The Independent trade - unfairly hammered?

[Uncle Jimmy]

About 50/50 in my experience. I'm lucky to have a good friend who helps/advises/shows me how to do many car jobs. He is semi retired though and hasn't got the kit or experience to do some work, especially on high tech modern cars.

Otherwise, the actual work done to cars of mine has been fairly good. It's the attitude of mechanics that leaves me scratching my head, from outright rude to being ignored for weeks/months to being patronised. In my trade I would go hungry behaving like it.

Most of my work is for women, very often they will have more spending power and make all the important decisions so I'm a good listener!

[twosmoke300]

It's been pointed out to me that I have a large number of young female customers . I didn't realise until someone told me . I wonder if they think I'm gay and feel safe with me . Not that I care - it's all work . 😄

[New POD]

I have tried a number of independents, and generally, I'd be okay with the labour price if a) They actually did the job correctly and fixed what I paid to be fixed, and didn't multiple the parts price by 3 or 4. I've fucking priced up the parts at a main dealer, and at ECP and at a specialist (ie Mx5parts, or Moss) and on ebay, so I know that an alternator for an accord is NOT £550 (prices from £150 to £350), I know that rear springs for a mk2 cavalier are not £150 a pair, I know that a cam belt kit is £60 not £160. I know that a thermostatic fan switch for an Mx5 is the same as for a kia pride and £6 and NOT £45 plus Vat.

[scaryoldcortina]

Yeah, I wish they wouldn't do that too. I don't make money on parts, but because it's so common for shady garages to put on a huge markup it makes it difficult to explain to people when the parts actually were eyewateringly expensive for no good reason.

[twosmoke300]

I charge genuine parts at rrp and I get 10% disc usually . Factor stuff I put 20% on .

Bearing in mind I get massive discount at the factors compared to the man on the street I don't think this is greedy . You have to put a mark up on to cover all the time wasted ringing round for prices / wrong bits sent and doing returns etc .

[Felly Magic]

VAG-ina group are now throwing in 3 yrs free servicing on used VWs on PCP schemes it seems, so their radio ad campaign is saying. So they have the punter totally over a barrel, as I bet it's a clause in the contract that the car must be serviced with VAG-ina garages too

[scaryoldcortina]

^ I use a small local motorfactor, and let them do all the running around. I know they are just getting it in from the big boys and adding a % but they also deal with all the returns/wrong parts etc and don't mind tracking down some of the odd stuff I ask for!

[Felly Magic]

When I was oop norff, I always tried my damndest to use Ian at ASK (Auto Spares Kippax), as prices were always pretty good, and they nearly always got what i needed fairly quickly if they didn't have it in stock.

[scaryoldcortina]

Another thing about parts, sometimes people want me to fit cheap unbranded stuff that they found on eBay. This usually leads to nightmares, but they say stuff like "but all wheelbearings are the same" when I suggest that maybe it's worth using a quality one for only £10 more than the cheap thing was because otherwise I'm doing the job again next month.

[twosmoke300]

Only fag/ skf bearings here .

[406V6]

I use a Citroen / French car specialist which is 10 minutes walk from where I work. Their knowledge and skill is very good and the prices reasonable. They mark up the prices of the parts so on one hand it sounds much more expensive than doing it yourself where the markup is zero but I don't have the skill & experience to do it myself. I want and need them to make a profit (provided it's not excessive) and stay in business so they can fix my car next time it breaks. The proprietor drives a CX Turbo and I reckon a bloke who can look after one of those can fix anything.

[Eddie Honda]

Heating oil and electric, not road fuel. It's winter, I can't work without heat and light.

DERV is from the same fraction of the barrel as heating oil, so there's a correlation in price.

 

Heating oil is cheap as chips this year (and even cheaper in NI/UK as it is taxed even less (5%VAT) than IRL (13.5%VAT))

 

March 2012 - 1000 litres of kero = €890

October 2015 - 1000 litres of kero = €561 (I make that 37% less)

 

Last Dec UK price was just a bawhair under 50p/litre. Now it's just over 32p/litre

 

Not sure about electric so not commenting on it bar that the cheeky feckers take ages to drop the price.

