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I need some guidance

Vetech63

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2016
Messages
6,362
Location
Oklahoma
My best advise is to work safe and be proficient. Do the job RIGHT, not fast. Keep in mind your work is a reflection of who your are as a tech. When you are in the learning process, check your work over twice! Learn as much as you can from the tech's that are more experienced than yourself. Strive to be that tech that has NO redo's.
Don't let the pressure get to you. You can always tell them what I did, and still do today...…….."You can get this done right, cheap, or fast. None of the 3 go in the same sentence and I only warranty RIGHT."
 

check

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2012
Messages
800
Location
in the mail
It helps if management understands the relationship between flat rate and the speed of the two types of mechanics:
Type one has a lot of experience with a certain line of equipment. He can read the manual and memorize all the procedures well and follows them well. Memory and speed are his strengths.
Type two has a lot of common sense and can repair equipment he has never seen or heard of before because he has analytical skills, intellectual flexibility and the ability to make sound judgement calls. It may take him longer to preform tasks because he has to figure them out and come up with his own procedures.
Both have their place. Type one is the typical dealer mechanic because the arithmetic usually makes sense to the employer.
 

92U 3406

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2017
Messages
3,100
Location
Western Canuckistan
Occupation
Wrench Bender
There's a "complications" line in the workorder program we use. Its nice because it saves our bacon. I was over the quote on a job by several hours not so long ago. I had 4 injectors seized into a head. At least with photos of the rusty injectors I had attached to the workorder I was able to justify the additional time. Plus the boss man was happy because that time was now billable time. Only time my phone comes out during work hours is to photograph complications.
 

Birken Vogt

Charter Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2003
Messages
5,305
Location
Grass Valley, Ca
Complications, I like that. Years ago I was working inside a Ford truck trying to remove a wiring harness from a bag phone (remember those) for transfer to a new truck and I could not get that harness to pull out. Of course they had told me "this job should only take a couple of hours"

Come to find out the parking brake mounting plate or whatever was bolted down sandwiching the harness between itself and the wall/inside fender. The harness is actually a black jacketed cable and you could see all the wire colors and it was splayed out completely flat and some had copper showing, AFAIK it was still working though.

Had to do some writing on the work order to explain why that job had taken so long, for sure.
 

hosspuller

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2014
Messages
1,869
Location
North Carolina
Had a "complication" today. Manual said to turn the valve cover sideways to remove (in tight spot) No go. o_O After an hour of frustration, figured out lifting the engine against the rubber mounts allowed enough clearance. :rolleyes:
Do the flat rates include cleaning covers and such or just slap the dirty, grit encrusted parts together ? :( I figure the rates are done on brand new equipment. No dirt, No rust, No seized bolts.
 

funwithfuel

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2017
Messages
5,519
Location
Will county Illinois
Occupation
Mechanic
Extras cost extra. I dont clean squat when I'm on a gainer. Tear it apart, swap out what needs replacing, adjust if needed, bang it back together and let er rip.
 

pushbroom

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 4, 2017
Messages
108
Location
Saskatchewan
It comes down to good stories on the work order. For warranty I usually write what I did on the job and then specify at the bottom, Extra time needed for xx. It helps if you get to know the warranty coding as well, quite often you can claim to remove panels you didn't have to in order to get paid for more time. I would never do that on a customer work order, just to try to squeeze more outta warranty :)

When I first started out my times sucked, but the object is to strive to have no comebacks. As long as your work is clean and correct, doing it faster will come later. Most of our apprentices start out at 60% efficient. Its completely expected. Often a good attitude and a respectful prompt worker is way better then one that solely makes time on jobs.

Lots of good advice from some old wrenches on here
 

Birken Vogt

Charter Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2003
Messages
5,305
Location
Grass Valley, Ca
I had a job a while back where an engine breather needed to come off and get resealed. Of course the reason they leak is poor design and just bolting them back together will result in another leak so I have developed this system where I sort of glue them with a sticky sealant.

