Dealerships are the worst!!!

Kinja'd!!! "AMGtech - now with more recalls!" (amgtech)
04/17/2019 at 10:20 • Filed to: nightmare fuel

Kinja'd!!!18 Kinja'd!!! 65

“That’s why you should never use them and only go to an independent! My guy used to be a dealer Mercedes tech, but he doesn’t work for them anymore so here’s a lot cheaper now!” -the previous owner of an E63

Kinja'd!!! Kinja'd!!! Kinja'd!!! Kinja'd!!!

Well turns out that former Benz tech did head bolts on this engine, but applied Teflon sealant to them. Which is dumb for a number of reasons. 1) applying anything to threads of a fastener changes the torque reading and there only specs published for this are “dry” (quotes because they’re in coolant on this engine). 2) because the main body of the bike goes through the coolant jacket so the thread sealant is absolutely useless in this application.

This car came in not running. The engine appeared to be seized as it couldn’t be turned over by hand with a 3ft breaker bar. Removing the spark plugs freed it up though. Turns out the cylinders were full of fuel and coolant. It was hydrolocked. We cleared the cylinders out and got it running again, but it didn’t run right. After a few minutes it turned the coolant reservoir into a mini volcano!

So we tried to do a block test to see if there were hydrocarbons in the cooling system which would indicate a compression leak, probably from a failed head gasket. Even after pulling a gallon out of the cooling system if still turned into a volcano in a matter of minutes from dead cold. You can’t block test a volcano.

Engine teardown required. Mr. Former Benz tech was a real winner. He applied crap sealant all over a bunch of gaskets that don’t need and shouldn’t have sealant on them. I say it was crap because it felt exactly like the stuff that holds the fake key onto dealership propaganda, or fake credit card or whatever junk mail. Never came across anything like that before! Of course they were leaking.

But the real fun started when I got to the head bolts. Expecting them to be the old style, I was surprised to see they had been updated. The updated one don’t fail, and if the bolts don’t fail then the gaskets don’t fail. Now u was a little worried about my diagnosis up to this point and the future viability of this engine.

Grabbed my 3ft breaker bar and threw my weight at the first bolt....

Crap! Just about slipped and whacked my face against the engine! That bolt was so loose I could’ve taken it off with a 3/8” ratchet. And seven more were the same way! That’s when I found the sealant on the threads. Well, there’s your problem! *Insert meme here*

But this engine was hydrolocked. Surely it couldn’t have come away from that unscathed, right? So I went ahead and measured all the piston heights because that would tell me if there was a bent connecting rod.

Any guesses?

It’s an M156.

....

...

...

...

Nope! All within .1mm of each other! And not a single tiny scratch on any of the cylinders! On mere mortal engines hydrolocking often renovates the house and adds new windows. But not on this!

Reassembled everything and she runs perfect!

Moral of the story, not  all dealers are evil, and not all independents are worth using. You usually get what you pay for. And maybe there's a reason that mechanic USED to work for Mercedes but doesn't anymore?

Side notes: yes those are aftermarket headers. They’re very very nice. They are why I had to remove the engine out the bottom of the car though. Normally they would stay on the heads during head removal, but that wasn’t possible in this instance and the fasteners aren’t accessible with the engine installed on this design. It sounds glorious.


DISCUSSION (65)


Kinja'd!!! sm70- why not Duesenberg? > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
04/17/2019 at 10:25

Kinja'd!!!3

Kinja'd!!!


Kinja'd!!! fintail > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
04/17/2019 at 10:31

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Someone got lucky, time to buy a lottery ticket.

Stuff like this makes leasing look attractive.


Kinja'd!!! random001 > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
04/17/2019 at 10:32

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You always have the prettiest pictures....


Kinja'd!!! vondon302 > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
04/17/2019 at 10:32

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I’m shocked that thing didn't ventilate itself.


Kinja'd!!! AMGtech - now with more recalls! > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
04/17/2019 at 10:35

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You don't want to know. We did more than just this though.


Kinja'd!!! AMGtech - now with more recalls! > vondon302
04/17/2019 at 10:36

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That hurts just thinking about it!


Kinja'd!!! AMGtech - now with more recalls! > random001
04/17/2019 at 10:36

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Thanks!


