tech2

[quote=Chickensandwich;218697]Try to think how you would feel if you took your baby in to get something done and whoever worked on it decided to enjoy a cigarette in your truck. Maybe they left wrappers and a partially eaten cheeseburger on the seat. Maybe the tech even farted in to the cloth seat and the smell WONT GO AWAY.

I was wondering where I left that cheeseburger?

cleveland63b

I'm not saying what happened is right or wrong but I'm a firm believer that if something so simple and reversible gets you that fired up, do it yourself. If the fabric was permanently stained or damage was sustained its a different story.

Last week I had tires put on by someone else (who I've known for a long time and worked for at one point) because I was in the hospital waiting on my baby girl to arrive and I still was uneasy about it. Since I was 16 I've either done all the work or been right along side when the work was done to my vehicles, right or wrong I know who to blame.

and for the TPMS question the battery life of the sensors is supposed to be 10yrs/150,000mi. but it seems to vary with anything else.

Chickensandwich

Do the work myself? Well, I CAN change the oil myself, but I don't want to deal with the hassle of crawling under my truck and then disposing of the oil etc etc. I'd rather drive it in somewhere, get it done, and be on my way getting other things done. For that I should have to accept poor service? I don't think so. Also, not all of use have the machinery or space required to do large repairs. I don't know of many people that can spin balance tires in their garage. I don't even have a garage. Because of this, I have to accept poor service and lazy, sloppy work? I don't think so!

celeveland63b, yes...if a technician got grease and crap all over the inside of my truck, it would fire me up BIG TIME. If it doesn't fire YOU up, then there is something wrong with you. If you can pull engines and rebuild transmissions on your own, at your home, thats great, you win. If you decide to walk into the service bay and follow the mechanic around (assuming they let you since its against their insurance policies), thats great too. I'm glad you have the extra time to waste. For those of us that want to drop out vehicles off, get the work done fast and correctly, these kinds of situations are completely unacceptable. Quite honestly, the last thing I like to hear when people have issues like this is "do it yourself then". Just imagine if all business were like that.

cleveland63b

I'm a full time technician in a blue seal/napa auto care shop and have been taking shop classes ever since I could, so as I said no one touches my stuff but me. Once again I'm not saying its a good way to be but the world is too quick to fire anymore, take a step back and breath and realize that something that comes off with a rag in 2 seconds isn't something to have a hissy fit over. There are lazy careless techs out there but they don't last long if the management is decent at all.

Techs are human and make mistakes I can't imagine that you operate 100% flawlessly all day every day at your job. Depending on there SOP there is a ton of things to check and think about during a service, when I first started at the shop I'm at now they would get butthurt because I spend 45min on a service. My main point is that its not hard to forget to grease 2 zerks especially if you have a packed schedule or anxious management.

I know of many people that use fast food as an example since a lot of people have done it at some point, its too easy to judge from the other side of the counter. This is probably gona end up being a pointless pissing match anyway but I'm just trying to help you put the shoe on the other foot,

Chickensandwich

I can easily see both sides of this. Simple fact is, if I was a service manager and customer showed me greasy hand prints from a technician that worked on his car, I would be livid and take the mechanic away from whatever he was doing and make him clean it immediately. As a customer, I would demand that someone clean my car. I don't have the time to "do it myself" and fixing cars does not interest me in the least unless its quick and easy and saves me some cash. Most things I GET done...very few things I do myself. I expect the same kind of care from technicians that I would use myself. If a car mechanic comes into my place of business, he gets the same service that I would expect from him. You can attempt to tell me and others that these things just happen and should be expected from time to time is unacceptable. I'm glad you've given up on the pursuit of perfect, I just hope that not everyone else given up on giving good service.

You cannot **** further than that.

73shark

Most places put floor mat covers down and the really good places put covers on the driver's seat and steering wheel. Of course that still leaves the door area but at least they're trying.

tech2

chickensalad can see both sides of the story but if your viewpoint is different; then you are a bad technician....at least untill he needs your help on this forum. That would make you a great tech...maybe even a hero.

cleveland63b

I just hate how the general populations mentality is taking tiny negative things and blowing them up huge completely shadowing the good. The very first shop I worked at did AAA roadside assistance and most people were grateful but some would drive me nuts. Traveler runs out of gas on the interstate at 2am so I drive out with our 10gal. jug which would easily get them to the next town and don't even get a thank you but ridiculed because I couldn't fill the tank for him.

The original post is debatable for the fact that they possibly didn't get a service done at all or have no proof of it, but theres usually more to the story. Yea, maybe you got a fingerprint somewhere (that wipes off) and you get too worked up about it to remember that the tech caught something that would have led to a safety issue on the road. Who cares if they protected your family, theres dirt on the carpet!

Chickensandwich

Well, if your as competent at your job as you are at name recollection, then I don't think I'll ever need any of your help.

Just because you fix their car, that doesn't give them the right to pigs and mess up someones vehicle. I don't we were talking about a single fingerprint, so please don't minimize it. It's attitudes like yours and especially that idiot tech2 that really make trusting a mechanic and ongoing problem.

@tech2 If I ever ask for help in this forum, please do me a favor and don't respond. I really don't like your attitude or arrogant personality.

tech2

sorry eggsalad. I've been goofing on you the entire time. The fact that a sentence from a stranger on the internet can get you so riled up makes me wonder how you get through the day.