It is a flat rate job and I have done so many I can do it pretty quick but what chapped my hide was the whole area was covered in oil and brake cleaner is not real cheap and this job takes a couple of cans. We bill for all that stuff, it costs money but, no the company did not want to pay for those cans of brake clean.

I don't understand why anybody would want to do warranty work.
 

Nige

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 22, 2011
Messages
28,984
Location
G..G..G..Granville.........!! Fetch your cloth.
The good old saying (originally applied to warranty claims but works for anything) applies - "If you have a $50,000 claim (or bill) you need a $50,000 story to explain it" ........ that's what the space on the bottom of the WO is for. Also remember - "If you have insufficient space continue on a separate sheet of paper"
 

John C.

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
12,865
Location
Northwest
Occupation
Machinery & Equipment Appraiser
I worked for a service manage who after reading one of my short stories said that the number of words used correlates to the amount of screw ups and BS that happened on the job. Many of the reports I read over the years went something like this: drove to site, found machine broken, fixed same, returned to store.
 

Tenwheeler

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 15, 2016
Messages
870
Location
Georgia
I agree.. ALWAYS put additional time needed for "X"..
even if its for> arrived on site to find machine engine covered in oil.. took 5 cans of cleaner & 1 hr to clean area, in order to begin work..
When on your service call and find a valve bridge post broken off in the in the head do not do this. Hit it with a shot of brake cleaner. Then weld on it to pull it, The brake cleaner is the catalyst for the vapors in the crankcase. After it blows your butt off the engine it is safe to go back to work one it.
 

Blue924.9

Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2017
Messages
19
Location
Iowa
Thanks for all the advice fellas, my email notifications haven't been working real well. So far things have smoothed out. I was told 75 percent efficiency is the mark and I think if My manager gives me a mix of jobs I've done and new jobs in that ratio that will be able to be accomplished. Some of the battle is she doesn't understand much more than the basics [had to explain what a cylinder and piston were recently) so billing much more than the basics often results in errors. I guess I will just stick to the one and done method and if another job opportunity comes along I will look into it. Unfortunately I did have a job come back today, I wasnt aware it was even in the shop and i don't know what all was done to it by the other tech but I was told I left a paper towel in the water passage when I put a water pump in it a month or so ago. Today was not a good day but I guess that means tomorrow can only be better
 

walkerv

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2016
Messages
1,125
Location
wingate nc
Thanks for all the advice fellas, my email notifications haven't been working real well. So far things have smoothed out. I was told 75 percent efficiency is the mark and I think if My manager gives me a mix of jobs I've done and new jobs in that ratio that will be able to be accomplished. Some of the battle is she doesn't understand much more than the basics [had to explain what a cylinder and piston were recently) so billing much more than the basics often results in errors. I guess I will just stick to the one and done method and if another job opportunity comes along I will look into it. Unfortunately I did have a job come back today, I wasnt aware it was even in the shop and i don't know what all was done to it by the other tech but I was told I left a paper towel in the water passage when I put a water pump in it a month or so ago. Today was not a good day but I guess that means tomorrow can only be better
Dont put rags in holes, leave them open of you cant cap them. Or use a plastic bag over and end of hose with a wire tie, or my favorite is save up those bigger magnetic business cards and use them to cover flat ports on a block or head. One former tech changed a drive coupling on an excavator last year was told not to put any rags in hoses and to mark all hoses, guess what happened. Pump had to be rebuilt and had to have cat come out and fix the mess it was costly . Just a few tips to keep in mind , also one of the shops i worked at had what we called engine rags all it was was a huge red shop rag but you could use one and lay it over the whole top of an open truck engine .
 

funwithfuel

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2017
Messages
5,519
Location
Will county Illinois
Occupation
Mechanic
When on your service call and find a valve bridge post broken off in the in the head do not do this. Hit it with a shot of brake cleaner. Then weld on it to pull it, The brake cleaner is the catalyst for the vapors in the crankcase. After it blows your butt off the engine it is safe to go back to work one it.
Never, never ever light off brake cleaner. Some , I think chlorinated ones, produce poisonous gas when ignited
 

hosspuller

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2014
Messages
1,869
Location
North Carolina
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