Kinja'd!!! CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
04/17/2019 at 10:36

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Not all dealers are evil, but all Ford and Chevy ones are


Kinja'd!!! Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
04/17/2019 at 10:43

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The rubber cement shit you found is gasket tack. I use an absolute FUCKTON of it, because it is the greatest shit ever . Tiny bit holds nearly any gasket in place, especially the fiddly cord shit that follows 16 turns.

Unless you slather it on like a complete fucking moron treating it like it’s RTV.


Kinja'd!!! AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks
04/17/2019 at 10:47

Kinja'd!!!4

If used like that it’s great! But it’s also unnecessary on this engine. The gaskets fit into perfect little grooves. You could play Frisbee with the valve covers and the gaskets wouldn’t fall out! But this guy put a thick layer on both sides of the gasket. Dumbass.


Kinja'd!!! shop-teacher > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
04/17/2019 at 10:52

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Oh, but we do want to know! It’s not our money, after-all .


Kinja'd!!! Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
04/17/2019 at 10:52

Kinja'd!!!0

Can you imagine being the next mechanic to work on a Tavarish car? OMG that would be a rolling disaster.


Kinja'd!!! Arrivederci > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
04/17/2019 at 10:52

Kinja'd!!!0

S ide notes: yes those are aftermarket headers. They’re very very nice. They are why I had to remove the engine out the bottom of the car though. Normally they would stay on the heads during head removal, but that wasn’t possible in this instance and the fasteners aren’t accessible with the engine installed on this design. It sounds glorious.

Literally was going to be my first question.  I was about to give MB huge props for putting stock headers like that on their cars.


Kinja'd!!! shop-teacher > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
04/17/2019 at 10:53

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Also false.


Kinja'd!!! jimz > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
04/17/2019 at 10:54

Kinja'd!!!1

yeah but those 4-2-1 headers...


Kinja'd!!! 3point8isgreat > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
04/17/2019 at 10:56

Kinja'd!!!0

Can confirm, at least the Ford.

Took car in for cracked radiator hose. They decided it needed a new water pump too because 3000 RPM is too much apparently? Then didn’t attach the clamp holding the new hose onto the radiator.

Then took it in later for head gasket. Again they left a clamp off I believe a vacuum hose (didn’t know as much back then as I do now to identify stuff). At this point I swore off ever doing anything at this dealership again.

Many years later at a different dealership , take in for a new radiator fan. They charge 2 hours of labor for a job that only has 3 bolts, and slides in/out easily. Fan then fails within a year or less and kills an AC compressor.  If you’re wondering why I went for such an easy job, it’s because my apartments specifically didn’t allow car repairs.

I’m 50/50 on whether a Ford dealership messes up. But 100% of the time they’ll charge you ridiculous rates for the privilege of playing their lottery!  


Kinja'd!!! davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
04/17/2019 at 10:59

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Can we get a video clip of this thing revving, pretty please...?


Kinja'd!!! CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > shop-teacher
04/17/2019 at 11:00

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lol. I know. Actually there is a Jalopnik commenter  and Oppo lurker that works at a local Ford Dealer and they are all OK over there.

Never had any GM experience other than desperately trying to test drive any product during a Corvette Show to try and escape the old men. Sales guy had the same priority and was nice.


Kinja'd!!! 66P1800inpieces > shop-teacher
04/17/2019 at 11:02

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I’m with Shop-Teacher. S ince it could have been a lot worse inquiring minds are curious what was associated with the “thank goodness this shit worked out” option.


Kinja'd!!! shop-teacher > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
04/17/2019 at 11:06

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Some of them suck, and suck hard.  Some of them are great.  I have experienced both.


Kinja'd!!! I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > vondon302
04/17/2019 at 11:09

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Delete this


Kinja'd!!! AMGtech - now with more recalls! > jimz
04/17/2019 at 11:13

Kinja'd!!!0




Kinja'd!!! razorbeamteam > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
04/17/2019 at 11:13

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Engine removal to install headers?? Woof, I can only imagine getting everything bolted back up only to have a gasket blow out on startup.


Kinja'd!!! AMGtech - now with more recalls! > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
04/17/2019 at 11:14

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I’ll think about it. But probably not. It wouldn't sound great from my potato anyways.


Kinja'd!!! AMGtech - now with more recalls! > razorbeamteam
04/17/2019 at 11:19

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I didn't install the headers and don't know when they were installed. So I only had to take it apart once!


