View from the car service.
Workshop workers characterize the most typical customers and express their attitude towards them in different ways. The overall picture looks like this.
Client- «dude». Arrives in a car hung with various «lotions» and «bells and whistles»: additional headlights, brake lights, spoilers, active antennas, etc.
It seems that the main components of his car are not the engine and gearbox, but a tape recorder with speakers. Masters of such clients do not like. As a rule, they are not able to appreciate all the work spent on repairing the object of their desire, but they are ready to find fault with a trifling scratch that allegedly did not exist before.
The complete opposite of dudes - «hard workers». These are people for whom a car is not just a means of transportation, but a means of subsistence. These basically turn to the services of the service to perform those jobs that they cannot do themselves due to the lack of a special tool or capabilities. They do not pay attention to minor defects, but they are quite capable of making a real scandal if it turns out that, say, white sealant was used to seal the head cover, and not red high-temperature sealant.
«Innovators». Their cars are equipped with additional filters, electronic correctors, gasoline magnetizers, electrical systems for protecting the body from corrosion, «fancy» candles. Turning to the services of a service with a rattling engine that requires a major overhaul, such customers are sincerely surprised that, it turns out, despite all the aspect modifiers that they regularly poured into the engine, the oil still needed to be changed. Masters don't respect them.
Very time consuming car repair «riders», accustomed to them only to ride. Treating a visit to a car service as a visit to a dentist (go when it's too tight), they trigger minor illnesses to the point where it's easier to throw the car away than to treat it all. On such machines, it is easier not to unscrew the nuts, but to cut them off immediately «grinder». These will learn with interest that a torn CV joint boot in a month leads to the replacement of the entire assembly. In early spring, careless people appear in the workshops «snowdrops», a variation of the same «riders». In their eyes, a silent question: «Why did the car run briskly last autumn, and now it creaks like an unlubricated cart, the gears do not switch, and the engine does not start well?» They cannot understand that if the car is not preserved, then many parts of its suspension, engine, and even the body itself deteriorate more from long-term parking under the snow than from daily trips.
A special category is female drivers. On their cars, as a rule, all maintenance work is regularly performed, the engine is clean, the cars are well-groomed. It is difficult for women to assess the real danger of any creak or knock, and they turn to workshops for any reason. Sometimes for nothing like replacing a blown fuse. Their machines do not give mechanics much trouble, but the masters look down on them.
In general, as you might guess, car service workers treat almost all customers (in my heart for sure!) arrogant and disdainfully condescending. And not only with us. This is explained, apparently, by the psychology of perception: «They ride, and we carry them sleds». There is even a saying: «The driver - only the gasket between the steering wheel and the seat, which should be changed first». Rich and not so rich «teapots» and «know-it-alls», quick-tempered as gunpowder and calm as tanks - we are all beyond the love and deep respect of those who turn the screws on us. Then who, if not loved, then at least respected by the masters, to whom do they repair with the highest quality and diligence? Most successfully, judging by our observations, the masters develop relationships with those who know the specifics of car repair and represent, at least in general terms, what and how to do. At the same time, such a person does not have to be able to «turn nuts», but his knowledge and ideas are quite enough to understand why he had to do one thing and not another, what caused the deviation from the rule and the accepted canon, and most importantly, it is difficult for him «rub glasses». He can always forgive an oversight or mistake, but he is able to strictly demand for hack work. He always knows what he wants and knows how to get it.
Well, if there are no such skills, as there is no desire (strength, time) delve into the specifics of the repair, believing that the car was not bought for that? Then you need to choose such a branded car service, where the quality is guaranteed by its high reputation and strict control by the management. But we are not talking about that now. How to behave? The following tips will help you avoid typical mistakes that affect the quality of work and their price.
To visit a car service, you need to prepare. Wash your car. Especially in places of planned renovation. Remove everything superfluous from it. Turn off the alarm and unscrew the secret nuts, putting them in a conspicuous place.
Cover the seats with old covers, a clean rag or polyethylene. Some leave a bottle of mineral water in a conspicuous place. By doing this, you show respect for the people who will deal with your car. Try your best to make future work easier. If the car has additional electrical equipment (power windows, additions to the ignition system, etc.), leave the schemes or warn about their presence.
