ETCG's Top 5 Pet Peeves About Auto Repair Customers
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- čas přidán 29. 06. 2024
- This one actually comes in by suggestion. I wish I could remember from where, but I thought it was a great idea.
We all have things that bug us about the jobs we do. In this video I talk about some of the things that auto repair customers do that I find annoying. Well, to be fair, it's not all their fault. Still, these things do bug me.
I have a feeling this one will spark a lot of discussion. Please keep in mind this is just a response to a viewer request. I don't sit around thinking about all the things that customers do to bug me, or anyone else for that matter. If not for customers, I'd be out of a job.
That said, there are times when the job can get annoying. Here is my list of things that I feel contribute to that.
Lastly, as for waiters, I realize there often isn't a choice. As I said in the video, it's not the waiters so much as the timing that can get annoying. Customers have nothing to do with that. It's really just part of the job.
Feel free to leave comments about what bothers you about auto repair customers.
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Intro music by Eric Cook "ETCG1 Intro".
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I got one for you; Customer- "My front tires keep wearing out" Mechanic (After inspection) "Your lower ball joints and tie rod ends are wore out" Customer- "You're just trying to rip me off. Don't try to put one over on me! I saw a 20/20 program that exposed you guys! It just needs an alignment!" Mechanic- I can't align it if it has wore out parts" Customer-"Then I want to talk to a REAL mechanic!"
nailed it
Get customers like that at my shop all the time. Totally clueless but think they know it all.
It's true that customers can be like that. But there are alot of repair shops in the Netherlands that completely fuck you over and try to fix stuff that's not broken. Works both ways I guess.
@@Anoalekontrieger then don't enable assholes. don't go to the bad shops. stupid customers allow them to exist. find a good shop and don't act like a victim.
@@amcgee-dl3cj How are you going to know if it is a bad shop unless you do what they tell you and find out you wasted your money?!?
watching like a hawk while I'm working and telling me I'm doing it wrong because you used to change tires in the 70s
Maybe the customer doesn't want his new wheels he spent 1K on scratched to schit by the burned out chimp on the tire changer machine? I've had tire techs get pissed when I told them not to use hammer on wheel weights(which shouldn't be used-EVER as they corrode/damage the wheels....so yeah, customers who bitch have their reasons to bitch as well as you mechanics...
M O'Brien say fffffffyouuuuuuuu that what I want say 😝
@@bblando65 You're an idiot. Most wheels out there, especially steelies, are designed to use hammer on weights. You went to a place that didn't give you proper service? Bad luck, go somewhere else. If you're not happy to have some "burned out chimp" change your tyres, then buy your own tyre machine and balancer and do it yourself.
Yeah people telling you you are doing it wrong is pretty rude. However you better believe I watch techs like a hawk when they have my baby. 4th gen Acura TL with a manual transmission. That car is a unicorn that I take care of and maintain very well. The only time it goes to a shop is for an alignment and I have a talk with the tech before they take the keys. I don't threaten them, I don't belittle them, but I do tell them what that car means to me
@@bblando65 isn't it kind of your fault if you see a "burned out chimp" and still have them work on your car. oh boy when i see a customer like you coming i all of a sudden get really busy with other work in the shop.
Here's my 25+ years of working on cars list of customer behavior peeve's.
1. Customers who ask for expensive repairs and THEN tell you they have no possible way to pay for it upon pick it up.
2. People who have a metric TON of garbage in every square inch of the vehicle and come in for jobs that require I get intimate with the interior of the car--or don't have a clue where the wheel lock is, but it's in there somewhere- just keep looking for it.
3. People who want to fix a radio rather than a tie rod or tire that's about to put others on the road at risk.
4. People who wait till right before their Thanksgiving trip (like Wednesday morning) to drop off a car for a whole list of repairs that make their car a danger to themselves everyone else on the road like brakes, steering linkage, tires, no defrost etc. that have accumulated for more than a year.
5. People who want perfection and want it RIGHT NOW, but don't want to pay for it or else I'm the one who's a jerk.
6. Late or no-show appointments with no heads up.
7. Owners who won't pay for or remove their car for a month after it's ready. (especially in the winter making snow removal difficult.)
8. People who neglect to inform me of dangers they know about like a colony of poisonous spiders, wasps, etc. in the car.
My pet peeve is when a mechanic tries to sell a transmission job when I bring my vehicle in for AC service. Please understand you're in an industry rife with scam artists selling people new Johnson rods and specialized Kanuter valve services, so I've been conditioned to not trust any service techs.
If I ask you to fix my radio and you start talking about tie rods, I'm going to tell you to kick rocks as well. I'd rather be stranded on the side of the road then think I got taken on a quart of headlight fluid ...again.
Number 1,5 and 7 Brian...every time...this is a constant in our world , I dont get the logic that we as mechanics and business owners should have to eat repair costs AFTER we do them for a customer because their spark plug job turned into tracing a misfire that turned into a bent valve after they say "just get it done Idc I need it" Im literally dealing with this right now on a customer estimate ..
Remy Scott, You really should change your attitude. Get a second opinion but don't ignore safety issues. That's how people end up in hospitals and morgues! It could be innocent people!
which attitude, not being a trusting rube? All I'm suggesting in not ascribing malice to people's motives. Not everyone who rejects a mechanic's advice is an uncaring jerk who wants to risk their life and the lives of their loved ones or those of strangers on the road, perhaps we're just jaded.
There exists a trust deficit between customers and mechanics, though I'm not assigning blame in this case, simply stating there is two sides to every story. And I'm playing the side of the customer ETCG1 is complaining about.
Fear is a powerful selling tool that gets overused, it's why we tune in to tonight's special news report on "the one thing in everyone's household that is KILLING OUR CHILDREN!". "Why won't you pay me hundreds of dollars to fix a part you didn't even ask me to look at? Don't you care about the children?"
My attitude is that of a skeptic, and I will get a second opinion.
The attitude that you would get ripped off so, you would kick the guy to the rocks. I sold cars for 21 years and have been fixing them for 10. I have been lied to by customers my whole career. I have found some of the public to be very dishonest, both selling and repairing. I don't assume you are. So, find somebody trustworthy and you won't need to kick anybody to the rocks. Most of us just want our customers to be safe and not end up stranded.
My biggest pet peeve is someone with a rusted out POS expects you to perform miracles on it. Which is the reason I no longer work on cars for the public.
I hate when people ask to have their check engine light turned off like it's going to magically fix all their problems
Gideon Penick Not a tech, but I run and manage a fleet of pest control trucks, and years ago I had a garage actually pull the check engine light bulb out because he puzzled on how to remedy the code.
Can't think of pulling the bulb without pulling the cluster. In my state when an OBDII car goes in for inspection it must have an operational check engine light. I think the bulb removal is an old yarn from the OBDI cars.
To be fair.. I've had a few that do literally turn on for no reason.
the only time i have seen that it is a different computer having a problem. in some cars if the abs/ trac computer is down the check engine light will come on and if you dont have a scan tool that can only read the ecu then no codes will show up.
Who's fault is it that the most everything about the "check engine" light and the diagnostics capability that is present in newer cars is so misunderstood by the general public, perhaps the media? I do not have enough fingers and toes to count the times I have been told that "the computer in that car tells you what is wrong and how to fix it,why do I need to pay for a diagnosis"
I can give you one of my pet peeves.... it's when a customer says they have a strange noise coming from the engine and the car is a bucket that is making all kinds of strange noises coming from the engine.
