[snip] Some romantic music and a nice dinner by candlelight will see it right. -- Martin: "For a minute there, you bored me to death." VTR1000 Firestorm TDR250 http://ukrm.net/BIKES/Yamaha/tdr250.html martin dot smith nine zero three at ntlworld dot com
Same stuff different flavour. -- Martin: "For a minute there, you bored me to death." VTR1000 Firestorm TDR250 http://ukrm.net/BIKES/Yamaha/tdr250.html martin dot smith nine zero three at ntlworld dot com
[snip] No. It is 2 minutes max on any normal car, if it took the mechanic 10 minutes to change a bulb I would be very unimpressed. -- Martin: "For a minute there, you bored me to death." VTR1000 Firestorm TDR250 http://ukrm.net/BIKES/Yamaha/tdr250.html martin dot smith nine zero three at ntlworld dot com
As long as there's cheese involved... -- _______ ..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (brucedotrogers a.t rochedotcom) \`\ | /`/ GSX-R1000K3 `\\ | //' BOTAFOT#3, SbS#2, UKRMMA#13, DFV#8, SKA#2 `\|/` `
On many cars you have to remove the lens before you can change one of the rear bulbs. 10 mins would be fairly normal for that. Some headlamp bulbs can't be changed until you remove 3 or 4 other items that are crammed in the way in the corner of the engine bay. In each case, what -should- be a 2 min job becomes 10 or 20 mins.
snip I think we're missing the point here... If the customer has spent 2 - 300 ukp on a paint job, to wax up the adjacent panels and a quick wash off, it buys loyalty... While the paint is in the pot, 2 mins to touch-in any stone-chips... ditto... On an MOT, to adjust the lights or to fit new wiper blades so that the vehicle passes the test... well it takes a couple of minutes, same with most bulb replacements... The customer would have to do it anyway... The cost of the blades or bulbs will be passed on and customers will be happy that you have done it... And the MOT checkers/officials will allow you to do that, legally, fact... They aren't generally jobsworth nazi's... IME... This is not the same as prepping, priming and painting an extra panel... never mind sorting the blow lines and backrolls... You have to take a view... I work in a small bodyshop, has been in existance for 20 yrs... No advertising ever, we rely on repeat customers and word of mouth referal...
Beav scribbled: You obviously don't. 1. Doing little favours means they're incorporated into a bigger job, so you still make money, not "blowing in a wing for some geezer who walks in with it under his arm". 2. Nothing you've said anywhere indicates you understand the power of keeping a customer happy, and by that I don't mean doing the job to cost, on time, and to a reasonable finish. Everyone likes to think they got that little bit of "personalised" service, or a bargain. That will make a lot more of an impression in their mind than just "doing the job". And lets face it, adjusting a headlamp aim would take less time than going for a piss or drinking a cuppa. 3. If you think all small garage owners are skint you're very wrong. 4. If you think all small garages are "shithouses" you're also wrong. Basically from what you've said you don't know any other business models other than the "impersonal, faceless, inflexible, medium/large organisation that puts profit before everything else". Please don't say you understand a garage like my dads, cause you've got it way wrong already. "shithouse"? "work for **** all"? Odd that "**** all" paid for a nice house, 2 cars, couple of bikes, sisters wedding, buying a large shop outright. And a "shithouse" was busy with happy customers. Brick wall, meet head... Lets just agree that there's still room for both styles of garage, and neither one will be short of customers. (but of course people that emulate either style and give shit service one way or the other deserve to die)