Kinja'd!!! i86hotdogs > shop-teacher
04/17/2019 at 11:27

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This reminds me of an article I read on a guy who bought a new floor lift and tools for his garage because it was fractionally cheaper to do that than take it into a Mercedes shop and have them pull the engine and do the work.

edit: found it (sorta) https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/buying-maintenance/a32269/this-r63-amg-owner-is-rebuilding-his-engine-to-avoid-a-57000-repair/

EDIT II: R&T got this from someone one here! https://oppositelock.kinja.com/the-tale-of-the-57k-engine-repair-1791114047


Kinja'd!!! HammerheadFistpunch > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
04/17/2019 at 11:29

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I used to really like my independent mechanic but then he started charging me dealer prices and frankly the work was dealer level. little stuff like using cheaper hose clamps and stuff plus just not tidying up on a repair job and the like. if you want to be a top notch independent mechanic you really just have to do 2 things.

1. follow the FSM to the letter, or any updates to it.

2. make your work look like you know what you’re doing.

I guess you also have to complete the work in a timely manner too but 1 and 2 are the reasons that most mechanics don’t pass muster.

I just really want to find a mechanic that uses good parts, does the work according to factory spec (or updated information) and gets the work done in a reasonable time.

my indy mechanic used good parts when I asked and was fast, but I wasn’t impressed with the work.  They have done excellent work when they are given the time and have the motivation.  Their front diff setup on my cruiser is PERFECT.  I need to have them do the rear to fix the problems of another indy mechanic I wont go to ever again.


Kinja'd!!! AMGtech - now with more recalls! > HammerheadFistpunch
04/17/2019 at 11:37

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We all have off days, and sometimes we can get into slumps that last a while. Or have personal things going on that take our minds off of the task at hand. We do random QC inspections of work in our shop, and automatic QC inspections on bigger tickets. So that helps keep the work up to snuff. And our standard is to make it look like no one has been in there. Correct clamps, correct fasteners, correct routing, even the same positioning of hose clamps (if it makes sense for serviceability).


Kinja'd!!! HammerheadFistpunch > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
04/17/2019 at 11:48

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I started taking the GX to the L exus dealer. They do cleaner work, the lobby is insanely better (free jimmy johns sammies, etc), the techs treat you like you’re an uptight wealthy person and the shop rate is the exact same as the Toyota dealership across the street and the same as my indy mechanic.  Its kind of a no brainer.  Granted Its only for stuff I don’t feel like doing on it myself as thats the only way to REALLY be sure its done the way you want it.


Kinja'd!!! AMGtech - now with more recalls! > HammerheadFistpunch
04/17/2019 at 12:09

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Sounds like a good move! You could probably get one on one time with a tech if you needed also. We’re the same way, minus the sandwiches. Same price as low line dealers and indies.

Now I’m jealous of  the sammies!


Kinja'd!!! shop-teacher > i86hotdogs
04/17/2019 at 12:16

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I remember reading about that here!


Kinja'd!!! i86hotdogs > shop-teacher
04/17/2019 at 12:20

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Reading the comments on that oppo post, looks like OP up here was already all over it. Sorry for not piecing that together as quickly as I should have, 


Kinja'd!!! shop-teacher > i86hotdogs
04/17/2019 at 12:34

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No worries, that was a long time ago.


Kinja'd!!! just-a-scratch > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
04/17/2019 at 13:41

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If I read that correctly, the engine hydrolocked because clamping force on the heads was too low and leaks ensued. Head bolts took far less than normal torque to remove and showed evidence of teflon thread sealant.

There se ems to be some really weird stuff going on with those head bolts. Normally, if you put a thread sealant or thread lubricant on and apply the same torque as dry threads, the clamping force increases and the gasket seal should be even better. Common problems with applying thread lubricant/sealer include excessive bolt tension (i.e. clamping force) and greater tendency to loosen over time. I wonder if those head bolts loosened up due to the goo acting as a lubricant.

Why would someone put thread sealant in there in the first place?

Is there a leak path through the bolt holes to the cylinders that misses the head gaskets?


Kinja'd!!! StudyStudyStudy > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
04/17/2019 at 13:52

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I think it depends on the person, like I wouldn’t have a problem taking my car to you if you ever broke away.

My current M ini guy basically poaches people he likes from the dealership from what I picked up, they work fast and really affordably. The caveat is they only work on cars he has sold or is planning on working or else they charge a more dealership type pricing.


Kinja'd!!! Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
04/17/2019 at 14:44

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And VW.