My peeve is the other side of being late. People say I need you to do this today. I do the work, then the car sits here for a week.
this should be looked at as an income opportunity. you have to have your storage policy clearly in place so when this happens your getting paid for it.
Amen!!!
The "Blame Game". Put on a bumper, 2 days later the car leaks coolant, and somehow it's the mechanic's fault that the car is leaking coolant. :(
Robert DIY nothing more irritating. So you want to just look at them and tell them it's not your fault their car is a POS, but you don't....
Robert DIY ..we call that eversinse. Ever since you serviced my car the heat doesn't work right. Jeesh
Robert DIY yes! I can relate to that 100%...for me in IT when I repair someones computer let's say replace a program then a week later their computer has no power they blame the technician when it was user error or unrelated to original issue. When they insist that is most annoying especially when you must not show you want to throat punch them.
Robert DIY what's funniest? Was rear bumper!
I installed car stereos and alarms years ago. We got blamed for everything. For example, one day, a lady walks into the store and slaps an invoice on the counter. I ask the lady what it’s for. She said that it was a repair bill for her transmission. I ask he why she brought it to us. She said that she had an alarm installed 6 months ago, her transmission just failed, we were the last people to work on her car, so we must have done something to make it fail. Where do people come up with this nonsense?!?!
I have to imagine that the conversation, with her mechanic, went something like this:
Lady: What caused my transmission to fail?
Mechanic: It’s hard to say. Sometimes, things just break.
Lady: I had an alarm put in the car. Could that have caused it?
Mechanic: Who knows? I guess anything’s possible.
Lady: I knew it!! Those damn alarm installers broke my transmission!!!
my woman could be sitting behind the wheel of a car with a rod knocking, no muffler, and transmission fluid spraying all over the ground. If the AC works, she's perfectly happy. Even though I'm running behind it pushing it.
MGTOW
If it were not for technically illiterate ladies we would not be in business.
So this is sexist and also objectifying whomever "your woman" is.
@@jakleo337 there aren't technically illiterate guys?
@@Aashishkebab Oh, Yes, many of them. But men are more likely to spend money on repairs than women, Women think mechanics are ripping them off, and resent spending money on things they can't wear.
I had a customer come in insisting that I fix his A/C right away(!); I got the gauges hooked up and asked him to start the car. Although the gauges indicated that the compressor had gone to compressor heaven, I was listening to one of the most horrific rod knocks I had heard in forty years of repairing automobiles. When I told him that his A/C compressor had expired, he wanted it replaced -- pronto! When I also told him that his engine was about to join the compressor in automobile heaven, he told me that I didn't know what I was talking about and that he was going to find another shop where they wouldn't try to B.S. him and rip him off.
I disconnected the gauges -- without charging him a dime -- closed the hood, and wished him luck. As he left my shop, he decided to show me "what was what" by burning off a bit of rubber as he left. After about two feet of smoky burnout, a loud CLANK came from his car, followed by a column of smoke and a widening oil spill underneath. Sure enough, one of the rods was poking out of the side of the block.
He ended up junking the car, and I paid two hundred bucks to get some of the parts from it.
Instant karma.:)
#1 pet peeve: Ask a probing question and get the answer "I don't know, you're supposed to be the technician, aren't you?"
The title of this video made me nervous. This could be a deep topic.
Also funny because I had a slight rant on wheel locks today.
The issue with no clear definition is really an issue with advisors not getting the proper information. And I think that techs need to put themselves in the customers shoes more often. We forget that not everyone thinks with the type of brain we do.
The A/C thing is a running source of comedy at my shop. That and radios. LOL (but in the south, I totally get it)
Being late... A simple phone call would be nice.
I don't mind waiters. This for me becomes more of an advisor issue than customer. But lot of techs don;t care for it. I did a quick video on "Why mechanics hate waiters".
Great video as always brother.
Some little demon stole the wheel lock out of the trunk on that VW. Oh and that tool to remove the bolts caps is gone too. Big firgging suprise!
Thanks for the input Charles. I like you.
Yes very well written, I agree 100%
Not being vague has actually little to do with technology.
as a customer sometimes we have to be waiters. As a single person with one vehicle its not always easy to borrow a car or get a ride when your car needs repair or maintance. I get that having us hang around stresses you out. not being able to use our only car stresses us out too.
as a mechanic i never really minded waiters unless you get the dwellers who keep looking in the window every 2 minutes. im just glad i dont have to deal with other mechanics. i think i would be too stressed out with some greasy weirdo messing with my vehicles.
If I'm just getting a general check up and there's places open that I can go and wait( example public library) I'll go and let the shop phone me when they are done. If it's early in the morning like 9am. I'll just hang out in their lobby and be either on my phone or a Game boy. Just preoccupy myself.
It never bothered me that people wanted to hang out and watch repairs. I'd even show them shit about the car and teach them techniques to keep the vehicle on the road longer and healthier. I got large tips from customers on multiple occasions.
my situation exactly: i live alone, i have one car. my area has NO public transportation. i have no family or anyone else to give me rides. i have no choice but to wait, either that or walk one hour home and one hour back. i must have my car, my health depends on it because of all the medication i need.
Stray Mongrel 野犬 that can go either way, having a hawk is very distracting.
I had a lady come back after an oil change because her air conditioning wasn't working and she blamed us. She started throwing stuff around the store blaming my technician that he purposely broke her Hyundai and she was going to sue us so we would be forced to buy her a new car. I went out to the car and the fan speed was set to zero. I guess it was our fault. She sped off flipping the bird at us as I waved.
LMAO! That's epic.
MCN some customers are Very Stupid 🤦🏻♂️
scary and her comprehension operates a vehicle
oh my god i can only think of the missed entertainment value of not getting that on video. how epic would that have been. better than watching monkeys throw poop at the zoo.
That stupid bitch 🤦🏻♂️
Talk about being vague, I fix computers, a customer will say "It doesn't get on the internet" when in reality the computer will not turn on at all.
Or they forgot the password to log into AOL desktop
lmfao
I fix computers too. i wish i could get even something out of a customer. They'll say "can you check it out". That's it. When i ask what''s it doing. They say idk it's not working right. I just don't get people....
Seen worse: "The computer do not work at all, nothing come up on the screen!" Trouble? homepage got resetted back from google to msn.
Also: "the screen is black, nothing come on the screen"... bios show up, loading windows, mouse pointer, welcome and finally black screen but with a movable mouse pointer...
My internet's Broken
here's my biggest pet peeve... "Ever since you worked on my car....." had 1 lady tell me 3 months after i did the work, "ever since you did the brakes my heater doesn't work"
did you "fire" that customer?
Speaking from the customer side, as for waiting sometimes it is the only option if the repair is not major surgery. But when I bring my car in for a wait repair, I don't expect it to be in at X time and out at Y time. I appreciate that delays can happen, and plan my day accordingly expecting to be at the shop for hours. That is what a waiting room with television and often popcorn is there for. Now if someone brings in a car and has a definite obligation later that day, that is foolish on their part.
