quality or quantity

[bpmguys]

This question has been haunting me for years. It really has nothing to do with what I am doing now, but I wanted to get input from other members.Question. When it comes to car repairs, what is the customers take on price vs. quality. Do they want an average job at a lower cost or do they want a super quality job at a higher price? I have had this converstaion with numerous people incl. Dennis, but I don't know if anybody ever came up with a conclusion

Thanks for the time and input, Bryan

[redrocket]

most of the time a person usually settles for the cheapest price when it comes to repairs not everyone has the money to afford a nascar crew to keep their cars maintained

[PalmerWMD]

I would prefer tospend extra (maybe 20-30%) to get a hi quality job.

Fred...

[Mayhem_J30]

a place like bpm would obviously want to keep the supeior service they have because that's how word gets around.

but for a customer (the average customer) the price is what matters. an obviously quality is sacrificed with lower prices.Here's a question back at ya:How would quality be sacrificed, through expertise, time spent(methods and care) or equipment?

[bpmguys]

There are numerous way that quality will decrease.A. Quality of the tech working on the car. The better the tech the more you have to pay him.B. The facilities and tools. Equiptment is not cheap, or should I say, top end equiptment. There are pleanty of things out there that will get you the basic answers, but do you have the tools to take it from there or do you throw parts at the car and see what happens.C. Do you take time to clean parts and make adjustments to get the make performance out of a job or do you replace the part and clear the memory and let the car go?D. One of the common questions that is asked in the business is, what is your rate per hour? Well does it really matter, because if you have somebody that spends two hours guessing about what is wrong with a car, as opposed to somebody that can go directly to the concern in a half hour, does the labor rate really come into play? (this is concerning topic A)

[Mayhem_J30]

D. One of the common questions that is asked in the business is, what is your rate per hour? Well does it really matter, because if you have somebody that spends two hours guessing about what is wrong with a car, as opposed to somebody that can go directly to the concern in a half hour, does the labor rate really come into play? (this is concerning topic A)

good question as i've never speculated this problem from the business side. i think the smarter tech is something you would want to retain and sacrifice the top shelf equipment and everything you mentioned in topic 'C'.With the smarter tech you can save time and with the other sacrifices you can save money. Two of the most important things in the world, time and money. Sounds like a winning combination

[bpmguys]

mayhem, I do agree with you on most of that the point. The only problem is that some of that topshelf equipment is what makes that tech smarter, faster etc... ie. we have a car that another shop has brought to us. they have spent a lot of $ (or a lot of the customers $) and a few days trying to diag. this car. With the right person and tools we diagnosed it in 1 hour. Much of that stemed from the tools. I do agree though, that you would want to sacrifice the tool before the person.

[APEXi240]

I'm sorry if this is slightly off topic, but....I'd rather pay more for a quality job. I have yet to find a GOOD mechanic in my area, what can I do without bringing my car in and finding out first hand?

[AZhitman]

Trust plays a huge role. I'm fortunate enough to have a tech that cares for my car as if it's his own, and is inexpensive.

[bpmguys]

apexi240; Listen to the people around you. Atleast in Atlanta word of mouth goes along way. If you have people around you that you trust ask them. If they give you a shop to talk to, do just that, talk them. Stop by the shop and see what is going on. Are the techs salary or flat rate? Salary techs tend to spend more time on the car, because their paycheck does depend on how fast they do a job. I have been working in a salaried environment for appx 3 years and have really seen the difference. If it is an option, try to find a shop that pays salary.

[Bubba1]

Quality over Quantity every time for mechanics. Word of mouth (references) is the best way to find a good mechanic. You want a job done right the first time. I'm also lucky to have found a very good mechanic who has been working on all my cars for many years.