 

Anyway let's not let facts get in the way of a moan. I'm out.

[scaryoldcortina]

Lol. Look, what I meant was, in the winter I have to buy the bloody stuff! It's all very well having enough height to lift a car on a two post but it's always going to be expensive to heat.

[Bear]

I charge genuine parts at rrp and I get 10% disc usually . Factor stuff I put 20% on .

Bearing in mind I get massive discount at the factors compared to the man on the street I don't think this is greedy . You have to put a mark up on to cover all the time wasted ringing round for prices / wrong bits sent and doing returns etc .

 

If your factor is anything like the one near me, it's patient zero of the incompetence vector. I'm used to steering main dealer parts people through long-forgotten fiches, and appreciate their time, but when the factor is telling me it's £60 for Apec rear brakes and I can't get anything for less - and indicating the wrong part but not listening when I'm able to rattle the chassis number off from memory - when I know I can get them online for £25 from a reputable supplier, it makes me question why I try supporting the bricks & mortar place at all.

[cort1977]

I reckon that the trade in general, and especially the independent trade, get unfairly treated and it is mainly due to the ignorance of the customer.  

 

For example, a couple of years ago my sister was complaining that she had been ripped off because "they charged me 400 pounds for the MOT this year and last year it was only about 50".   When I asked what other work they had done that accounted for the increased cost she couldn't say but was adamant that she had been ripped off and wouldn't go there again.   My sister has a degree and holds down a well paid job.

 

People look down on manual labour and don't value it so they get a shock when the real costs are presented to them in a bill.   It's the same as that classic middle class moan about the cost of any skilled trade like plumbers.   Our education system teaches people to look down on any job that isn't in an office so there is an attitude that this work shouldn't cost much.   I always advise these types that if a job is that easy they should do it themselves.

[twosmoke300]

My local factors are pretty good . I use three main ones and don't touch Ecp .

I get different parts from different factors . APEC brakes , Mann filters , Moog or Delphi chassis parts etc

It's easier incase of warranty issues and I stick to parts I know that are of good quality . I spend between 1-2 k per month with each of them and pay bang on time so I get treated very well tbh .

Online suppliers are all well and good until you get a car in for a service and it has brakes on the metal . Only your local guys will get the bits to you while the car is on the ramp .

[michael1703]

I've been using euros on occasion and supporting my local factors but they're about 10-20% dearer than euro.

 

I got a quote for a p38 silencer which was about £75+vat, rang euros and they were £30odd. Found out the make and they were both quoting me for klarius so euroshiteparts won

 

As a result I've been using ecp a lot more

[Jim Bell]

When dealing with trades, honesty should be valued well above price, as I'm sure we all know well enough.  If my local one bay indy advises me to change something, if possible, they show me the state of the old part once its off. I'm informed of anything of interest noticed during inspection/work carried out but any decision is left to me. I'm invited to watch work as it happens, or warned against burning money (on labour) chasing a lost cause.

 

Like a lot of people have said, my local indy dont advertise as far as I've seen.  Customers are longstanding and most families around here have two or three cars and the base is wide enough that its usually necessary to book in at least a week and a half in advance. Unless youre happy to leave the car and hope for a gap to emerge, which I usually am.

 

Reading some of the stories here, I think I'm very lucky having such a good turn right on the doorstep.

[Barry Cade]

Heating, in a garage? What the hell has happened to this trade. I was always told, if you're cold, work harder!

 

When I were a lad, we had to thaw out the pipes with the oxy just to get water to fill the screenwash.

[Taff]

I have tried a number of independents, and generally, I'd be okay with the labour price if a) They actually did the job correctly and fixed what I paid to be fixed, and didn't multiple the parts price by 3 or 4. I've fucking priced up the parts at a main dealer, and at ECP and at a specialist (ie Mx5parts, or Moss) and on ebay, so I know that an alternator for an accord is NOT £550 (prices from £150 to £350), I know that rear springs for a mk2 cavalier are not £150 a pair, I know that a cam belt kit is £60 not £160. I know that a thermostatic fan switch for an Mx5 is the same as for a kia pride and £6 and NOT £45 plus Vat.