Alan Maier Most shops and dealerships offer "Loaner" or "Rental" Vehicles for those people.
Good point, but I lean toward the smaller independent shops where at best they may have a shuttle van. My preferred shop is a 1 owner small owner / tech shop... rather pay the small independent for a brake job or the like.
Absolutely. I tend to be a "waiter", as it's about 90 mins to get home from the dealer, so I'm not likely to be doing that trip twice a day if I don't have to. I just make sure I'm stocked up on cigarettes and bring a good book - a good, _thick_ book - and I'm all set for however long it takes. I've worked on my own car back in the day enough to know that repairs rarely work out in the time you think.
What burns me up is the waiters only wait 3 and a half minutes before they start saying "Why isn't my car done?"
Is this a subtle hint that Eric or the rest of shops should have Popcorn? Lol. jk.
i like independent repair shops..you speak directly with the mechanic and no politics..i agree you must be honest..if you slacked on maintenance or tried fixing it yourself.. 2 people you need to be 100% honesty with is your mechanic and your doctor.
attorney and tax person also
Work in the IT field and my customers are my fellow employees. My biggest peeve is when you are trying to explain something to a client and they are talking over you and not listening, and then ask you again. Fortunately I have a lot of patience!
The other big peeve is as soon as you upgrade someone to a new piece of technology, that technology is now to blame for *every single thing* wrong in the world... Dog ran away? It's that new damn computer! Ex wife came back??? It's that new damn computer! :D
Very true! Lol. I tried to negate that "blame everything on the Tech" nonsense, but doing quick once overs of other things with computers or cell phones, just so they could not turn around and try to scam me, by saying "this was working before" or some such nonsense. I ran my own computer business and did iPhone repairs and I can tell you one thing for sure, Cell phone customers are bigger scammers than a computer users are, any day. Cell phone folks, will try to blame everything on you. Replace a screen and it breaks moments after leaving your business. Nonsense, nice try scammer. Lol. Had a few try that and then try to blame the "quality of the glass", cause it was not OEM.
I've compared them and the glass is the same and takes the same amount of force to break. This might not apply to newer screens using "Gorilla Glass" cause it is indeed stronger, but this was in the iPhone 4 days and they didn't use that yet. Gorilla glass was kind of a joke too. Another Tech I know nicknamed it "Monkey glass" and I agreed. It certainly was not all it was cracked up to be (pun intended). I eventually got out of that cell phone business, cause the customers literally drove me nuts. Wanted everything yesterday, but still wanted a deal. The only customer I ever agreed with (cause she was not trying to scam me) was a user who said that she was sitting by a campfire in the cold fall nights, with her iPad. As she walked away, the screen just snapped. I was like "Oh wow, really?! So it is possible for temperature differentials, to randomly snap a screen then huh?!" and she said, yeah. Just instantly cracked.
Judging from what I have done with other glass (like jam jars etc.) and more extreme and rapid temperature changes I could certainly see how that is possible. It was one reason that when things came in, in the winter time, I would not work on them right away, but let them adjust to room temp first. Like I have done with ALL computer parts really, for over 22 years and was an important lesson my boss taught me many moons ago. I would never install a hard drive for instance if it just arrived by shipping cause it was usually very cold. Not a good idea to be spinning that up right away! Temps can really screw things up, especially here in the great white North of Canada.
@@MrBilld75 I stopped working on phones because they are tough customers and there is no money in it. Every kid with a screwdriver kit advertises that they fix phones and do it for $30. Let them. I fix Macs for a lot more than that!
@@joecoolioness6399 I hear ya! It's especially bad where I am, because we have a computer Science course at the college here, so literally every student with a screwdriver does it. It was just so hard to compete with that and believe me, I tried.
Being retired 30 years turning a wrench. I had to laugh. Could you imagine if a mechanic showed up in a doctors office and the doctor said what seems to be the problem? And we just said I don't know to every one of his questions. LOL!
Eric maybe this explains why the majority of Mechanics are alcoholics? That would be an interesting discussion Video. LOL!!
Cheers bud!
Thanks! :)
Where do you live? I'm staying away from there!!! Of the 8 techs and 2 trainees in my shop only one drinks and one smokes pot. LOL both service writers are pot smokers and alcohol drinkers.
Sometimes at the doctors it's like that though, they ask you questions like how did you get an injury and your like Idk I was just standing lol
It bugs me when people lock their glove box and leave us with a vallet key. Not a huge deal but it's an annoyance when we need to access components behind the glove box.
Also, leaving a car trashed that I have to do interior work in. Not only is it gross but it tends to make things more difficult as well.
NJVacoustic I can agree and attest to both of these haha
Ma'am, if you want me to fix the seat belt it's going to cost $XX.XX plus $100 for an interior detailing. Or you could clean it yourself and bring it back, it's up to you. My guys don't work in sewers.
I am not a mechanic, but have friends who are. Their general pet peeves or problems are as followed:
1) the cheap customer who wants a discount on parts after seeing the labor rate...also complains about said labor rate.
2) the woman who's axle is about to completely fall apart because they neglected to replace a wheel bearing...
3) Mr race car driver who blew their engine under warranty but claims "the car was built cheaply" and has bald tires from burnouts.
4) the hypochondriac. "well it made a noise yesterday but it was different from the last time i came in here so there's something you didn't do" - previous noises that do not appear present or in past inspections.
5) the neglectful SOB who shouldnt even own a razor scooter. the person who never changes oil. never changes brakes, puts crappy gas in their tank and never cleans anything inside or out. Theres a small saying that goes "if you take good care of your car, itll take good care of you" and its never let me down.
6) the know it all. the person who self diagnosed their problem by reading about it on the internet, then dictates to the mechanic on how and what parts are needed for a repair.
NOVA Dash Cam
that number 6th type of person bothers me the most.And I always wanted to say why??why don't you get it done by yourself ?
I don't have the tools to do it myself but I know a decent amount about cars, especially MY car (2014 Chevy Impala). Newer cars are too specialized. You ever heard of an active grille shutter? Is it possible for me to re-program something that is out of spec? Do I have service manual of repair requirements according manufacturer ? If you get in an accident, you "apparently" have replace the seatbelt tensioner. Even if the thing didn't break. Hell, I can't even fix a tire pressure sensor at home. Independent mechanics are useless in this regard as well. You spend more in diagnostics and labor then anything at an independent place unless they "specialize" in your brand.
A customer continuously ask for estimates and then after i give them the best prices they tell me someone is giving them a better price, so i tell them to take it to them cause im not in the charity business and you know i give a lot to my customers but some feel they can abuse the privilege so i just keep my cool and continue to help the ones that really apreciate what we do for them..tnx for listenig Eric and keep up your good work...
True story for me. My '98 Ford Ranger got kicked out of a shop in Wyandotte, Michigan.
One day I'm driving along singing a song the next moment the 3.0L engine dies for no reason.
I suspected the fuel pump went out and I had the truck towed to the shop. I told them I suspected the fuel pump but wasn't 100% sure.
After a few days in the shop the shop owner told me to come get my truck and take it to another facility in a rude manor. He told me he didn't like customers that self diagnosis and they couldn't fix the problem.