Kinja'd!!! CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
04/17/2019 at 14:55

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I have never/would never go in a VW dealer.  No real reasons, just have never made a car I liked.


Kinja'd!!! Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
04/17/2019 at 14:55

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Pick your dealer and pick your indie, I guess.

I’m a little anti dealers right now having just yesterday been charged a hundred and thirty dollars for 6 liters of engine oil for the skoda. Not to mention the fact that the manual says it only needs 4.5 liters including filter. I’ve been taking the GTI to the same indie for 8 years and been really happy with him - the only reason the Skoda - which is mechanically pretty much a GTI - is going to the dealer is it’s still under warrantee

Though they did at least forget to charge me for the brake fluid.

OTOH I suppose that may mean I now have brakes running on 5W30 :-)


Kinja'd!!! brianbrannon > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
04/17/2019 at 15:02

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Subaru chain motors spec rtv on parts of the head gaskets  


Kinja'd!!! AMGtech - now with more recalls! > just-a-scratch
04/17/2019 at 15:24

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Excellent questions. I had the same logic path. My thinking is that he either missed the last 90 degree turn on those 8 bolts (the front 4 on each head) or the Teflon acted as lubricant and allowed them to back out. The bolts are torqued to 50nm, then 3 turns of 90 degrees.

The bolts go through the main coolant jacket around the cylinders, but the threads themselves do not need to seal, the holes are blind. There is sealant under the head of the new bolts to prevent coolant getting past them. My guess is that the guy who worked on it previously thought the threaded part of the bolt goes into coolant, like on some older domestic stuff. But it's actually the main body of the bolt. There is no path from bolts to cylinders that would bypass the gaskets unless something cracked. No cracks were found.


Kinja'd!!! AMGtech - now with more recalls! > StudyStudyStudy
04/17/2019 at 15:31

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Absolutely. I’m sort of half assed trying to dispel the myth that all dealerships are evil. Most independents can’t compete with dealers on pay and benefits, so the best non-dealer techs around here are the owners of  the independent shops. At least in the Mercedes world. And I have no interest in running my own shop, I'm paid well enough and my stress is low enough that it doesn't interest me at all. And that's the same story I hear from most dealer techs who are worth their weight in wrenches.


Kinja'd!!! AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen
04/17/2019 at 15:37

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I say pick your mechanic. The individual, not the shop. Which I know is really hard because most of us don’t want to talk to you 

That’s fair. Did you ask why they charged for an extra liter? They might make it up to you somehow.

Oil is oil right? 


Kinja'd!!! AMGtech - now with more recalls! > brianbrannon
04/17/2019 at 15:43

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Lots of ours do too. Some use a small bead around the whole edge, some just in small spots. But where this guy put the sealant was just dumb and may have caused leaks by deforming the gasket.


Kinja'd!!! Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
04/17/2019 at 15:52

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I wanted to compare the GLI to the Civic Si, so that brought me to the VW dealer. They were really bad. They wouldn’t allow me to test drive it until I brought in proof of insurance and ran my credit. Even though i jumped through those hoops, they drove me to where they would “ allow” me to test drive the car. Keeping in mind I was like... 23 with an engineering job and a masters degree at this point. Young, but not some dumb kid.  Also I was already driving a pretty nice car. I took great pleasure in telling the salesman that it was one of the worst cars I’d driven (it just felt heavy and slow compared to the Si) and there was a 0% chance I’d ever buy from them anyway. I have kept that promise.

I’ve heard similar stories from others.

... but I’m not bitter! >_>


Kinja'd!!! just-a-scratch > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
04/17/2019 at 16:23

Kinja'd!!!1

Thanks for the detailed reply. It sounds like you’ve got those concerns handled.


Kinja'd!!! Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
04/17/2019 at 18:06

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I say pick your mechanic. The individual, not the shop.

Absolutely. We used to get our racecar maintained at the shop of a friend of my brother-in-law. Really good guy, ex WRC mechanic, knew his way round keeping racecars alive. He used to do great work, give us really good rates and let us pitch in our own labour on the big jobs to keep costs down. Then we had a big run of repeat breakages. Initially we thought it was just our shitt y driving , but eventu ally we concluded the shop was consistently scre wing up . We were about to confront him about it - which wa s hard bec au se of the personal relationship - when he came to us and fessed up that he’d made a hu ge mistake in the level of trust he’d put in a new hire. The guy was completely incompetent and had done huge damage and driven a way a bunch of customers before t he the penny dropped and he fired him. Unfortunately he’d been wor k ing on our car every time it was in, beca u se he was supposedly a muscle car expert :-(.

