New Injectors, or did I get taken??

[Eric911S]

Hello: One last thing that my dad told me was do it yourself the labor is cheap and it will be done right. I also have learned that if you do it yourself you will have the give a sht factor. Meaning you care about the job being done right. I started out fixing my 911 because I could not afford to have someone do it for me. I moved to a different country Canada to the US and started doing others cars down here and it turned into a full time job. I am always learning about these old cars and NO shop will pay there workers for that. Thanks Eric

[larry47us]

Even so, sounds a bit rich even at $100/hr (need to tell some of my whining customers this hourly labour rate too!).

Lisa

Lisa:

I ran to the local Porsche dealership to pick up a few crush washers, so I could change my oil. (I couldn't find my stash. ) The parts guy said, "They're $.50 each, and how many do you want?" "oh, gimme 4 of them." He came back from the back room, and handed me the washers, saying, "hey, don't worry about it." Good deal -- free washers. Then I turned around and saw the sign.

Labor rate $149 per hour

Uhhh, I guess that they could afford the $2 worth of washers!!!!

Another reason to be a DIY - Feeling even more confident in my abilities (or lack thereof) I immediately ran out to Harbor Freight to buy a Torque Wrench - 3/8 drive, 0 - 80 lbs, $15.

larry

[bobmagyar]

Is a $15 torque wrench going to be accurate?

When you rebuild you first engine I would recommend having that wrench calibrated.

[larry47us]

Bob:

I appreciate what you are saying. I use the torque wrench for what I would consider minor things, like torquing my wheels (I have a larger wrench for that) and rotors, and oil drain plugs.

When I get to the point where I am going to build an engine, I will buy a torque wrench that is designed and built for more accuracy. I think that it would cost more to calibrate this wrench than I paid for it.

larry

[lisa_spyder]

Lisa:


Labor rate $149 per hour

Uhhh, I guess that they could afford the $2 worth of washers!!!!


larry

Yikes Larry!

In our money that's well over double our rate! Still they are the dealers and as such need to be tooled and trained up to a degree that is beyond almost any independent shop. What I don't like is that in the main, the dealer network know less than nothing about the "older cars"...the focus is usually on the current stuff.

As for DYI, sure...as long as you don't get in over your heads, which can be easy to do. We have a couple of clients who are very nifty; they hire a hoist from us to do their servicing and we are here in case they need some help...they love it and we do too. Usually Mike gets involved for no more than an hour or so and they get the satisfaction of doing their own job with the right tools and equipment (and expertise) at their disposal.

As for the care factor...well we have no staff these days which means Mike and I work pretty damned hard - but when we did have 12 or so guys working for us years ago Dad and I were working even harder - picking up the bloody pieces after them! Our workers were taking home more money than us, working less hours and took next to no responsibility. I won't go there again. Tried a couple of times, last apprentice was full of enthusiasm for a few weeks, but his social schedule was more important so he'd arrive looking like an unmade bed after a late night. What is it with kids these days? (Ooh now I'm showing my age).

You see, we DO give a damn - every car gets treated like our own and sometimes we lose money because of this. THE CAR comes first always...it's just how we've always done things. I hope there are others out there like us; we want these cars around for a long, long time and to be kept in good condition, not to suffer because no-one can afford the repair bills. DYI is great; just have a friendly, empathetic workshop in the background in case you need 'em.

I'll get off my repairer's soapbox now .

Cheers,

[SandyI]

You see, we DO give a damn - every car gets treated like our own and sometimes we lose money because of this. THE CAR comes first always...it's just how we've always done things. I hope there are others out there like us;

There are. Here in So Cal there are a number of excellent early 911 mechanics.

[lisa_spyder]

Hooray for those guys (and maybe gals?) in So Cal Sandy!

Cheers,