So I had it towed to a nearby Ford dealership I used to work at and for about $230 they found the problem almost right away. It wasn't so much the fuel pump but when I was driving along, something must have gotten thrown by the tires into the electrical line that runs all the way back to the fuel pump causing a short.
Needless to say I never return to that shop ever again and advised everyone I knew to steer clear of that place.
What was that place, I'm from downriver myself
Zach Grobbel It was on the corner of Eureka and 11th. I believe it was called Groat bros.
man that would piss me off royally.
Be sure to post negative reviews on garage fly, yelp, google and the bbb to forewarn others.
SIT-N-SPIN
This was over 10 years ago so I don't even know if they're still in business or not unless I do a web search and Google Earth to see of they're still there.
Nuttiest thing I saw was a young lady bringing her Hyundai Tucson in for oil change. The car had 35,000 miles on it and this was her FIRST oil change. Service Manager got on phone with Hyundai brass and they immediately cancelled the engine portion of her warranty...
It's ok she just mixed up "every 3 months" with "every 3 years" lol no big deal right?!
Patrick Simmons Yeah, if you miss just one service or oil change with a Hyundai or Kia they will permanently void your warranty, or at least part of it.
***** Because she admitted it plus the oil came out like jello...Plus no service record of it...
Patrick, are you on Hyundai's payroll? The young lady paid you to service her car and you take it on yourself rat her out to her carmaker? How would you feel if you went to the doctor and he called your insurance company saying that you hadn't been taking your blood pressure medicine so they shouldn't cover future strokes or heart attacks? There are situations where doctors are required to report things like gunshot wounds, child or spousal abuse, etc. but other than that I expect my doctor to be discrete with my health information. I'm not saying that the young lady was justified in abusing her car but who put you in charge of reporting service compliance?
Peace, I see now in your post it was your Service Manager who called Hyundai. In any case, it was a dick move whoever did it. Sorry I accused you.
I have repaired a lot of general electronic items for people.
The most annoying thing is fighting to get the Real Truth from a person.
People also lie or omit what they actually did to the item before or after it died.
After telling them what you had to repair, they often say "They knew that was faulty", so why didnt they say that earlier?.
Sounds familiar, thats people LOL.
Oh mate I know exactly what you mean... You ask people troubleshooting questions on the phone and flat out lie to you, then when you have to make a site visit and you see what stupid shit they've done they act like that's exactly what they told you ...
The thing is i dont care what they did, i wont wag a finger at them and tell them off, just tell me the truth.
Makes the job simpler and quicker, they get there item back faster :-)
Ha! I'm sure you can see them coming a mile off now with your experience. You should get one of those giant foam hands to wag a finger with...
Probably my biggest pet peeve along with that ever so common line "it broke", no it didn't you broke it.
I guess the fear of social stigma is far grander than expedient solutions, they'd rather spend a ton of money more, than tell you exactly what happened.
I dont do many repairs now, so im not too bothered.
Still get the old "It just stopped working" or the sob storys.
My frends are the people i help now, if i can, and for nothing as im not one of those frends that takes money off my mates.
There are odd people like that, not what i call mates.
Nice compilation. Gives us greater insight into how customer behavior affects your operation.
Hey, it is my birthday, so thank you! I forgot that you start all your ETCG1 videos with that, so it was a pleasant surprise. I love your videos, and yesterday I was watching one of your "day in the life" clips. My girlfriend asked, "Are you just watching somebody fix cars?" So I said "yeah." She was so confused and asked "why?" I asked her a counter-question as to why she watches make-up or cat videos, but also said that what you do is an art, and it's something you're really good at. It's so fascinating that, in a world full of problems, there is such a high need of skilled people to fix them, be it computer repair, car repair, house repair, you name it. To see your thought process and watch you diagnose problems is truly fascinating to me. You're a fantastic mechanic, and I do a lot of DIY work as well, so your videos have helped me so much. Thank you for being awesome, Eric the Car Guy!
i had a guy ask me "Do you mind if i watch you work on my bike"? i said yes i mind, im one of those guys that likes to be alone with the task at hand. He got all huffy and then walked out, but i did fix his bike alone :)
I'm the same
Shawn Bradley I can understand that , and it’s honestly a liability . The customer starts questioning why you are doing this , or that’s the wrong way. Next thing you know it’s a distraction , and they get upset. Don’t ever allow it.
When an owner comes back I stop working on the car. Usually talk for a few minutes. Eventually they ask how long it'll take and I say "Depends on how long we keep talking. The insurance folks frown on working with customers in the shop. They may not pay out if you get hurt." I'm not sure if that's true or not but it gets them out of my work space. Some laugh and some get irritated.
This couple came into the dealership my cousin is the parts manager at, complaining that their Ford Fiesta lacked power. They were both morbidly obese, and the woman was holding a bucket of Chicken. So they have a tech check out the car and take it for a test, of course, he can't find anything wrong. Yet the couple insisted something was wrong with their car. The service writer explains that this is Ford's smallest car and that it can't be over loaded. The woman became irate and said she was gonna sue and have all of their jobs. Sometimes you just can't win.
throw that bucket of chicken and see how fast she runs after it
lol....Come on now, I doubt two really fat people and a bucket of chicken would be that bad on a car.
I mean 600lbs on a car that probably has a max capacity of 800 lbs. I mean it will drive fine, but you will probably notice a difference
Alec Weber
I wonder what the capacity on my Smart car is.... lol
Fred Flagstone
Same thing happened to me! Except it was a caddy with air suspension! Four people that weighed 400 plus each and a trunk full of luggage and the wondered why the compressor was taxed trying to pump up the rear air springs!
Chrysler dealer tech here. Wheel locks are my biggest pet peeve. Car full of trash is right next to that on the list. I had a customer come in that wanted a battery put in his Chrysler 300. The 300's battery is in the trunk, below a floor panel. This guy's trunk was packed full of trash. I told the service writer that i'm not digging thru all that. He called the customer, and had him clean out the trunk. Obviously, some people don't think about when techs need to access certain parts of the car to do the service. Someone else mentioned that some people lock the glovebox. That is something that really makes life difficult when techs have to access the cabin air filter, which are behind the glovebox in many cars, or the hvac motors and linkages, which, again are behind the glovebox. Then there's wiring harnesses that are run above/behind the glovebox. Radio antenna cables are a good example. There's more, but i think that many will understand.
I'm so glad I watched way too much of your channels through the years and now just work on my own car lol. I can't remember the last time I had to take my car to a shop.
#1 blaming the technician for everything that breaks after a service. Touch a car, you just married it. Been on both sides of the bay, servicing and writing.
80miles_A_day had a woman call screaming "you were the last ones to work on my car and now the check engine light is on", I apologize and ask for her name to look up service history, and asked her "you're sure we're the last one to touch it' followed by an annoyed yes, I told her "the last time you were in was two years ago and we did an oil change, if we're the last ones to touch it you haven't had your oil changed in two years, I think I know why you SES light is on" she hung up
Yup changed the oil and now the cigarette lighter doesn't work. oops showed my age... Do they even make cigarette lighters anymore?
You pay extra for that.