Which I know is really hard because most of us don’t want to talk to you 

That’s one of the main rea so ns I prefer small indy shops. Most dealers are very resistant to letti ng you actually talk to the tech who’s goi ng to do (or has done) the work. I have very low confidence that a rece ptionist who ’s never been a mecha nic is going to re l iably convey importa n t information in either dire c tion, and not much more confidence in a harassed service manager doing so .

That’s fair. Did you ask why they charged for an extra liter?

I d idn’t realise it till afterwards. I was so busy being offended at being cha rged 3 x retail for the oil that it was only a few hours later I thought that 6L of oil ’s an awful big sump for a 2L car and loo ke d it up. And I’ll probably have forgotten by the next service :-)


Kinja'd!!! AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen
04/17/2019 at 18:45

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Hiring good techs is so hard! And often you can’t tell if they’re bad until you start getting comebacks. But if every car had to go through only the best techs hands, then getting those guys to actually would look at your car would have you scheduled out 6 months or longer. There just isn’t any talent coming into this industry anymore.

Most service advisors are pretty bad. Usually the kind of people who weren’t good at anything else. But there are some great ones, and they might even be rarer than great techs!

3x is a lot. But there’s usually a reason for it. I’m not saying the reasoning is good or right though. But sometimes they have to get the oil from the manufacturer for warranty purposes, and the manufacturer charges too much for it. So that gets passed on to you. Then the filter is probably the same story, and $10-20 dollars, but much better than most aftermarket ones (at least in the Mercedes world that’s the case). They might even just charge a flat 6 liters for every oil change for the sake of simplicity. Win for V10 touaregs, lose for everyone else. But I don’t deal with the money side of things so  I’m only just guessing based on things I've heard.


Kinja'd!!! Urambo Tauro > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
04/17/2019 at 21:23

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... the main body of the bike goes through the coolant jacket so the thread sealant is absolutely useless in this application.

I’m drawing a blank here . What’s a “bike”?


Kinja'd!!! StudyStudyStudy > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
04/17/2019 at 22:48

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I can appreciate that, I think it really comes down to the mechanic, their priorities and their experience.

I’ve seen and had some bad experiences at the dealer, I understand they are a business, but the problem is the randomness. Like I can understand lets say a markup like 10-20-30% over a mechanic since it is specialized. What I can’t stand are the fishing expeditions they go on. Sitting in the waiting room I heard every single “ service advisor” come in and inform the customer of a leaking oil pan. The guy was on such autopilot he even came up to me and started telling me how they found oil leaking and I would need...oh, your car is less than a month old, * cough* sorry everything seems fine.

Like yes, please point out issues, but sometimes it feels like, oh it is the end of the month, we need to make our quota, start recommending brakes, tires, and oil pan gaskets. I know that isn’t the mechanic, but still part of the dealership experience.


Kinja'd!!! AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Urambo Tauro
04/17/2019 at 23:26

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Lol sorry, bolt. Wrote this in a hurry during my morning 


Kinja'd!!! AMGtech - now with more recalls! > StudyStudyStudy
04/17/2019 at 23:32

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Oh fishing is fucked. I don’t work for places that do that. If I found out my advisors were doing that I would go on a fucking rampage even if it cost my job. Immoral bullshit like that cannot be allowed. Ever.


Kinja'd!!! Urambo Tauro > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
04/17/2019 at 23:36

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Oh, haha. Yeah, while I was racking my brain trying t o figure it out, I imagine d that it was probably some sort of brace or something I’d never seen before , presumably unique to Benz engines, and that “bike” was a nickname for whatever the proper term for it was .


Kinja'd!!! His Stigness > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
04/18/2019 at 00:27

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I think Oregon is an incredibly different market to California, or you’re at such a high level at your dealer that it’s hard to compare to other independent shops or even some dealers.

I will agree that techs at your level should be able to write their own paycheck, but it depends wildly on the dealer. One Audi dealer I applied at which is a part of a large but local group has an absolute shit pay structure. They top out their techs at $35 an hour for flag rate, and that’s after they’ve been there for ten years. And this was in an affluent area that has a ridiculous cost of living. I’m sorry, but $35 an hour, after ten years, working for Audi, is insulting. Shocker of all shocks they can not retain anyone and have called me several times asking if I am still interested.

