Well, I went down there earlier and they were pulling the motor out and he showed me the belt. It was miss some teeth, but I find that very rare for something with 20000 miles. The dealership has been super good to me and usually doesnt ream me, I trust this place, but I just feel uncomfortable about the belt. Im not saying they did anything but, Ive never seen that happen after 20000 miles. Looks like Im getting into something different I guess ....... [:@]

 

I am not sure what you mean. I have never worked at a place with more than 1 or 2 apprentices working there at one time. Apprentices can be a liability in the auto industry because they sometimes forget things and don't always double check themselves. Many employees have come from other shops or dealerships, and have many years of prior experience. They charge "journeyman" rates that are usually corresponding to nationally set times found in All Data, Shop Key, and other well known programs in order to try to keep costs uniform. Also, in this case, engines are expensive. These new age engines are not the old dime-a-dozen small blocks. They are overhead cam, aluminum block, multi-port fuel injected engines with precise machining.

 

Also D2, I am not for certain if that water pump is driven off the T-belt, but if it is, sometimes that can be a cause of a lock up. I have seen them lock and cause the T-belt to shred or skip. Some places replace the water pump at the same time as the T-belt just as a maintenance precaution, and some don't. Just shootin other ideas out there.

 

I worked at a ford dealership for a summer as a lot attendant. In the whole building they only had 1 journeyman. maybe the laws in Canada are differn't. But the journeyman even got a specail cut of the profits for being there, because with out him it would be illegal.

It just seems unfair when your spending 80/hr for a 1st year apprentice to "learn". And then having to get the car fixed again because they didn't do it right

 

A summer seems like quite a while to learn how the auto repair trade works when you don't even do it. As a Tech, we only get a tiny percent of that shop hour rate, and it doesn't matter what skill level.

Anyways D2, I hope you find something that works out.

 

Yea the H2O pump does run off it. But we ended up getting a new car tonight. It was just to much money to put into that car still owing on it. The Dealership gave me $6900 for my car broken (no the didnt ACV it back to the cost and dump out of profit) and they sold me the car at $17700 plus tttld. Ill post some pics. I hated doing this too cause now I have a higher car payment.

Everyone that works at this dealership is certified through VW (which Ive heard is pretty hard class). Either way, I dont care if they know wth they are doing. I appreciate everyones input, I just had to vent!!!!

 

I know enough, that your only a tech and not even an apprentice yet.

But thats my whole point. If a first year is only making 50% of a journeymans wage. They should only be able to charge 50% of a Journey mans shop rate.

EG iF the journeymans shop rate is $80 an hour, if a first year is working on the car, they should only be able to charge you $40 an hour.

That way the auto industry would be forced to make sure people are proper journeymen, and not a "tech"

 

^^ So if I hire a painting contractor and he only sends prep guys over for the first few days of the job, he should only charge me 8-10 dollars an hour for their work? Nonsense. Shop rate is shop rate, no matter how OTT people think it is. Imagine the nightmare of trying to assess who worked on what vehicle for how long and what their skill rate was. The time it takes to figure that out alone would negate any "savings" from less-skilled workers.

 

No place I have worked in the States uses that terminology. They are called Technicians(Tech) or mechanics. You need to be on the job for 2 years to be ASE certified, or you get a degree and you need an additional year of training to take the tests. I have been a "Tech" for 5 years now and I am an ASE MasterTech.

 

They know who exactly worked on your car, what they did and how long it took them. It's called job cards.

lets just say if those prepers did a rubbish job on your house, would you pay them? No but yet in the auto industry they keep your car, so you have to pay them.
This even happend to me with my CBR. I took It in for the end of season oil change. When I got there they handed me a new filter and said your going to have to put it on. Then they told me that will be $120 bucks. Then he said well it should have actually been more the guy tried for 2 hr's to get the filter off. But he doesn't have the right wrench (it's a fram filter).. So 2 hours to drain my oil, and lube my chain.. cause an apprentice doesn't have the right tool?
So what do I do leave it there? it's going to snow soon. I had to pay up. I found out later the only journeyman they had, quit a week earlyier.. I manged to take the filter off with a screw driver and a hammer.
The Idea of an apprentice is that he works side by side and helps the journeyman, and learns the trade. But in the auto industry it seems like they work alone, trys to do thee work of a journeyman and you pay for it.