 

 

Another thing about parts, sometimes people want me to fit cheap unbranded stuff that they found on eBay. This usually leads to nightmares, but they say stuff like "but all wheelbearings are the same" when I suggest that maybe it's worth using a quality one for only £10 more than the cheap thing was because otherwise I'm doing the job again next month.

 

The F specialist that I use on occasion is very good with his parts & mark-up. When he did the cambelts for me, I had already priced them so knew what to (roughly) expect. Before I even asked him, he quoted me labour, then parts & labour. He stated he was more than happy to fit new parts provided by me but was at pains to point out that, in his experience, this had in past caused issues once or twice. He followed up by asking what did I want him to do if the parts I supplied were incorrect at all? We reached an agreement on this, and he fitted my parts with no problems but I liked the way he approached it. As a result, Ive been back for other jobs and the car is probably going there for set of back brake pipes because I really doin't fancy that job.

[forddeliveryboy]

Communication is usually the problem - customers who work in insurance/banking/property have a strange hold on this world, meeting someone who's just been hanging off and belting a 6' bar to undo a tight fitting can be a shock for them. It's the age-old problem, which is made worse with England's inability to recognise practical work as valuable. Our education system has a lot to answer for, generally doing-down those who aren't academically able.

 

Customers who were musicians, poets, sculptors or anything else which required a degree of practical ability as well as some intelligence were always the very best, teachers, lecturers/professors and (real) journalists were usually spot on, too. Nurses - female ones - were the ones to be very wary of. Strangely, the male versions were always fine. Accountants were usually avoided.

[Barry Cade]

I miss Partco. Not always cheapest, but decent parts, good service and kept some odd stuff through the back. ECP cleaned up here for a while, but folk realised that saving a couple of quid isn't the be all and end all and returned to the others....shame some couldn't weather the storm. Some of the bits I've gotten from ECP weren't fit for purpose...

[fred]

Whenever I use independents, they always seem to be busy. So I think they would be raking it in.

 

I love seeing how much people/company's make and how much costs.

 

Would love to know how much the average independent earns.

 

That's not a question for panhard/two smoke/scary cortina and the others that own garages by the way.

My good friend Malc owns a MOT garage - yes he is always busy - but skinned down to the knuckles now , one mechanic and him - get two cars wanting a cam belt and a stupid electrical fault and aye said man is busy - not making money just working out stupid crap for peanuts

[sloth]

as  a senior mechanic who has amongst other things ran a small independant, done insurance assessment work, and been a workshop controller, the next step for me would be opening my own business. the problem here is 2 fold. its hard to get noticed amongst the sea of others clamouring for work, and the insane amount of specialist kit required, and its cost. basic snap on solus? $7k. i added it up once, to kit a shop out to a good standard its close to 90k.

 

so for now im stuck working for  a main dealer, being paid far too little for what i do, putting up with mass stupidity, and ending up a stressed wreck by the end of the week. 

 

fuck this im gonna become a stripper.

[New POD]

 

I realize though in this day and age its rare so if you ever find a good indy stick to it like a limpit!

 

 

 

 

Ah, they take that behaviour from a happy customer who comes back as an excuse to ramp up the price, as you are obviously gullible.

 

I found what I though was a decent independent, and after 3 occasions with reasonable service and prices, they suddenly became twats. They sent me home in a mini with 3 wheel nuts, failed to use a grease gun on new suspension bits, and quite frankly became toss pots. Mind you I think he was in the middle of a massive £1.2 million deal to sell the site to either McD's or MJ's (a massive fast food restaurant owned by the Farm Foods Empire ) https://goo.gl/maps/puAGew6tA8P2

 

<iframe src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m0!3m2!1sen!2suk!4v1447188937742!6m8!1m7!1sCbvPupV1WUyxMUOeBTU4Kg!2m2!1d53.554417!2d-3.0448963!3f93.97638769571971!4f-10.299449199041064!5f0.7820865974627469" width="600" height="450" frameborder="0" style="border:0" allowfullscreen></iframe>