So pissed off!

[White trash]

If I take a car in for a specific problem... but they do not fix the problem... then they cannot charge you for fucking around with other things. It is not your problem if they don't know what they are doing.

Otherwise they will keep guessing at what it 'could' be and keep seeing you bills until they finally get it.

Maybe that is how useless motorcycle mechanics do it. It isn't how a good car mechanic works though.

Let's say your "specific" problem is as this unfortunate chaps though.

Could be any number of things causing the problem. Partially blocked jet, incorrect float level, lack of compression, partial siezure, leaking crank seals. The mechanic systematicaly works througheach of these untill he finds eactly which one is then culprit but he can't actually charge for the time doing so? He's just supposed to be clairvoyant and just know exactly what the cause is instantly, otherwise he's useless?

I agree though that if a coked up pipe was the issue, a mechanic should have no problem recitifying it.

And you never answered my final question.

[dipshit]

Could be any number of things causing the problem. Partially blocked jet, incorrect float level, lack of compression, partial siezure, leaking crank seals. The mechanic systematicaly works througheach of these untill he finds eactly which one is then culprit but he can't actually charge for the time doing so? He's just supposed to be clairvoyant and just know exactly what the cause is instantly, otherwise he's useless?

A good one will have a pretty good idea whether it is a fuel problem or a compression problem or what have you.

If they think it might be the ECU and replace it... but it wasn't the problem at all - they cannot give you the $$$ bill and your car back still not running right. They have to try something else and cannot pass on the cost of their misdiagnosis.

Once you have had a good mechanic that understands what he is doing and how things work and can diagnose problems very quickly... it is hard dealing with idiots and pretenders from then on.

[SMOKEU]

He opened up the carby and checked the float level and it was fine. The jets were fine to start off with as well. He said the engine has good compression. I called several bike mechanics in Christchurch and no one else wants to even know about my scooter because they all say it's 'too old' or 'it's not the kind of thing we work on'. So I'm thinking, if a 'bike mechanic' isn't prepared to work on a simple 2 stoke, can you really trust that same mechanic with your $20,000 Ducati?

[roadracingoldfart]

He opened up the carby and checked the float level and it was fine. The jets were fine to start off with as well. He said the engine has good compression. I called several bike mechanics in Christchurch and no one else wants to even know about my scooter because they all say it's 'too old' or 'it's not the kind of thing we work on'. So I'm thinking, if a 'bike mechanic' isn't prepared to work on a simple 2 stoke, can you really trust that same mechanic with your $20,000 Ducati?

For the reasons you have stated its a part of life you will have a small amount of trouble getting a dealer to work on your scooter.
If you have a scooter (like i do ) worth a few hundred dollars max then its not going to be very clever of a mechanic to charge you full whack for the job needed to get your baby going. If you take it for a specific problem and that problem was fixed and you got a bill for $400.00 to do that work , would you be happy paying that even if it fixed your specific problem ???.

[roadracingoldfart]

75% of bike mechanics in NZ are freaking useless.

Real mechanics (like in the car industry) do not charge a thing for misdiagnosing a problem. They only start charging once they have diagnosed the problem and have begun fixing it.

If you took it in for the specific problem, then demand your money back if they did not fix it. It is their problem if they replaced parts or did work that was not the cause of the bike cutting out.

Where the fuck do you come from buddy ????
Thats the most screwed up statement i have ever read, but ill give you one accolade ..... its the best laugh i have had for ages , thanks.

PS; I think your avatar picture was actually thought up just for idiots like you , you chose it well. its actually a joke matey.

[roadracingoldfart]

If I take a car in for a specific problem... but they do not fix the problem... then they cannot charge you for fucking around with other things. It is not your problem if they don't know what they are doing.

Otherwise they will keep guessing at what it 'could' be and keep seeing you bills until they finally get it.

Maybe that is how useless motorcycle mechanics do it. It isn't how a good car mechanic works though.

And the entire medical profession will agree totally with you im sure.

