired guy do
the
>babbit work since he is the only one who knows how. If it were me, I would
>be learning that stuff so the art doesnt disappear with the older
>generation!<<<Snip>>>
>
>Hi all,
>
>Deve,
>
> You're not the only one with "all" the luck with terrible service, but if
I
>may, let me add some insight...
>
> A lot of shops in business today are in it for the quick job, and the
>quick buck. They live for the fast turn-around jobs where they can make a
>profit. The employees are for the most part parts changers who, given a
>specific task can do it fairly easily, and quickly. These shops are the
>equivalent of taking your car to Jiffy Lube for an oil change. That's what
>they do, and they are fairly proficient at it. They have bills to pay, and
>taking the time to learn how to do something like pour a babbit insert is
>not cost effective by any stretch of the imagination.
>
> As a mechanic, I have to say that I've lost money on every job I've ever
>had that required "real" mechanic-ing. God forbid I charge for the actual
>hours that I spend diagnosing, weighing options, considering the customers
>habits and use patterns, and the actual painstaking efforts to achieve
>perfection in doing whatever job I'm doing that does not involve changing
>the brake pads, or replacing a leaky gasket. You must realize that
>something as simple as how the air fuel mixture is set may vary depending
on
>the customers shoe size, and where he or she uses the vehicle most. A
>mechanic is somewhat like a doctor, and should know you and your vehicle
>well in order to keep everything rolling along smoothly. The newer vehicles
>have computers that compensate for everything you can imagine, thus keeping
>you relatively happy no matter where you drive, or how you drive, but the
>older vehicles require middle of the road management by the mechanic, as in
>most cases what works well at 8000 feet doesn't do worth a tinkers dam at
>sea level. A recent thread on vacuum wipers expounded on that a little.
>Those guys "know" what they are talking about, trust me.
>
> Please be patient with that 70+ year old gentleman. He probably does
what
>he does because he loves it, not because it pays well. Allow him the time
>to get his mind right to do a particularly delicate job, and give him
credit
>due for perfection in areas of your engine that you will never see. He
>knows what happens in there, and he knows exactly what his efforts must be
>to make it all right for the engine, and for you the customer. If he's
like
>me, he cares more about how the engine is feeling than he does about how
you
>are feeling. I think that just might be a good thing. After all, your
>mechanic is your truck's doctor. You have your own. Find your own truck a
>good doctor, and be faithful to him. The rewards far outweigh the
deficits,
>for both you and your truck.
>
>Respectfully,
>
>Kevin P.
>'59 Apache 38/NAPCO
>Courtland, VA
>
>
>oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
>
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
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