VENTING!!! Rip-off Labor rates!

[OR VietVet]

"Shop owners do not like to use customer supplied parts primarily because they charge a significant markup on the part and make way more profit."

While some of this statement is true it is the primary reason. They want to use their parts for the profit and to avoid situations just like yours. Just like in your case, they mark up the labor to off set the loss of parts profit. It sucks that your problem is not solved after all that money paid but I would bet the presentation to the owner will get some results in your favor. Hell, I know you are mad and want your rig fixed but you are slinging rocks and arrows at this point.

If you had a business that your hard earned money was in, would you charge just enough to skim by or enough to make a nice profit and afford to pay your employees well? I have to say, part of your frustration is because you did not get pricing up front. I asked about that and asked about diagnostic charges and you did not respond.

 

[Mean_Green]

Yes. It’s because skilled trades were considered inferior to college diplomas for most of my life. If I had it to do over again, I would have started at my dads shop back in the 90’s and be retiring soon. My shop has 4 techs. 2 are 22 years old and went to trade schools, 1 is 32 and comes from good roots, and the other is 58 getting ready to hang up the tools.

I've been pushing that for years. I heard it everywhere I went recently to get estimates. 'We can't find qualified body people". They're all backed up weeks to months and some won't even quote non-insurance jobs. If I knew body work, I could have more work than I could handle. But I never learned it. Kids don't learn trades the old way any more. We have tech schools, but they're more white collar stuff or diesel over the road truck stuff. Not consumer level local shop stuff.

Labor rates are why I do so much of my own stuff. Cars, house, yard ... I just can't afford to hire anyone for most jobs as long as I can do it. I did most of my own metal roof, but there were sections I couldn't do. Labor was more than the materials for those sections.

I bought a small tractor and backhoe so I didn't have to hire someone every time I needed a hole or trench dug or an area tilled, plowed or mowed.

Everybody wants $250 per door to replace hinge pins. I can't see that, so I'll find a way to do it myself. Somehow. And hopefully not damage anything in the process.

 

[Mean_Green]

"Shop owners do not like to use customer supplied parts primarily because they charge a significant markup on the part and make way more profit."

While some of this statement is true it is the primary reason.

Is there a typo there?

I've been told by some shops that they don't want to use customer supplied parts because they can't be sure of the quality and don't want to get into a warranty situation having to redo something because of a poor quality part.

 

[Swagfu]

I had a shop a couple of years ago tell me they would put something on for me, but instead of the $120 an hour they normally charge it would be $180. All because they are missing out on the markup for parts and like Mean said, they don't know the quality of the part and they don't want to get into a warranty situation. Needless to say, I don't go there anymore. Trying a new place this week actually. Hopefully they do good work. It's weird to think that it is so hard to find a shop that does good work at a reasonable rate. I even tried a mobile guy who did good work at 100 an hour, but just getting him to come to the house was an ordeal. Used once and was happy, next time he kept putting excuses up as to why he couldn't make on the scheduled day...three times. Finally after being patient I told him I would find someone else.

 

[OR VietVet]

Is there a typo there?

I've been told by some shops that they don't want to use customer supplied parts because they can't be sure of the quality and don't want to get into a warranty situation having to redo something because of a poor quality part.

It's two fold. They want the parts mark up and they want to pick the part quality. People tend to think one part is the same as another part so cheaper is better. A lot of shops use the parts stores and get the same part that we consider cheap quality but the parts store gives them a warranty that they don't argue about and if a customer supplied part fails, the customer wants to blame the tech labor for it and not the part.

When I ran shops, I refused 100% to never install a customer supplied part and the shop owner backed me up. But that was also when there was not such a tight supply problem and there was no internet in the beginning and it was years down the road when places like RA showed up.

 

[iamdub]

Everybody wants $250 per door to replace hinge pins. I can't see that, so I'll find a way to do it myself. Somehow. And hopefully not damage anything in the process.

