mishap with the mechanic today

[Sonic dB]

vdf

[Sonic dB]

lol...what do you mean?

[FenderGuy]

Originally posted by Sonic dB


Anyway, he had a b-tch of a time getting the pipe off the threads and he accidentally busted the alumunium pipe that goes from the thermo to the front oil cooler. This pipe costs $300+.

Initially he wanted me to pay for it....but upon reflection, I called him back...some angry words were exchanged and then we agreed to split the cost of the new pipe at his cost.

Hmm I dont really get why you take your Porsches in, if work is being done and something goes wrong then you have to pay for it. Are you not paying some one to work on your car? Lets see I will cut your yard but if my blade on my mower gets jacked up you're paying for it.

[Sonic dB]

I get your point Fender... and I was going to have him pay the whole amount but backed off because like I said, hes done good work for me before at reasonable costs...so I want to save this relationship. I dont think the pipe broke due to his error...cause reading this forum....it does happen due to the nature of that particular setup on 911s with front oil coolers.

[carmaneddy]

What kind of mechanic is he?
--He was supposed to tell you the pipe was cracked, and he had never seen one so old and ragged and couldnt understand why your car would even run.

Sounds like a good guy.

[Zeke]

Touchy situation. Sounds like a good resolution.

Edit: Good time to install Elephant lines.

[Decolliber]

Instead of using brute force to get the pipe off the thermostat (and breaking the pipe to the front cooler), he could have done a search on this board and learned that he should have dremeled off the nut on the pipe to the thermostat. And check the other pipe to the front cooler. If he broke one he probably put a lot of stress on, and weakened, the other.

[TimT]

Wisdom, love it any way you can get it

Touchy situation. Sounds like a good resolution.

[TimT]

he could have done a search on this board and learned that he should have dremeled off the nut on the pipe to the thermostat.

get real.. who is going to pay for the mech to web search pelicans archives?

And who said brute force broke the fitting? just because a fitting on a 20+ year old car breaks doenst mean brute force was used..

Sonics mech did him a good thing by sharing the cost of this "unexpected" problem. Good business practice

[Decolliber]

Originally posted by TimT
get real.. who is going to pay for the mech to web search pelicans archives?

I would assume that someone who charges money to work of Porsches should know that there are simpler ways to get a nut off an oil line... I would not go back to a mechanic who broke something on my car and did not pay for it.

[geof33]

While the resolution is "reasonable" I contend that this situation happens frequently and steps should be taken to safe guard against it. All of the metal lines, brake lines/oil lines ar subject to this siezure and poss breakage. Although, I'm sure not intentional, one could argue that he was negligent...

I would have been pissed, simple as that. If there had been a fatigue situation, then he should have let you know before-hand... Why not saturate the nut with a thread loosener??? Probably could have been avoided with due diligence...

[Mike the mechanic]

You are lucky you got him to pay for half the cost. In my opinion, the mechanic isn't at fault if your oil line is old and weak. These things happen, cars are just metal things that corrode and weaken with time. What if your wheel studs broke off when he tried to remove the wheel, would you have him pay for that too? You clearly state that the pipe didn't brake because of his error, so why should he have to pay for it, and on top of that, cover the labour charge also?

When I sent my VW for a wheel alignment, they charged me 20 bucks more because the eccentric camber bolts snapped. Should have I not payed this 20 bucks? It's not their fault the nuts and bolts were siezed, so why shouldn't they charge me?

If I was in your mechanic's shoes, I would fix the car at my cost, and ask you to not come back. You think he will look forward to working on your car again? He'll probably shy away from big jobs fearing the same thing might happen.

[Henry Schmidt]

Every situation is different, but it seems reasonable that if a part breaks during disassembly it's the owners problem. If the part breaks during reassemble it's the techs fault. Of course there are exceptions but it seems like a good rule.
If he managed to save the thermostat most likely this mechanic did his best.
An offer to split the cost is beyond good PR.

[TerryH]

As a service provider:
I work on car interiors for a living. This requires me to remove plastic trim pieces. If the car is over 5 years old, there is a very good chance super glue will be involved in re-assembly. The snaps or hooks on the back of the trim pieces will just crumble from age/heat. Occasionally, maybe once a year, I buy a piece at dealer cost if the trim itself breaks.

As a consumer:
My wife needed a new heater core put into her 1988 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe about 10 years ago. Her original dash was in very good condition. However good it looked, it was brittle as a potato chip and when the tech had to lower it, it cracked. It has lost any flexibility and elasticity. I didn't hold him responsible.

So I can see both sides because I've been there. Your mechanic could have told you the tube was shot and left it at that. I think he was very fair.

[ed martin]

The mechanic that I have makes mistakes from time to time. But the benifits of his prices and services far out-wiegh the few mistakes. With these old cars this type of thing happens. Bottom line is that when your car fails in the future, and it will, you're going to need him again. Seems to me that if you're reasonable with him he'll be reasonable with you when you do return. Splitting the difference seems like a good compromise.

[MIK911]

Although a good number of you feel that "splitting the difference was a good compromise", i dislike the fact that Sonic had to argue with the mechanic before 'settling' on the compromise. I'm not saying who's at fault. Sounds pretty iffy either way.
Sonic--I believe you live in my neck of the woods (SouthBay). If you don't mind telling me who your mechanic is (PM ok), i'd at least like to know what to expect if/when i ever go to him.

Thanks
Mike
'86 coupe

[raceman]

you spend $30,000 on tools,and god forbid you leave one in a customers car,you`ll never get it back.You dedicate hours of off time to education.People bring their cars in for repair and they`re please to tell you they care more for their car then ANYTHING.The car is their one prized possesion.The dealer charges you $95.00 an hour...the tech gets $25.00..after tax,what,$16.00? A busboy in a decent restaurant makes more then that.Get real amigo,if you knew it wasn`t the guys fault why the harsh words?l think you should buy some tools and give it shot yourself on your day off,it`s easy if you`ve got the tools,right?You should be ashamed of yourself,and the tech is a keeper for sure.Sorry amigo but l wrenched for a long time,sometimes even without tools

[GeorgeK]

When my mechanic put the new engine in my car, I asked him to put the early type exhaust, and buy the new oil lines for them. He had another idea. He modified the rear line that goes to the thermostat (half pipe, half rubber) didn't cost me a dime. Then the rubber line, working at another angle after 28 years in one position, promptly self destructed. When he removed the line, the threads on the thermostat were dead. New thermostat needed (thanks Elephant!).
Whose fault? Nobodys.
The car is mine, the parts are old, and me thinks it is not the fault of the mechanic if old things break when doing repair.
I paid the parts with a large smile.

[moazam]

Originally posted by raceman
The dealer charges you $95.00 an hour...the tech gets $25.00..after tax,what,$16.00? A busboy in a decent restaurant makes more then that.

Uhh...my independent small Porsche repair mechanic shop charges more than $95, and the 'tech' gets much more than any frickin busboy I've ever heard of.

I don't know about the mechanics in your area, but good Porsche mechanics here in the Bay Area are making a very nice living.

[raceman]

well amigo,you don`t dine in the good places then because a busboy in a hot spot can walk with $25.00 an hour,believe it or not.lndependent shops seem to pay a little better then the dealers but techs are generally very underpaid considering the skills and tools required,and whatever the hourly rates stated most goes to running the shop,not paying the tech.A good living?in the Bay area they better be,just to pay rent.l don`t know too many Porsche techs that actually drive Porsches..