Great mechanic, would you question his labor time?

[gscaton1]

I am just curious, its very hard to find a good mechanic now a days. I found one after many many years, one of the best around to fix my kind of motor. The only thing I question is the amount of labor time he puts down. There is no such thing as a 1/2 hour and I know some things he has done can't possibly take that long. Would you say anything or just go with it. 90.00 an hour is the going price but adding an extra hour adds up on different things he is doing. Don't want to lose this guy...

 

[fireman57]

Re: Great mechanic, would you question his labor time?

I work on engines on the side and I am not anywhere near OMC certified but there are other things involved rather than just the time to fix it. There is time to diagnose and test it. Time to move it, put the cover back on, supplies that need to be replaced out of my shop etc... I do think that 90.00 an hour is extravagant if it is a one man shop. If it is owned by someone else then there is health insurance, taxes, utilities etc... that need to be paid. If you are happy with his work then you have to make the decision if he is worth the rate he charges. I need to charge more but feel guilty when I do. I don't work off shop rate time by the book but how much I think it is worth when I get the job done.

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: Great mechanic, would you question his labor time?

No, I would not question it. If you think the total cost of the repair is fine, then I wouldn't worry what the hourly rate is.

 

[HighTrim]

Re: Great mechanic, would you question his labor time?

You have to remember, the mechanic doesnt break his time down into 10 minute increments, they have rates they charge out for repairs on an hourly/half hourly basis. I do repairs on the side, and I can guarantee that I actually lose money doing it, lol. Time spent running to the dealership to get parts, hardware store, my fuel etc... never gets added onto the bill. I love doing it though, so dont mind. I usualy charge a case of beer to get a motor back on the water

 

[tincanman]

Re: Great mechanic, would you question his labor time?

You have to remember, the mechanic doesnt break his time down into 10 minute increments, they have rates they charge out for repairs on an hourly/half hourly basis. I do repairs on the side, and I can guarantee that I actually lose money doing it, lol. Time spent running to the dealership to get parts, hardware store, my fuel etc... never gets added onto the bill. I love doing it though, so dont mind. I usualy charge a case of beer to get a motor back on the water

my friend, you need to move closer to me.

 

[gscaton1]

Re: Great mechanic, would you question his labor time?

You guys don't get the point, I am not questioning his hourly rate. They all charge 90 to 100 an hour. My concern was the total time of labor he has on some jobs. I will bite the bullet because he is very good and don't want to loose him.

 

[gscaton1]

Re: Great mechanic, would you question his labor time?

I work on engines on the side and I am not anywhere near OMC certified but there are other things involved rather than just the time to fix it. There is time to diagnose and test it. Time to move it, put the cover back on, supplies that need to be replaced out of my shop etc... I do think that 90.00 an hour is extravagant if it is a one man shop. If it is owned by someone else then there is health insurance, taxes, utilities etc... that need to be paid. If you are happy with his work then you have to make the decision if he is worth the rate he charges. I need to charge more but feel guilty when I do. I don't work off shop rate time by the book but how much I think it is worth when I get the job done.

Have no problem with 90.00 an hour just the amount of labor time involved. Won't say anything because he fixes my motor the right way the first time, no guessing.

 

[gscaton1]

Re: Great mechanic, would you question his labor time?

thanks, I just thought some of the time was a little off, but I am satisfied so I won't say anything, don't want to loose this guy. To hard to find a good mechanic.

 

[daselbee]

Re: Great mechanic, would you question his labor time?

I lose money on the repairs I do on the side too.
Too often, the old engine has stuck bolts, broken bolts, multiple things wrong that waste diagnosis time....
And I just feel bad charging so much UNLESS I CAN HELP the guy...

Not a profitable job here......

Is the repair total worth it to you to have it fixed and fixed right? That's what I would be looking at.

 

[gscaton1]

Re: Great mechanic, would you question his labor time?

I lose money on the repairs I do on the side too.
Too often, the old engine has stuck bolts, broken bolts, multiple things wrong that waste diagnosis time....
And I just feel bad charging so much UNLESS I CAN HELP the guy...

Not a profitable job here......

Is the repair total worth it to you to have it fixed and fixed right? That's what I would be looking at.

You are 100% correct. My wife said the same thing. Live with it. You are happy the way he does things so accept it.

 

[fireman57]

Re: Great mechanic, would you question his labor time?

If he is at a shop then there is book rate that quotes the time it takes for a job and I would be willing to bet that he goes by that. Most of the mechs can get it done in a lot less time than the book rate but still charge that time. It is SOP in the industry. I look at it this way, if he can get the job done right in less than the book time he deserves the extra for his expertise, if it takes longer (like it does me) then that is really all he can legitimately charge. As daselbee said I always seem to get the jobs with frozen driveshafts in the powerhead, broken bolts, etc.. how do you charge time for that? What would you charge for things that are unforseen. To put it another way,if a guy charges 25.00 to mow a certain lawn and does a good job but you say you will do it the same way for the same amount and not take as long to do it who is being more fair? Actually, no one because the job still costs the same. That is how book rate works. Ask other boat owners if they have a mechanic that they like and trust and I would bet you that most will say no that they all charge too much. The way out of that is learn to do it yourself. When your car is broken do question that bill to or do you try to fix it yourself. I know you say that you like him and don't want to lose him but it seems that you are happy with his work but don't think he is worth his wage. Look at what you do for a living, are you actually worth what they are paying you? I'm self employed and I know that I am underpaid because I make sure that the client gets a great deal so I can stay in business and I have to keep that client to do that. It costs me a lot of money to stay in business so I have to spend it wisely. I work off of commission so I can't just raise my rates when I want to. Some sales take less time than others but all of them pay the same so should I discount the quick sale? No. Ask your mechanic face to face if it does indeed actually take that long or does he go by book rate time. I think the answer will surprise you.