I own a body shop. People who get into a minor collision, and then swear the wreck caused all kinds of ridiculous things get on my nerves
On this note, if its minor stuff, i don't worry about it. If i bring my car in and the belts need changed, and you do a mult point inspection, because you offer it and i pay for it, and i get my car back with results of the inspection, and i now know that my ball joints are bad, noticeable coolant lines are leaking, oil is covering the bottom of the car, you are then covered and i as the customer know what things may need attention and failures after that are on me.
maybe conversely , there should be a top 5 pet peeves that technicians do to customers .
1- Do not change stations on my radio .
2- Do not leave grease marks in my car
3- Do not use my car to go and buy your lunch
4- Do not abuse my car in anyway shape or form
5- If you break anything in my car TELL ME FFS .
commodore665 motors do this to you? My mother had a VT Commie, Motors took the perfume deodorant type thing off and put it in the centre console. Ate away the tray under the drink holder
1 it happens if battery is d/c most shops use auto store
3 sometimes will do it while on a test drive after repair no biggie its out on a test drive anyway
-6 Don't muck around with the driver seat. I get it, techs need to get to the OBD port and the seat needs to go back, but they don't need to mess with the lumbar support and height settings. Takes way to much time to get it back where should be, particularly with power seats that lack memory settings.
NEVER Take a customers car to get lunch. My guys get one warning for that, the second time they are gone.
If you are paying top dollar, yes your points make sense. But if you are going to a dealership only to get warranty work, don't expect too much.
One of my pet peeves Is the customer comes in and has me diagnose the problem and then tells me that they have a friend that will do it cheeper, and then get pissed off when I want a fee for diagnosis.
Haha, where the worlds of computer and car repair intersect. I don't charge for diagnoses if they have me do the repair, but hit em up if they then want to fix it themselves. Anyone can replace a part once you know which part needs replacing right?
customers that come in with a drivability issue and 0 gas in the tank for a road test
It really bugs me when when customers park in front of bay doors and then enter through the shop as if it is there own, I get that not everybody understands, but the liability of the whole thing really stresses me out
Garret Brown yes this!! Then they lock their cars. It blocks all other traffic that needs to go through as well.
It's possible they may be thinking "yeah I'll park here. I'll get mine in first since its already there". NOPE! I'll just take your keys, move your car outside, then bring in the cars that were here before you.
this more than anything... especially if it happens to be an automotive shop attached to a retail store and customers park in front of the bay and go in the store
example... customer just wants us to check air pressure (another minor pet peeve since there is a gas station a short distance away with free air and we're busy with other things) she backs out after and leaves the vehicle in front of the bay door while she shops in the store when we have cars to bring in
even worse is the customer with something on a trailer who parks their truck and trailer sideways blocking multiple bays then when you tell them to move they block parked vehicles
Garret Brown I get that the bosses son is worst for doing that sometime parks behind my ramp so I can't move
Glad I'm not the only one haha
Where I work at, we let those types of customers wait as long as we like until they leave. But, we do have to help them with air pressures and wiper blades, which requires them to park in front of the garage.
i drop my car off and leave it with them for however long it takes, i want my service done correct with no time pressure
RedesCat you are 1 in a million
I'm the same way. I don't care how fast it gets done, as long as it gets done right.
I'm kinda suprised this isn't the norm. Fixing a car isn't something like an oil change where you can reliably expect it to always take a certain amount of time. Why would someone ever think it would be?
nuh uhhh wrong u dont say "im not in no hurry take ur time" because a mechanic is very busy,if they know ur not worried about how long it will take to repair ur vehicle they will put ur vehicle at the end of the list and focus on the priority of the next vehicle that has to be repaired as soon as possible
Done right and done in a hurry, DOES indeed make a difference.
For some reason I'm addicted to your videos, along with Chris fix, Engineering explained, and your 2nd channel. I watch every single one when they come out. I haven't watched tv for months. Just CZcams. I'm no mechanic, I'm an environmental science associate, but have a huge interest in how cars work. I try to do most maintenance on my car that involves wrenching, initially to save money but it has gained my interest in cars, and learned quite a bit from you guys. Just want to say thanks and keep it up
I'm happy to be included in that group. Both good friends of mine. Thanks for your comment, and your viewership.
as a technician I have to say awesome video. Spot on between the video and comments from my fellow techs. Definitely gained a fan.
Most of my difficulties when working for a dealership came from service advisors.
Jesse Apodaca amen
I guess my biggest pet peeve is when the car is all ready to go after a successful repair and the person doesn't have any money but try to snow you with their bullshit story about their rent and other bills meanwhile you just lost a parking space for weeks on end, another one is when i worked at a dealership and the service writer put me on a road test with a client and the fucking guy just keeps ranting about the last time he brought it in they didn't fix it or whatever instead of addressing the problem, and i understand he's the client and all but when the problem is that one of the buttons on the head unit sounds a little "plasticky" sometimes in his Corolla, you just want to scream into a pillow, and yet another one are the liars, people that break something that perhaps you fixed recently and want to warranty the labor, but their story just doesn't make any sense or is just vague, like a car that i had changed an a/c condenser on and a week later it comes back and the guy just says it doesn't blow cold air, so i spend an hour trying to find the issue and the only thing to find is a schrader valve covered in a/c oil, so i called him back and he said he just pushed it a little to see if i had put any refrigerant in it, wtf
Samuel Gonzalez 😂😂damn!! I know that feeling!!!
Well this story seems fucking legit. If it was blowing cold air, then the guy had no reason to punch a hole in the refrigerant reservoir. This guy must be fucking acoustic or something.
Going to send this to my mechanic. My second major job I enlisted him for had the wheel lock issue! All of my tires had every lug nut a "secure" one on it. Of course he did not have the bit on hand, and it was a day the place that installed them was closed. He managed as always to get it done. Thank you as I quite enjoy your videos. Take care!
I'm so glad I have my own shop in a small rural town where I know every single customer on a first name basis. No strangers up here.
I'm surprised you're concerned about waiters having to stay longer. Thanks! Never knew mechanics cared enough. I'm a waiter and totally understand a service can take longer or shorter for things unknown
I love "muggles" as a term for laypeople
Gave me a good chuckle when you said "You've got us ripping our hair out, if you have any." Another great ETCG1 video!
"those of us that have it" well played sir, well played. Also, the use of "muggle" in this video was phenomenal
1: The people who stand right next to you, telling their life stories, while you're trying to work.
2: The people who say they watched a 15 minute video on how to change the steering rack of their Dodge minivan on CZcams so the job should only be 15 minutes.
I guess they never heard of editing or cutaways.
I usually like having some company while I work. Just not the people who complain it's taking too long or act like i'm breaking their car. Non car people usually get bored very quickly and try to leave. Lol I'm just a part time shadetree mechanic though lol
Customers that want diagnosis fees waived if repairs are authorized. If I have to bust out a $10,000 scan device to figure out what's wrong, then yes the diagnosis is charged out. You wouldn't ask your doctor "If I have you do the surgery, can you waive the X-ray and EKG fees?" would you? Granted, if I pop the hood and see something clearly and VISIBLY wrong, I'd give the customer an option; we can fix that first (elect to waive diagnosis charge) and see how it goes, or we can proceed with diagnosis. That's fair, right?
Wheel locks are the absolute worst.
Customer supplied parts are never right or complete (missing hardware etc).
Dog cars. You know the smell I'm talking about.
I hate when people had diag done somewhere else and brought it to us for repair (dealership) or when they just don't want us to diagnose something, just perform a repair that's supposed to fix a problem.