But other dealers are not any better in his area. I would guess the average seasoned dealer tech is not making any more than $35 an hour. But independent shops aren’t much better. They probably pay between $30 and $35 an hour for top techs, rarely offer benefits, and if they do they’re crap. Very little, if any, PTO. And it takes years to vest.

The problem with this market is cheap labor and LOTS of it. Dealers and shops here can afford to pay shit wages and burn people out and just keep recycling people. There are probably only a handful of happy and well off dealer techs in Southern California, and those are the guys who are very, very good at kissing the right ass. They get all the easy jobs so they can flag insane hours without doing jack shit.

I really hate this industry and working in this area. It’s why I have been doing smogs for years now. I make good money while not having to deal with all the shit from dealers or from large independent shops. Emission repair work is incredibly easy and lucrative.


Kinja'd!!! His Stigness > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
04/18/2019 at 00:37

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You have a lot of faith assuming it will make it to another owner. 


Kinja'd!!! AMGtech - now with more recalls! > His Stigness
04/18/2019 at 01:14

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You’re absolutely right. California is it’s own beast. Lots of guys have moved up here because of that. They make as much or more as they did there, have less stress, and lo wer cost of living. California is screwed. Lots of high population density areas are like that. Pay structures are set at the corporate level, but they don’t take into account local economies.

It’s very difficult to find talent here. But when we do, they stay. If they can handle the weather.

No matter the region, I think it's hard to find a shop, dealer or indie, worth sticking with for a long time. Overall it's a crap industry to be in. Finding a great spot to stay is like winning the lottery.


Kinja'd!!! His Stigness > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
04/18/2019 at 01:17

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Yeah and I think I’m going to have to buy my own lottery ticket. But I don’t want to do it for long. I need to go back to law school. 


Kinja'd!!! AMGtech - now with more recalls! > His Stigness
04/18/2019 at 01:27

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When did you stop going? Are you still at the shop with the two owners and the pointless project car?


Kinja'd!!! Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
04/18/2019 at 02:56

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I don’t actually blame dealers for high service costs. To some extent they’re caught between a rock and a hard place. I used to work for an OEM and I know what our markup on spares was like: as you say, dealers are constrained to use OEM a lot of the time. And that’s before we even think about the cost of all the use-once-in-a-blue moon brand-specific tools and testers dealers have to have and indies can skip if they’re uneconomic . Also, I don’t know what it’s like now but when I was in the industry dealers made most of their money from service: vehicle sales was almost a loss leader to bring in service business. So a dealer service operation has to bring in more margin than an indie without a sales operation, but has a captive market so can charge more to cover it.

None of which means I like being overcharged, just that I don’t usually  think the dealer’s actively trying to rip me off. Net result’s the same though.


Kinja'd!!! Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > His Stigness
04/18/2019 at 08:57

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Ha ha you are not wrong.


Kinja'd!!! His Stigness > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
04/18/2019 at 17:58

Kinja'd!!!0

I did my first year of law school and took a break last spring. It was a huge change from my BA and so I wanted to take a break and settle into a new job. But I am still looking for a new job so I keep putting it off because it requires so much damn.

I’m still at the same smog shop and the numbers absolutely suck. I took a pay cut because I thought I could make it up in bonuses, but that’s not happening. At this point I want to move somewhere else with better prospects and a better city 


Kinja'd!!! AMGtech - now with more recalls! > His Stigness
04/18/2019 at 22:42

Kinja'd!!!0

I’m sure you'll figure something out for balancing work and school. What cities do you have in mind?


Kinja'd!!! His Stigness > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
04/18/2019 at 22:52

Kinja'd!!!0

San Luis Obispo or San Diego. Both are where I have family. I’m leaning towards SD, but SLO would be nice for being quiet. 


Kinja'd!!! AMGtech - now with more recalls! > His Stigness
04/19/2019 at 01:08

Kinja'd!!!0

Maybe apply for jobs in both and let fate decide?


Kinja'd!!! His Stigness > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
04/19/2019 at 01:45

Kinja'd!!!0

Ha. But then I’d have to find a house.

I also have no idea how to handle finding a job to move. Sure, ideally I’d have money in savings to provide a cushion, but I like making money.


Kinja'd!!! AMGtech - now with more recalls! > His Stigness
04/19/2019 at 10:15

Kinja'd!!!0

Apply to jobs near family you can stay with for a few weeks.