 

[MACH1SCJ]

Re: Great mechanic, would you question his labor time?

As an auto tech of 20+ years at the same shop we use the book time as a guide. I think we do very good work. Most of the time I put more bolts back in then I took out on the older cars when someone has been in there before. I have been told "but that is more then book time" by a few customers over the years. I simply point out that it is a "time guide" & that is my price to do the job correctly if they want me to do it. I have had customers leave for a year or two just to show back up again. Because they have been to many other shops & are unhappy, and a few that will never use me again. You can not please everyone all of the time. I'll ask this, "Do you trust your mechanic & does he do a good job?" And I would say that is your answer. The best almost always costs a little more.

 

[daselbee]

Re: Great mechanic, would you question his labor time?

Guy brought his 1979 55 Evinrude to me to fix.
Well....crap.....I had to clean every electrical connecton from the starter to the battery, replace the batt cables, just to get it to turn over fast enough to generate spark.
Ok now I got spark.
Now gas....rebuilt carbs to get it running.
Started it up....no water from the pee hole. Digital temp gun showed overheating within 1 minute.....
Ok, pull lower unit, attach hose directly to water tube, which was rotted from age....got water to the engine, restarted.
Ran like crap. Why? It was getting water in the lower cylinder while running, with the hose attached to the water tube.
Leaking exhaust plate, side gaskets.....OK.....now I gotta pull the powerhead to fix that leak correctly.
Eight powerhead bolts, I got three out, but the rest were frozen. Not budging.

Today, I called him and told him to come get the engiine. That was it's last breath. Done.

I didn't charge him BECAUSE I DIDN'T HELP him any....I guess the only help I gave him was to tell him his engine was done for....
I figure I lost a ton of money in labor only, but I just can't charge a guy if I can't help him. If he doesn't get anything for his money....

But I learned in the process. and I sweated....

Ah well.

 

[jbjennings]

Re: Great mechanic, would you question his labor time?

I once had a good mechanic and thought he was pretty darned expensive. Now that I've started doing my own work, I realize that he was giving me a great deal everytime. Working on any machine is time consuming. I don't know how much time I've spent scraping gaskets, recutting threads, fixing or replacing parts that I broke which were imossible to remove without breaking them, locating used parts to save money, etc. Then there's the worry of diagnosing the problem which is sometimes really difficult. A good mechanic would spend an hour just writing up all the things that he did in the process of fixing the motor, oftentimes. You might take solice in realizing that what's written on the ticket is not all that was involved in the repair---almost every time. I do a little work for neighbors and can assure you, I don't make any money for my time, either.... I really don't even see how a mechanic earns a decent living until he reaches a skill level that's off the charts.
JBJ

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: Great mechanic, would you question his labor time?

Guy brought his 1979 55 Evinrude to me to fix.
Well....crap.....I had to clean every electrical connecton from the starter to the battery, replace the batt cables, just to get it to turn over fast enough to generate spark.
Ok now I got spark.
Now gas....rebuilt carbs to get it running.
Started it up....no water from the pee hole. Digital temp gun showed overheating within 1 minute.....
Ok, pull lower unit, attach hose directly to water tube, which was rotted from age....got water to the engine, restarted.
Ran like crap. Why? It was getting water in the lower cylinder while running, with the hose attached to the water tube.
Leaking exhaust plate, side gaskets.....OK.....now I gotta pull the powerhead to fix that leak correctly.
Eight powerhead bolts, I got three out, but the rest were frozen. Not budging.

Today, I called him and told him to come get the engiine. That was it's last breath. Done.

I didn't charge him BECAUSE I DIDN'T HELP him any....I guess the only help I gave him was to tell him his engine was done for....
I figure I lost a ton of money in labor only, but I just can't charge a guy if I can't help him. If he doesn't get anything for his money....

But I learned in the process. and I sweated....

Ah well.

And that, my friend, is why most shops will not touch an old outboard. You probably lost $500 in parts and labor right there. You're right though, it would stink to tell him to come get his dead engine and then give him a bill for 500 bucks.

 

[gscaton1]

Re: Great mechanic, would you question his labor time?

thanks for all the responses. If I am happy and the job is done right, its worth the extra money to have someone who is pretty good work on your engine. To many times a sub mechanic will do parts by part to fix the problem. thanks again

 

[daselbee]

Re: Great mechanic, would you question his labor time?

And that, my friend, is why most shops will not touch an old outboard. You probably lost $500 in parts and labor right there. You're right though, it would stink to tell him to come get his dead engine and then give him a bill for 500 bucks.

Yup TX for sure. Kinda like the vet who charges for a vet visit but the dog died.....what do you do......

 

[jimmbo]

Re: Great mechanic, would you question his labor time?

The mechanics don't make much money, that's what the owner of the shop does.

 

[gscaton1]

Re: Great mechanic, would you question his labor time?

The mechanics don't make much money, that's what the owner of the shop does.

He is the owner and mechanic and 1 man shop.

 

[boobie]

Re: Great mechanic, would you question his labor time?

Good mechanics are hard to find in the marine business. If he repairs everything right the first time, leave a sleeping dog lie.