When you just get the car up in the air and the service writer comes and asks how much longer. Dude, I just gave you the fucking keys and RO from the last job. I don't care if this new RO was on the board for 15 minutes, I just picked it up.
I'm surprised more people don't fix their own cars, it's not hard and it's better than trusting some hack mechanic.
Working in a body shop both doing body work and mechanical. My list of pet peeves is a mile long. between , customers , insurance companies, parts companies .
I've been doing auto repair out of my home for roughly 9 months now. #1 by far is "How long will it take..." especially on something that is outside the realm of the "basics." Whenever they ask, they get my "auto repair can be an exercise in Murphy's Law" speech.
#2 Any time they begin a sentence with "I saw on a video...."
#3 worn out hood shocks
Former technician, pet pieves are: 1. Cleanliness of shop not up to par - co-workers and sometimes myself do not take the time to assure we start the day with a clean shop 2.Who gets, what ticket, (workorder). An inability to opt to do jobs such as suspension work to add to your hourly pay 3. Not up charging for doing work on heavier vehicles, primarily full size trucks that may weigh up to 3,800 or more. Dong oil changes often entails putting these vehicles on lifts, and prior to elevation the lift pads require being strategically placed along the frame rails to ensure a vehicle is is level and stable . Doing this requires more attention than placing a pad on a car's pinch weld. 4. If there is a process charge the shop makes to the customer in addition to the price for a part, technicians where I worked were not getting a percentage of the processing fee. For instance, when mounting a tire or balancing it, there was no percetage of the feel allotted to a technician. 5. As an entry level tech, aside from oil chnages, the competition among other techs and mechanics may be fierce if the shop does not have the reserves of income and time to allow less experienced employees to gain experience diagnosing engines, or servicing engines, suspension and brakes.
I’m a pump tech. One of my pet peeves is when you show up for a service call and the first thing they ask you is ‘How long is this going to take?’
Dude, I have been here for 5 seconds. I need a bit more info than the “pump in fail” on the job card before I can make a diagnosis.
My biggest complaint when i bring in my car is the service writer and every single one of them do it. If i tell them something in detail and when I noticed the problem and where, they use very few words in description to mechanic like "car makes noise" or "fluid leak" "car runs funny" and thats not even what i said in full detail, I rather talk directly to mechanic than a service writer salesman. My last visit to the shop took 5 visits all because service writer was pointing at wrong direction and had no clue what cold engine startup noise meant and I told him it sounded like timing chain was loose or rattle, he, told mechanic check injectors, fuel pump, belts, brakes, tires ??????????? Ended up being failed timing chain guides and more.
You just nailed my pet peeve- lazy service writers who are armchair quarterback diagnosticians.
Go to another place dude. I bet there are many mechanics who appreciate your attitude to your car maintenance. Good luck!
cant go anywhere else car still under warranty only dealer with in 100 miles
This is one of the many reasons I'm apprehensive about ever buying a car new
We have a few customers who write the concern on paper and have the writer/advisor attach it to the paper work so the tech can read it. It really helps.
I hate when I do a state inspection and emissions test and cant find the insurance and registration card. or, they have them, but theyre expired, and now I cant write stickers until we call the insurance company to fax over then new cards.
Waiters and wheel locks are really annoying. It also bothers me when I give a customer a whole list of things that need replaced/repaired and they only want the least important repair. My biggest pet peeve of all is when they want me to diagnose something without even pulling the vehicle inside. Like I'll be on my way out to pull one in and someone drives up and asks me why their check engine light is on.
Thanks for the happy birthday, it was a nice touch.
Happy birthday!
My biggest pet peeve is gross cars. Cars that belong to people who eat in them, don't finish their food, and leave it in the floorboard to rot. Cars that belong to people who never clean their steering wheel, or other parts of the car that sweat tends to get on. Cars with blood in them after an accident, and they want me to take their stupid stereo out before they send it to be scrapped. Those are the ones I hate.
#1: Service advisors who know nothing about cars, suck at upselling and wanting you to do free work
#2: Waiters/customers who stare at you in the window the entire time you are working on their car
VQPower35 you got that right, I work in a commercial chain, where that happens everyday
VQPower35 Im not a mechanic. But when I was younger and worked with my father who is a carpenter #2 happened every day. Very annoying. Especially when you have to take a moment to think about something and the customer looks at you like "this guy must not know what he's doing" and then starts telling you how to do your job. VERY VERY frustrating. - Jacob S.
Yes! Very true. Service writers and stare downs can be the worst.
We musicians get stared at while working all the time.
reallyAZ nokidding This made me laugh..
This is a great video. Can totally relate to the wheel lock story. Nothing like not finding the key and having to sort through all the spare keys the dealership has only to not find the right one. Have had to destroy a few locks because customer couldn't find it or didn't know what it was or the best one me being blamed for losing it.
“well the guy in an online forum said...”
Broken hood shocks or no hood prop.
phillip vashon I totally agree. I see a lady near me with a hatchback that uses a board. shocks are like $10 each.
It always sets the tone for a service when I see that on a car.
My rightside one got bent wayyy out of shape a while back becase I wasn't paying attention and had my breaker bar in the way. lol. Ironically it's safer now with the breaker bar as the prop. The head of the wrench fit's perfectly along the ball of the hood install spot.
Really? You're going to charge me like $60-80 to fix those and there's no chance in heck you'll have the part in stock anyway, so that means at least half a day if not a day or more wait. I didn't choose to put hood "shocks" on that model. Fixing that is the least of my problems on a 10-15+ year old car. Everything from worn sway bars to glazed headlights is going to come first. I've got a million other problems I can't afford to fix and you want me to do that first. I do, all that I can, myself. I buy and replace sensors, pull parts from junkyards, replace hoses and other easy to moderately difficut things I can do. I'm as cheap as I can be but there's still thousands in work I've got yet to do. For what it's worth I did find out about RockAuto doot com and the parts there are really cheap with everything from no name Chinese parts to Motorcraft and AcDelco parts if you care to pay the premium, and actually I found some hood "shocks" new old stock on clearance for $5 total USD for 2 shipped along with the $500 worth of other parts I bought, so I happened to personally replace them today while the mechanic I have do the difficult stuff for me replaced the shock/strut assemblies.
So I'll accept that as a pet peeve sure, but to say it sets the tone for the whole service I feel is out of line, what it said about me is $80 can better be spent elsewhere on my car.
***** Order from auto zone or orielys or something.. they're pretty much 10-20 bucks each for most cars in existence, and is 9/10 times as simple as popping out a clip to change them.
Eric, while I worked as an entry-level tech I too saw those same issues. The master level techs didn't get those headaches. Seems to me if I could have stuck it out for 5-7 years then my service writers would be trained to my work style and the headache work would be pushed to the b/c techs. I couldn't handle the c tech life and I quit but those that could better handle these pet peeves were ultimately rewarded. Work 9-4, book 15 hours, no waiters, parts pulled. The system isn't designed for techs like us, though and we're better for it.
And being judged for your minor work inefficiencies. While you can't even touch on the major and obvious personality defects in these pricks who cause trouble for all of you in the entry level positions. I cannot bear this either.
