All they generally know how to do is replace the transmission. However, most automotive generalists don't understand transmissions. It is a great transmission, and internal or total transmission failure is rarely the case. This is especially true when it comes to the Chevy Suburban transmission. This type of transaction is a regular occurrence at Tri-City Transmission and Auto Repair. From there, one or our technicians road tested the vehicle with the customer to verify the symptoms, and they left the vehicle for our Level 1 Diagnostic process.Ī handful of hours later, we called the customer with the good news all they needed was a torque converter clutch, and it was $4,100 less than their original quote from their automotive generalist. We gave him a tour of our shop and repair process. The customer decided to come down to visit us. We indicated it was an unreasonable price for that transmission and they probably did not need a transmission anyway. The customer indicated that they were quoted more than $6,000.00 to replace their transmission from that same automotive generalist that called us. The next phone call we got was from the actual customer who got our name from a friend of theirs. We felt, based off the described symptoms, more than likely they were not describing a failed transmission but a torque converter lockup issue. We instructed that shop that it's rare to see the Chevy Suburban transmission fail like they described, and we would recommend a transmission specialist properly diagnose it. They said, "the transmission is smoked, how much." This customer took the Suburban in to their regular automotive, general repair specialist.Īfter looking at the vehicle, that general repair shop contacted Tri-City Transmission and Auto Repair asking for a price on a whole transmission. These transmission problems were getting progressively more significant over the course of months, and eventually, the customer was concerned, that the vehicle would not move at all. They were experiencing what they described as “chattering sensations” or hiccups during cruising speeds. The customer owned a 2010 Chevrolet Suburban 1500, 4wd with 166,290 miles. Bill and Jane have the same vehicle that needs a transmission, they both leave with the same charges.īut if you want to pay actual time for the repair that takes five hours sometimes and ten sometimes, we can roll that way too.By Dave Riccio, ASE Certified Technician, Owner of Tri-City Transmission & Auto Repair, Co-host of Bumper to Bumper RadioĬASE STUDY: 2010 Chevrolet, Suburban, 1500, transmission problemsĬustomer Saves $4,100.00 on Suburban 6L80 Transmission When we figure an estimate, there's no way to charge more or less for race, religion, sex, or whatever. So what most shops have decided (the ones I know of anyway) is flat rate for a repair is the most fair way to charge for a repair for everyone. And I can't think of any other industry that pays it's workers that way. While technically correct, this isn't how humans operate, even the best ones. Not one second of unused time is used to figure a warranty time. If he has to go get a part he didn't know he needed, the time stops. If he stops to wipe sweat out of his eye, or drops a wrench, the time stops. Someone with a stopwatch starts timing when he puts a wrench on a bolt. They pull the parts needed for the repair, and put the techs tools in a line in the order he will use them. The short answer is they get a certified tech for that repair, put the vehicle on a lift. Then you have to know how warranty time is figured. So what's fair? To charge you how long it took to do the job whether higher or lower than the book time or charge two customers the same price regardless of how long it took? Guess what? You eat it, and the customer pays the same. More often than not, it's a race to try to equal the time paid.Įither way (in my shop anyway) there's always the job that you don't equal or beat the book or warranty time. The best techs can sometimes beat the warranty time on a repair. On some jobs the tech can beat the Chilton or whatever customer guide time on a repair. The Chilton/Motors/All Data labor time guides are considered industry standard for fair labor charges. Short answer-you can't stay in business at warranty rates.
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