[TR] Triumph repair operation time guide - aka flat rate manual

[Michael Porter]

On 9/7/2012 8:20 PM, McGaheyRx at aol.com wrote:
> This question is, I think, in the same vein with those about the service
> bulletins.
>   
> I recently snagged a  "1977 TR7  Repair Operation Times"  booklet - an
> original British Leyland publication intended to serve as a flat  rate time
> guide for dealer service departments - interesting - IMHO  anyway
>   
>

Quite apart from collector value, the dealer flat-rate guides are always 
interesting to read, in part because of the outrageousness of them, but 
also to glean where the big problems were--most times were on the short 
side, but the big design bugaboos were always kept really short, because 
they knew warranty reserves were going to be depleted by them, anyway.

Still, if one was working in a dealership, there was not much hilarity 
in them.  I recall well a new Corolla that the owner had asked for an 
extra key, we cut him one, and it fit, but not perfectly--either the key 
code on the car was wrong, or there was an imperceptible burr on it, but 
the key wedged in the "start" position, and the fellow took off and 
drove about fifty miles.  This of course turned the starter into an 
unregulated generator, and it fried the starting harness (0.3 hours to 
replace by the book) which took about fifteen minutes, and a part of the 
instrument harness, which had to be replaced as a unit.  Book time for 
that was 3.0 hours.  The entire dash and its support structure had to be 
disassembled to remove the old harness and route the new one (about 
thirty major pieces).  I think it actually took me ten hours, and about 
halfway through it, the shop manager was about ready to have me 
committed because I started yelling at the top of my lungs, every time I 
hit a snag, "I wanna meet the little Japanese guy that can do this in 
three hours!"

Still and all, better than the poor GM guys across the street at the 
time, who were having so much trouble with poor design with regard to 
disassembly/assembly issues that they were averaging about 12 flat-rate 
hours a week, even though their yard was full of cars waiting for repairs.


Cheers.

-- 


Michael Porter
Roswell, NM


Never let anyone drive you crazy when you know it's within walking distance....