[hospitalfood]

off topic but whatever.
smokeu...................honda melody.........................
thats fuckin funny. top work on the handle/bike relationship

[Ixion]

A good one will have a pretty good idea whether it is a fuel problem or a compression problem or what have you.

If they think it might be the ECU and replace it... but it wasn't the problem at all - they cannot give you the $$$ bill and your car back still not running right. They have to try something else and cannot pass on the cost of their misdiagnosis.

Once you have had a good mechanic that understands what he is doing and how things work and can diagnose problems very quickly... it is hard dealing with idiots and pretenders from then on.

Of course they can. A wise shop will either do a temporary swap , if it doesn't work, replace the old one again, or clear the cost of a replacement with the owner first. But in either case they will charge for the labour involved . Why ever would they not?

Many things that can go wrong with a bike can only effectively be checked by a "try it and see" approach. If that fixes it, good-oh. Otherwise, move on to the next thing. This is becoming a little less so with on board diagnostics and such, but it is still generally true.

I suspect they did not undertake cleaning the exhaust because it is a dirty long winded task, that they would have to charge quite a lot for, and which might be considered uneconomic on such a low value machine . Especially as it is something that an owner can do himself .

[Paul in NZ]

75% of bike mechanics in NZ are freaking useless.

Which is generally OK because 99% of the bike mechanics in NZ are more useful than bike owners that take their bikes to them... Its a matter of relativity after all...

[SMOKEU]

off topic but whatever.
smokeu...................honda melody.........................
thats fuckin funny. top work on the handle/bike relationship

We're not all rich mate, try having to pay the bill for crashing a GTI-R into a pole and then having a scooter fuck out on you. If I had the money I would be riding something a lot better.

[dipshit]

Many things that can go wrong with a bike can only effectively be checked by a "try it and see" approach. If that fixes it, good-oh. Otherwise, move on to the next thing. This is becoming a little less so with on board diagnostics and such, but it is still generally true.

So the more useless/inexperienced/untrained/stupid a mechanic is the more it is going to cost you while he tries and guess what the problem could be?

If you take a vehicle in for a specific problem - they cannot give you a big bill with your vehicle still having the problem.

[dipshit]

If you take it for a specific problem and that problem was fixed and you got a bill for $400.00 to do that work , would you be happy paying that even if it fixed your specific problem ???.

A good mechanic will diagnose the problem first and give you a rough idea how much it will likely cost and ask if you want to proceed with it or not if it is going to be much or in relation to the value of the vehicle.

Spending $200 on other things but still not fixing the problem isn't actually helping.

[Katman]

I agree largely with dipshit (but not entirely). Diagnosis is indeed chargeable labour - but misdiagnosis is not.

The mechanics trade needs to regain the credibility that it once had.

Once upon a time the family mechanic was looked upon in a similar light as the family doctor. Nowadays we're seen in a similar light as lawyers, real estate agents and used car salesmans.

[White trash]

I agree largely with dipshit

Well there's a fucken surprise (jokes).

I agree to this extent. My Primera CVs are clicking. I take my car to a workshop and ask them to replace the CVs. It is not reasonable to expect a bill upon return for checking timing, plugs and leads and oil galleries to find out where the hell that infernal clicking's coming from.

However, if a problem is not so obvious, and needs investigation of course you're going to get charged the labour to find it.

dipshit must be fucking his mechanic.

[dipshit]

I agree largely with dipshit (but not entirely). Diagnosis is indeed chargeable labour - but misdiagnosis is not.

Absolutely. Have no problem if a mechanic says upfront that it could be a few things and they will need to take a look.

Just perhaps I have been very lucky and had a couple of very good mechanics. One in the past on my bikes and more recently for my cars that could diagnose problems very quickly and precisely. They knew simple little tests that would tell them lots. If they did go down the wrong track then they used that as their own learning experience and did not pass on the cost to me... or at least tried to keep it very reasonable.

It is very disheartening seeing the standard of work even from certified dealer workshops these days.