How Not To Have Your Car Repaired
Sunday November 9, 2008
Two years for a car repair? These days everybody wants to save a little money. For that matter I've always wanted to save money -- these days, those days, way back in the day -- I like saving a buck. In our quest for the ultimate value, some of us have stumbled into the realm of cheapness. This is a bad place to be, once you've crossed the line things start to go downhill. A good value means you get good work or a good product at the best price possible. Once you move to cheap you've tossed value out the window and quality goes with it. One lady in Memphis, Tennessee crossed the line, even if she did it unwittingly. She found a high school auto shop class that would give her free labor if she bought the parts. Great deal, right? Two years later her car is sitting in their garage collecting dust. In two years the students that first wrenched on it aren't even around anymore! We should all learn from this car owner's mistake. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Read more about this issue at Memphis Eyewitness News.
Comments
I for one have seen the good, the bad, the really ugly, and the “OH MY GOD IT REALLY WORKS!!” of taking a car to the high school auto shop. Most people do so with the understanding that the students only get about 45 minutes a day to work on it. Skilled shops get at least 6 hours a day.
Emphasis here on SKILLED, also. Not saying that high school kids are unable to do a good job, but I’m professional mechanics are going to work much, much more efficiently. That’s obvious, though.
All those students are now ASE certified parts changers. DIY is better than taking it to High School shop class.
While there are horror stories out there relative to all professions and consumer products, we should not overlook the fact that many of the local schools offer this service. The fact that it took 2-years was probably not the fault of the students, but the school and school board itself as obviously a good business plan relative to shop repairs was not part of the decision-making process.
Sadly, not only was the woman inconvenienced for a totally unreasonable amount of time, but the students learned (by the example set by the school,) that customer service is not part of the automotive repair industry.
Were I a taxpayer in that town, city, county, I’d be leveraging my tax dollars and school board voting rights in a way that would draw attention to the issue.
At one time I was in a high school program like this, and again in college. The Instructors are the ones responsible for this. It is the job of the Instructor to coordinate how things happen, and if that means assigning multiple students to the car or helping themself, it should have been done.
This is a great program if it is worked the right way. Customer service was a big part of both of my programs, keeping in contact during and a few months after the work was done to make sure everything was still fine.
As long as the student wants to do this type of work, and the Instructor does their part, there is no reason a first year student can’t do two or three customer jobs a year. A second year student should know how to figure the amount of labor time the book says, and either meet or beat that amount of time on 4-7 customer cars in a school year.
I agree that this is unacceptable. Whether it was lazy students or not, I put the blame on the instructor. The school board needs to contact a local repair facility and find a replacement who teaches what needs to be taught, and do their job the way it should be done
I have been a high school auto technology instructor for the past 18 years. My students provide a much needed service to our community. We do not charge for labor. We do not make a profit on parts. We have about an hour and a half each day to do the work. Does this mean it going to take a little longer then a for profit shop. Sure it does.
We do excellent work and back up all the work we do. The customer must sign a release form that states if there are and problems we cannot be held responsible. But my school has made good on the few problems that we have had.
High school students should not be held to flat rate times they are here to learn!
I think this article was posted in poor taste. Before I make statements like some of the others I need much more information.
Okay, So she drops it off two years ago and it’s still there. The issue is not the car nor the students but her. Hire a tow truck, have it picked up, because apparently no one gives a hoot how long that car sits there and bring it to a respected auto repair shop and drive it away in a couple of days. Lesson learned.
Too Funny, does she remember high school? I am guessing if she doesn’t need her car for two years her wheelchair must be just fine right now. Hope she gets her car back.