Be prepared to clearly describe the damage that needs to be repaired, and ask you to check the operation of the parts that need to be repaired in front of you. Do not make a diagnosis yourself, and even more so do not give categorical recommendations. If you say, for example «pull the chain», having heard that she is making noise, they will simply stretch her to you. And after a few days, the damper will collapse and, for example, the entire cylinder head will fail. Ask the master to listen to the engine (see pendant) and decide together which parts must be replaced and which must be repaired. Coordinate here the list of replaced elements and stipulate who purchases them. If the service takes responsibility for quality (especially difficult) parts, it is better to entrust their purchase to him, even if this slightly increases the cost of repairs. When buying parts yourself, choose the best of what is available. Do not save on trifles - nuts, caps, covers, «rubber bands» and in general all disposable parts. Their replacement not only improves the quality of the repair, but also greatly simplifies it, and at the same time cheers up those who directly repair it. If you have no idea how this or that malfunction is fixed, do not be too lazy to open the instructions or repair manual and at least in general terms get to the bottom of the matter. This will give you credibility in the eyes of the mechanic, make him work more carefully, and allow you to control the progress of the work. If you have the opportunity and desire, be present during the repair, or at least regularly inquire about its progress. In the process of work, many small questions arise: do not do, change do not change. It is better if they are solved immediately. In addition, defects are revealed, which will then be very difficult to eliminate, but at the moment it is possible. For example, when a fender or rear panel is changed, an unsightly picture of corrosion of the elements surrounding them opens up (for vehicles previously subjected to body repair), it is easy to eliminate it along the way, but it must be agreed with the customer, since this requires additional costs on his part. Observe the work unobtrusively, do not stand over your soul. Finding and eliminating many «individual» problems happen by trial and error, and no one wants anyone to see that he is wrong. At the same time, be prepared to answer questions that arise or explain something to the master. He knows the car in general, and you know the behavior and background of this instance. In addition, only you know what kind of oil is poured into the engine and what kind of polish was used to process the body.
Try to control the quality of work in stages. A minor body defect, not specified in the initial calculation, is much easier to eliminate before priming than after painting.
Specify immediately the warranty period, the procedure for filing claims. Especially many questions arise about the quality of painting. For example, GOST allows light shagreen for this type of work, the presence of small weeds, but does not allow paint streaks. Our advice is don't demand a very smooth surface. It is easy to get by putting a thin layer of paint. In addition, in this case, there will be no streaks, while light shagreen, indicating a thick layer, can be polished, and the presence of a small streak even in an inconspicuous place will significantly reduce the cost of work.
Nothing lasts forever, but you probably will not be satisfied if, say, the paint peels off immediately after the expiration of the warranty given to you. It will be better if you buy (consulting with those who will work with them) consumables and some specific tools that may not be in the mid-level workshop. For example, if you have ever used silicone polish on your car, purchase a special product to remove it. Some polishes containing Teflon cannot be removed by anything, and it is necessary to remove all the paint with a special remover. Use only the best quality anti-corrosion primers, preferably two-component epoxy primers known to pass the salt spray test satisfactorily.
Turning to the workshop for the first time, think about the fact that a visit here, for sure, will not be the last. Therefore, make sure that the next repair delivers less inconvenience to mechanics: ask the master to treat threaded and other connections with silicone grease before final assembly. Her, like the universal penetrating liquid (type WD-40), it is best to always have in the trunk.
Do not bargain after you have been given the final price, but before that ask for a detailed estimate for certain types of work. Here it makes sense to discuss it in more detail in order to eliminate double payment for the same work. For example, if you need to replace the brake pads and the brake cylinder, you cannot automatically add up the prices for these works, since to replace the cylinder you already need to remove the wheel and, for example, the brake drum.
And the last. Do not try to give the master a tip as a thank you, and even more so a bottle of vodka. This was customary when his salary was 5-6% of what you paid to the cashier. Today, his earnings, along with bonuses and other payments, are more than half of the amount you paid. Find other ways to show him your respect and appreciation. For example, give some souvenir or something like that.