<VV> You're a fool NOT to Pay someone else ?

[Charles Lee]

OK, that's a bit harsh, but you're entitled to your opinion, and you may 
often be right ?

I am not a mechanic but,as many of us here will attest, I are on now !  OK, 
not in everything, but more now than before, I hope ?

Back in my early years, my Vair's master cylinder went out.
Keep in mind I was about 20 years old, and had never done anything like that 
before.

I thought this was too dangerous a job to try myself, so I brought my Vair 
to a mechanic who wanted 2 hours labor + $145 to replace my Vair's master 
cylinder, plus he couldn't do it for a week.
I had a spare Corvair at the time, so I 'practiced' on it, and had it out in 
about 10 minutes.

OK, so it must be R-E-A-L-L-Y hard to put back in ?

Nope.  Back in, in about 15 minutes (that rod kept giving me trouble lining 
up.)

OK, it must be the bleeding of the brakes that's hard (it is if you're 
working alone), so I left it to an "expert".

So, I did it all again on my driver Vair, and another half hour to walk down 
and buy the part (for half what the mechanic wanted for it), plus less than 
20 minutes to do it again and I had my car good enough to drive (carefully) 
to the brake place for the bleed and paid $9.95 to have it done.

So, all in less than half the Flat Rate estimate and half the cost for the 
part, about one quarter the cost, plus I learned how to DO IT !!!!

Oh, yeah, I had my car finished that day, not a week later.

So, I guess I am the fool you say, but I'm a little smarter fool, albeit 
still a fool in some books ?

Thanks for listening ...
Charlie

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "shortle" <shortle556 at earthlink.net>
To: "Charles Lee" <Chaz at ProperProper.com>
Sent: Monday, August 09, 2010 1:32 PM
Subject: Re: <VV> Pay someone - Flat Rate Manual is science fiction


> You are a fool if you are not a mechanic. Anyone that can beat the times 
> by 75% or more without the right tools and is not a mechanic... As I said, 
> you are a fool.
> Timothy Shortle in Durango Colorado
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
>>From: Charles Lee <Chaz at ProperProper.com>
>>Sent: Aug 9, 2010 11:53 AM
>>To: virtualvairs at corvair.org, Matt Nall <patiomatt at aol.com>
>>Subject: Re: <VV> Pay someone - Flat Rate Manual is science fiction
>>
>>That's why the Flat Rate Manual is the mechanic's best friend !
>>
>>Look up a few jobs that you've done and compare.
>>
>>I find that, as a novice without the right tools (lift, pit, etc) working 
>>on
>>my back in the driveway, I can do most jobs in about 1/4 of the time or
>>less.
>>
>>Yes, there are jobs, like an infamous Corvette engine that "flat rates" at
>>10 hours but dealers can't do it (at their own expense) in less that 20, 
>>if
>>their defensive stories are to be believed.
>>
>>Service manager at Fritz Ford said he charges Flat Rate even if it takes
>>less time, because  sometimes it might take longer, due to rusted, broken
>>parts or whatever.
>>
>>He was stunned when I asked, "So, my well cared for car that takes less 
>>time
>>subsidizes the guy who doesn't take care of his car, and at my expense ?"
>>
>>He had no response, but did admit that he hires mechanics by "how many 5
>>hour jobs he can do in 5 hours" !
>>
>>When I pulled my car out, the tow driver charged an extra $50 because the
>>dealer "couldn't find my car" - that was right there when I said I wanted 
>>it
>>back !
>>
>>Talk about "frosty" !
>>
>>Charlie
>>
>>
>>
>>----- Original Message ----- 
>>From: "Matt Nall" <patiomatt at aol.com>
>>To: <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
>>Sent: Monday, August 09, 2010 8:10 AM
>>Subject: Re: <VV> Pay someone
>>
>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Over the decades...I've never been burnt....as far a "fixing", etc.
>>> My biggest burn is the TIME  ...
>>> $300  labor at $85 per hour to R & R a Chevy 4.3 Vortec  Injection
>>> module...
>>>
>>>
>>> 5 years later I did it myself....   45 minutes!
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Matt Nall
>>> Charleston, Oregon
>>> http://mysite.ncnetwork.net/reswr0kp/
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>
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