Idiots...

StrokerScamp said
All too often customers think they know best. I gave an estimate a few weeks ago on a Honda transmission. 1800-2200 bucks. There's always a range with us, because you just don't know what you'll find when you tear one down. SO, they elected to go buy a used transmission with NO warranty for 900 bucks. We get 450 plus fluid (usually around 50 bucks) to install a used transmission. Plus of course, we cannot warranty somebody else's transmission. That's about 1400 bucks that customer just spent. Guess what? The transmission was bad. Talk about a stupid decision. We'd have given them a 12 month 12K mile warranty, ALL new electronic solenoids, a NEW converter plus all the upgrades we do to the valve body. It would have been better than it was when Honda built it. Dumbasses. Guess where the car is now? Sittin out in our lot. We'll probably end up buying it. Most of the time it's the customers who are the idiots.

Not defending the stupid customer here, but sometimes their decisions are made based on finances, not common sense.

I just took the wife's car to a buddy's shop. Ford Focus. I don't have the time nor the patience to work on it. After telling him what I thought it needed (water pump) I then told him I wanted the timing belt and all the accessories with it replaced while he is in there. He agreed.

He is not one to cheap out on repairs, I have seen him diagnose a customers car and tell them exactly what it needs. He told one lady that her car needed this and that and she wanted to cheap out. He put the car back together and asked her to take it somewhere else. This way when it doesn't function the way it should she can't come back complaining to him.

I agree with Rob, too many customers elect not to have something done, or done right, whether it be money related or good common sense. They usually find out in the long run they should have done it right the first time.

I know some folks around here that won't use his services because he tells them up front when doing repairs that this or that should be done while we are at it. They think he is just trying to take their money. That is not the case he is a top notch mechanic and looks at things based on experience and common sense, something all too lacking nowadays.