Valid points Eric, In the end I think it comes down to most people just don't understand, they assume that most jobs are quick and easy because they just don't know, it's the job of a good tech (or service writer) to explain and deal with that but it's hard to explain to a customer who doesn't understand and maybe doesn't WANT to understand..(The "I just want to write a check and make my car problems go away crowd") As for me, I always tell the service writer where my wheel locks are (I leave them zip tied to my lug wrenches so I don't lose them) and I guess I am a car guy cause I would want the mechanical stuff fixed before the frivolous stuff. But I see your point. As for me, this video almost makes me want to write a list of top 5 Peeves from the customer point of view, after all, there are always 2 sides to a story :)
Thank you for letting know what should I be thinking about to make the tech's life easier
can't stand it when they pull into the service lane, and take their keys with them and lock the doors....
Joseph Inman this!!! Holy shit, this gets me
We have a tow truck on premises for this issue. Takes less than 5mins to park it on the far end of the lot and see them flip out about it. Guess you really don't have to see the great big sign that says "No Parking, you Will be Towed!"
The you changed my engine oil and now my rearend is making a funny noise and its your fault guy lol.
You’re a true gentleman Eric you’ve managed to explain the top five annoying things without using a single swearword....!
you hit the nail on the head. as a retired mechanic it drives me nuts
What about cheap parts.. They want the cheapest parts possible.. then it they go bad, want you to replace them for free!
I always go with their parts recommendations. Saving $20 on a $400 repair that has to be done again 6 months later is not for me.
Customer's pet peeves:
1. I get it, not knowing what will turn up in inspection for repairs. Still annoying to deal with "unexpected" repairs that where not communicated before carrying them out.
2. Getting a price for all that's fixed, and then have to drag it out of them of what they've done. It surely makes me less confident in a mechanic if they can't enumerate what they've done to the vehicle.
3. Having to look for my vehicle after the repair on a large parking lot behind the repair shop, and not getting directions where (not even in general) its parked.
4. Having to come back another time for X or Y could not be done for the part(s) where not there (yet).
5. Service writer not writing down what I told them to be my problem(s) with the vehicle, and then being called later by them or the mechanic for the same details. I'm pretty specific in my descriptions always. If its some details I didn't provide, fine, but 9 out of 10 times its some I already told.
6. Telling me I need ro replace something without reasoning. Example: You need to replace your tires. Having then to ask why (tires where less then a year old at that point), and then getting bullshitted with not enough profile anymore while I knew there was plenty on all tires (2.5 mm or so by law, was more then 5mm).
Needless to say, went to another shop next time.
DataStorm do you rather someone rush through your car or take their time and do it right? mechanics and techs have enough stress dealing with service managers ontop of that customers don't understand the issues that come up while doing repairs that might delay the jobs such as parts being one of them, we're your car is parked should be no problem #cardio
Solutions/responses:
1- If you go somewhere that does additional work WITHOUT contacting you and getting an Ok first, find a new shop
2-If everything that was done isn't on the copy of the RO you get, find a new shop
3-Generally the tech won't tell the service writer where the car is and if the lot is that big he might not remember, however finished cars should always be put out front.
4-Having to wait for parts is almost never the shops fault, if their suppliers don't have it they don't have it. The shop I worked at we had like 8 places we used to get parts from and I've still had to wait days for parts before, it annoys the shop to trust me.
5-Possible he's having a bad day but if it's consistent bad service writer, contact higher ups or find a new shop
6-A good shop should ALWAYS give you a reason, for your example though sometimes tires don't wear evenly, I've had tires that looked fine with the car on the ground (like you said well above minimum tread depth) but when you get it on the life the inside edge is gone, or you have a tire that's out of round or cracking. But this is all stuff that should be relayed to the customer
In conclusion: I think you need to find a new shop
I nowhere said that the time they need to do their work was a problem for me. I often take a temp car from the shop so I can continue doing my stuff and they call me when done so I can swap back. If that takes 2 days, fine, then I have the swap car for 2 days. Its rare for me to not do that.
If you read globally above, then you understand maybe my issues better: wasting my time, not communicating.
I pay for the servicing. Not for disservice.
As for parking the car in a big parking lot... great to have to go around a parking lot that has more then 300 cars on it (daytime, parking lot of a large shopping mall that's located there), not all from the shop, and the car's somewhere there. Having to spend 20 minutes looking for your car is useless at best.
#5 I can relate to. I'm a pretty good customer coming from an engineering background. I usually have a general idea of what's probably broken (just not the expertise/tools to fix the bigger things), and I like to be very descriptive of exact reproduction steps. Like if its a noise, "on cold start, when turning wheel, power steering pump seems to make a horrid sound"... and then they'll write "noise on cold start". Seriously? Your job title includes the word "writer"... don't get lazy.
How about not knowing how much a given service would cost.. I recently needed my egr changed out, no one would give me a price on the phone, they all wanted to inspect it first then that's an $80 charge before any service has begun. I can tell you real close on the phone how much a remodel on a house will cost because I have done a few, I know more may need to be done but you should be able to provide a ballpark price anyway and most just won't.. Its really frustrating trying to deal with most mechanics.
I feel you eric. sometimes we all have those days where we get frustrated and get annoyed, but the more we deal with it the better
love the bday greetings, mine is few days away and I was surprised..
My pet peeve is when you are doing scheduled work then the customer wants other things done also and takes up valuable time and expects the same bill as first quoted.
you make a 2nd bill that includes all the additional stuff and the first bill that includes exactly what you and them talked about. that way you can say the original work cost exactly what we talked about and it's very obvious.
I run my shop differntly then most shops out there. I'm not saying these are good or bad things, but I don't allow waiters, I always tell people be prepared to drop off your car for the entire day.
I have a master set of wheel lock keys, doesnt always work out though.
I dont actually mind wasting time Dickin around, of the flat rate calls for 10 hours on the job, I dont mind spending 2 full days on it. I'm a one man shop, I charge 80 an hour. 40 bucks an hour is still good for me.
I'm 20 miles outside of town, leaving a car empty on gas sucks, but I cant bitch about alot because I'm so far out of town any minor inconvenience to the customer and they stop using me. So I keep a fuel tank around and charge gas station prices when I have to ad fuel.
I live in a dusty area, people always bitch about brakes squeaking, usually a car wash solves it. But they bring it to a shop.
Man you hit the nail right on the head! I hate when the customers have wheel locks and they dont have it in an accessible place or even know where it is! So many times I will plug the drain plug, lower the vehicle down a little to rotate, notice the vehicle has wheel locks, then i now have to take extra time to let the oil finish draining and then lower the vehicle on the ground and go through all the compartments looking for a stupid wheel lock key. Especially fun when you are already dirty with oil and grease. Also you point on waiters and upsells. Totally agree. Our service writers are incompetent and like to pack as many oil changes as possible and sometimes double booking, and everything is okay until, a tire has a nail in it, a car needs brakes or additional services, or anything of the matter. Its super annoying for us techs and the customers. Not only are they waiting for us to finish the current vehicles, but now they have to wait that plus the time it takes for their vehicle.