Just the bushings and pins? If they're anything like an S10 (and I'm sure they are), this is a one-hour task, including finding the stuff to make a press. The only specialty tool that's needed is a door spring compressor, available from Harbor Freight or Amazon for under $10 (like THIS). The press is a 1/4" bolt, nut, washers and a 1/4" drive socket that's larger than the bushing. Don't do that BS of trying to balance the door on a floor jack. If you don't have exposed rafters in your garage, park under a tree, roll the window down and use a ratchet strap to hang the door. You'll be able to adjust the height of the door one click at a time and won't have to have someone balance and hold it on a jack while you do the other work. Put a couple layers of painter's tape on the front edge of the door and rear edge of the fender so the paint isn't damaged if they bump.

I have pics of the "press" I made when I did my S10 hinges long ago. They're trapped in Photobucket, but I might be able to dig 'em out if you're interested.

 

[OR VietVet]

There is a local guy who rents out this cradle that he says fits most floor jacks.

Door Cradle - For Rent - tools - by owner - sale

Door Cradle - For Rent When you need to replace door hinge pins, you need this. I bought one and used it once. Not for sale, for rent. $50 or barter for up to a week. It fits standard floor jacks...

eugene.craigslist.org

I have done them in shops using the floor lift arms, like @iamdub was saying use the tree limbs. Before I got smart I did use just a floor jack with a helper to steady the door.

 

[Mean_Green]

Just the bushings and pins? If they're anything like an S10 (and I'm sure they are), this is a one-hour task, including finding the stuff to make a press. The only specialty tool that's needed is a door spring compressor, available from Harbor Freight or Amazon for under $10 (like THIS). The press is a 1/4" bolt, nut, washers and a 1/4" drive socket that's larger than the bushing.

Yeah, pins, bushing and roller pins. Parts plus an hour to pull the door, two hours to do the work and another hour to remount the door.

Another guy posted the same bolt/washer/nut thing:

I just checked my box of parts from replacing the bad ones so many times I left the stuff to do it together in a box lol. I did use the pin clip on the top one, forgot it comes in from the bottom so gravity might not hold that in. checked for play, both doors are still tight. so the ones I linked to are good. just missing the springs and stuff. others could be good too.

so pic of the spring toolwith part number on the top right.

the bolts from right to left, 3/8x2in 5/16x2 1/4x2. and then the shorter ones are 3/8x1.25in and 5/16x1. 25. a washer for each and a 3/8 and 5/16 nut. the 1/4in drive 9/16 socket is my spacer under the bushing so it doesn't bottom out before pressing all the way in.

if you've got a 1/4in cordless ratchet it makes it way faster and easier. but do able with a small ratchet too.

Don't do that BS of trying to balance the door on a floor jack. If you don't have exposed rafters in your garage, park under a tree, roll the window down and use a ratchet strap to hang the door. You'll be able to adjust the height of the door one click at a time and won't have to have someone balance and hold it on a jack while you do the other work. Put a couple layers of painter's tape on the front edge of the door and rear edge of the fender so the paint isn't damaged if they bump.

I plan on doing just that ... straps over rafters. I may use a jack also for fine tuning.

 

[Eman85]

Do some research on pins and bushings before you jump in. Somewhere I posted a thread, did 3 sets on my vehicles. The fancy set I put on my pickup is holding up well. The Dorman sets are junk and I was redoing 2 of the Dorman sets I had originally installed. Someone linked a company that makes quality bushings, I'd try them if I do another set as it's the bushings that fail not the pins.

 

[Eman85]

Back to the original topic.
If anyone thinks running an automotive shop is easy step up and give it a try, the business is unlike anything else. The overhead is absolutely ridiculous for a legitimate shop before you can open the doors and say you repair vehicles. The cost of access to information is unlike any other industry. The cost of tools and equipment has skyrocketed and the equipment for diagnosing comes with a subscription fee to keep it working. The insurance costs are high when you consider the cost of insuring that expensive equipment and the expensive vehicles being worked on and the liability if something goes wrong.
I'm not defending the shop in the OP's situation, just explaining a little of what it's like to own and operate a legitimate shop and the costs involved. As I stated before if it was my shop I would have avoided the whole situation because of the road it sounds like it's going down.