Number 1 pet peeve as a customer: Mythical unicorns poking holes in my exhaust and shitting in my filters.
parking in front of the bay, or in the middle of the parking lot. pulling up to the garage door and honking their horn
I'm just a home game but one of my biggest peeves as when I'm working on someone's car and they start bugging me about why are you doing that why don't you do this can you fix that too I got other things to do I can't just sit here and work on your car all day long unless you set up some time to do that and don't argue with me about what parts cost typically I don't really charge anything to work on your vehicle you can take it to the garage and pay $85 an hour or you can buy me a case of beer and leave me the hell alone
I know I am very late to this party, but what a great video. The comments posted are just fabulous. I have been doing IT work for 22 years and so many of the comments are on point even for the industry that I work in. The guy or gal that brings in their computer and they will help you fix it. They will reveal all of the troubleshooting you do not have to do because they saw it online and have already done everything to fix the problem. Many of the folks want to stand there and watch what you do or have you tell them what you use in your secret sauce to get the issue resolved. I have no problem with educating the user a bit, but many times they will argue with me about what actually fixed it.
As a former automotive technician who worked flat rate I have to agree with you. I have four customer pet peeves and one automotive technician pet peeve.
My top five are similar. The first one is the same as yours. No lug nut key. Enough said.
The second one is similar, the sloppy technician who damaged the lug nuts before it arrived at our shop. The customer now has two choices. No tire removal (and no brake safety inspection) or buy new lug nuts. The customers are generally fuming over this since they themselves never removed the lug nuts. The third are customers who want techs to work for free. The fourth is the customer who makes an appointment and shows up one to two hours late and wants to know why we can't take their car / truck in immediately. The fifth is the customer who vanishes at the dealership when we have a question(s) for them regarding their vehicle. Thank you for letting me spout off.
Biggest Pet Peeves:
5: Over-torqued (locking) wheel nuts/bolts
4: Working on/in an overly filthy car.
3: Customers who think that the area infront of the garage doors is a parkingspot. It gets worse when theyget upset that we politely ask to park their car into a free parking spot.
2: Lying customers in all sorts, shapes and sizes.
1: ASSHOLE customers who are late demanding that we all should stop what we're doing on other people's cars so that we can help this royall douchebag. This mostly happens with BMW, Audi and VW lease-car drivers in my experience.
nikoshi1988
You are totally right. Sad thing is that I really used to like the older 745’s but I’ve learned to cringe every time I see a BMW anymore. You can stack the deck in your favor if they’re driving a beemer under 10 years old, 95% chance they are a huge prick.
People who want to wait for a "big" job to be done like an evaporator then complain it's taking too long.!!!
My #1 is cars full of garbage and dirty ,I have handed people a full bag of garbage and told them if there was something valuable in the car it's in there now..
Just as bad is the 4x4s that have have 300lbs of dirt caked under the bottom in for a oil change.
Yes or farm trucks that smell like sh1t and you know thats not mud.
I won't work on them until they wash them
You would need a dump truck to clean out all the garbage in my aunt's car.
It was my birthday the day you uploaded this!
When I brought my car in for service I always leave the wheel locknut adapter on the dash and be sure to tell them and make sure I get it back.
I got One Peeve around cars and computers I use to work on cars and since I had a few injuries decided to get reeducated. But Diagnosing a car or computer because the person does not have a clue and you ask them a multitude of questions and they can't even answer one. I call these people Blissfully Ignorant.
Funny story time when I first started my adventure into the automotive industry I use to do panel work disassembly and reassembly of car panels. So working in panel shops for a while I got a lot of cleaning jobs so I could pull cars apart. One day while cleaning out a car I found two vibrators one had been lost for a while and the other one well I can only assume it was the reason the car was getting repaired. When the owner of the car(female) came to collect you should have seen the look on her face when I told her I cleaned out her car and ALL her belongings where in a box in the Trunk/Boot. I didn't tell any of the other guys I found these items they had no idea. When I was walking over to the car with her before the boss came out for final sign off I said they are wrapped up in a jumper bottom of the box. She looked smiled and said thanks.
Or when old guys stand with there arms crossed and glare at me the whole time im working on the car.
I never liked that. People who ride shotgun on me, piss me off. If I end up doing a wait for the Mechanic thing, I try to not to make out like I am watching them. Walk around the parking lot, go grab a coffee, talk to someone else there, whatever. I would never want to make someone feel like I am "shoulder watching" them, cause of how much I hate it done to me.
i tell people who do that that they can do that but i bill for it. t&m. if they still stay and stare it makes me feel better knowing i'm getting paid for it but that's only happened once in more than 20 years.
Hi Being a tool junkie you pays your money and you enjoy. Not into tool boxes myself but if you enjoy that's great. Many Thanks for great channel.
love your videos . I thank you for your hard work at keeping us grease monkeys inform. do you have merch for sale?
The waiters are the worst. Especially when they want to hang out because they think your buddies now but you're just being nice to them because they're the customer. At some point you have to find that nice way say OK I need to go do something else now. You can leave now
Putting on a spare tire for a customer on the side of the highway, then they go to another shop for the new tire.
Hehe, it actually is my birthday today. Thanks Eric!
How did I not know about this channel I never miss a video on the other one
my pet peeve which is similar to the wheel lock is customers coming (especially waiters) for a battery or a service with a cabin air filter and being that I work for Volvo alot of Volvo's models have their batteries in the trunk you open it up and it is just packed to the brim with junk, dirty cloths and stuff, or the floor board in the passenger seat where I have to lay to get to the cabin filter is covered in garbage and food wrappers and stuff, that really burns my biscuits.
people who own audi, bmw, or cadillac
almost always a bad time
Ben Kittrell What’s the difference between a Porsche and a porcupine? On the porcupine, the pricks are on the outside!
BL y That’s a good one
LMAO! Hahahaha! Good one Bl y.
I totally agree Ben. Especially those beamer drivers. They act like they own the damned road and expect far too much. Now and then, you do get a cool one though, who drives an expensive car, but is a shadetree Mechanic themselves. They get it! My Landlord drives a nice Caddy, but he's restoring an old Austin Healy. Now, there's a guy who "gets it" and would not give a Mechanic the gears, cause he's been there too!
I find a lot of comparisons in IT with being an auto tech. I'm a field service tech so my coworkers are NOT my customers. My biggest pet one is customers who lie. "My screen doesn't work" get to site after an hour of driving and the screen has a huge crack. "sorry sir but I can't cover that under warranty YOU broke it" then I get to explain why it's like driving your car into a wall and expecting warranty to fix it. I get measured on closed calls per day... That call isn't closed, it's not got to be quoted and a return trip made.
Another is customers who want to touch things I'm working on, or my tools. I don't mind you watching or even asking questions while I tear apart your laptop/printer/server but don't touch things just because you have never seen a board outside of an episode of CSI before.
The last one, I show up for the first visit on an almost new device worth several grand and the first words out of their mouth; before I even look at it? "Wouldn't it be cheaper/better/faster to just get me a new one?" No it wouldn't because you would probably have to plug the power cord into that one to dumb ass. Similar to that one is the "I don't want you to fix it, I expect a brand new replacement device" of course sir this one only has a month left in the 3 year warranty but I can totally understand how that's a reasonable expectation. If your focus has a failed radio while still under warranty ford gives you a whole new car right?
I'm a professional Automotive Technician as well. I agree with everything that you are saying about customers do on a daily basis at my job. Well said sir!!