₦airaland Forum

obekediamondfuto:
sample customer assertion 1.........

now would u still rebuild if labour and diagnosis is free? the answer will definitely be yes.... what if the parts are to be sourced internationally? the price will also change from oyingbo own oh so hafa

darmilolah:
If Labour and Diagnosis is free that is DIY. Then, it's a Yes.

If Parts are to be sourced internationally and the cost will not be more than the price of the Borale. I will rebuild.

darmilolah:
Rebuilding option sounds nice but English speaking mechanic will make some of run.

Her Royal Majesty quote 9500/hr. In my head I am thinking and pressing calculator how many hours will take to unmount, rebuild, reinstall my small civic engine bearing in mind that the Borale is less than 100k in oyingbo and labour is cheaper to fix the engine there.

GAZZUZZ:
as per number of hours, rust and abuse come into play.

This client had his exhaust joints welded in place, a 4-6hr engine drop cost us 2days, and a lot of emails forward and back plus pictures to explain why we had to cut the old one out, and explain why we would not return it back without him getting a replacement

www.nairaland.com/attachments/7380490_img201807071537378_jpege92899f32cd931842ce749a1d75ef665


have you ever seen a situation where the engine refuses to come out due to worn out bolts by last technician?


Have you seen the amount of mud from a vehicle from akute ikorodu and notorious environs

Nigeria has a unique car repair culture.

It's a learning curve for the newbies

weyreypey:
We need your attention on another thread.

darmilolah:
Rebuilding option sounds nice but English speaking mechanic will make some of run.

Her Royal Majesty quote 9500/hr. In my head I am thinking and pressing calculator how many hours will take to unmount, rebuild, reinstall my small civic engine bearing in mind that the Borale is less than 100k in oyingbo and labour is cheaper to fix the engine there.

obekediamondfuto:
yes I Don show!

I dunno y my mentions here were not duly updated.

firstly, most of us are speaking from the mechanics view, .... which is very important.

but how many mechanics can undertake this task of engine rebuild? less than 20 percent and more than half of the 20 percent are taking this task cos they want to use the engine as a test subject, so before they start.... they give u a caveat emptor (oga e for beta to Change this engine oh).

one can only speak for himself(as a mechanic) ... u cannot unanimously speak for others. but to declare publicly that a rebuild is better than a replacement...... is kinda ambiguous before someone somewhere tells his mechanic to rebuild his gearbox.

A rebuild, is always better and cost effective when it is done right and all protocols observed! even in the corolla...... but like I keep saying, Nigeria is a peculiar place... what is obtainable overseas is extremely far fetched here....

firstly we lacked expertise, then expertise came, then came the lawyers and the force men, then came the Arabians and Mexicans, then we found a way around all these.

common tire patching, the vulcanizer will put 50 in the tire for u and tighten 3 out of 5nuts and still will not lock them because u ain't there to supervise...... talk more of engine rebuild. when it is done right, it is always good for the customer and tedious, time consuming and complex for the mechanic whose time does not adequately translate to money.

it's like whether it's better to rebuild a heavily accidented vehicle or to replace it..... when it is done right, it will be almost like a brand new vehicle than buying another used vehicle from the Oyibo man.

but the time involved, coupled with the lack of either expertise or responsibility on the part of the mechanic will almost always deter the customer from embarking on that journey.

obekediamondfuto:
I have a question.

how do we quantify/ measure the actual Vs ideal hours a mechanic should spend on a particular project?


I speak this for the benefit of everyone in naija before other mechanics start seeing this kain thing and start billing us per hour...

then u go see mechanic that will spend 20 hours for engine removal then 8 days rebuilding and 2 weeks to install.... by the time the project is finished, money spent on man hour labour would have purchased two of that kinda vehicle. excuses like.... "oga, the vehicle strong oh we no fit loose am" or the likes will surface

please is there any corporate entity that can verify,/ audit these labour hours or its not necessary.....

for now I know aunty radu them are trying to change things so they would not even dare doctor hours.

radautoworks:
Easy. There are specified hours in Auto shop software that dictate how long it should take. It is referred to as the "book". If the "book" says 20 hours and you take 40 hours, you can only collect 20 hours.

Conversely, if the "book" says 20 hours and you are really good and take 16, you still get paid 20 hours. That's why our shops do so well. We consistently over-perform the "book".

Egunmogaji, AutoElectNG and some others can confirm this.

LeJeun3:


At this rate, it would be great doing a rebuild.

Machining the 2 cylinder heads + Grinding of valve of a V8 engine takes over 10hrs.....

Well approximates almost match��‍♂️��‍♂️

darmilolah:
If Labour and Diagnosis is free that is DIY. Then, it's a Yes.

If Parts are to be sourced internationally and the cost will not be more than the price of the Borale. I will rebuild.

radautoworks:
Easy. There are specified hours in Auto shop software that dictate how long every single job on a car should take. Every dealer has it even if they choose to ignore it. It is referred to as the "book". If the "book" says 20 hours and you take 40 hours, you can only collect 20 hours.

Conversely, if the "book" says 20 hours and you are really good and take 16, you still get paid 20 hours. That's why our shops do so well. We consistently over-perform the "book".

The book is how mechanics get paid in the usa so if they work 40 hours but only book 30, they get paid for 30. Someone like my husband consistently booked 90 hours a week working 40 when he was with other companies. No mechanic worth his salt EVER agrees to salary in the USA. If they do, RUN.

The book bases time on a "good " or "b" technician not even an "a" so there is no reason why techs should be going over the allotted time consistently. If a tech can't beat book time without making mistakes, they can't work for us.

The most popular book is Alldata, followed by Mitchell. There are others of course but the are all pretty much the same as far as labor hours.

Egunmogaji, AutoElectNG and some others can confirm this.

GAZZUZZ:
as per number of hours, rust and abuse come into play.

This client had his exhaust joints welded in place, a 4-6hr engine drop cost us 2days, and a lot of emails forward and back plus pictures to explain why we had to cut the old one out, and explain why we would not return it back without him getting a replacement

www.nairaland.com/attachments/7380490_img201807071537378_jpege92899f32cd931842ce749a1d75ef665


have you ever seen a situation where the engine refuses to come out due to worn out bolts by last technician?


Have you seen the amount of mud from a vehicle from akute ikorodu and notorious environs

Nigeria has a unique car repair culture.

It's a learning curve for the newbies

obekediamondfuto:
this is wonderful..... Gazuzz, oluwaseunla, lejeun, kingreign, ET all abeg make una get this book handy


aunty radu, abeg soft copy dey? does the book cover for unforseen circumstances.....like exhaust welded to the engine direct

GAZZUZZ:
as per number of hours, rust and abuse come into play.

This client had his exhaust joints welded in place, a 4-6hr engine drop cost us 2days, and a lot of emails forward and back plus pictures to explain why we had to cut the old one out, and explain why we would not return it back without him getting a replacement

www.nairaland.com/attachments/7380490_img201807071537378_jpege92899f32cd931842ce749a1d75ef665


have you ever seen a situation where the engine refuses to come out due to worn out bolts by last technician?


Have you seen the amount of mud from a vehicle from akute ikorodu and notorious environs

Nigeria has a unique car repair culture.

It's a learning curve for the newbies

EgunMogaji:
Mr. FUTO probably missed class when I held a lecture on "book".

A) The book will specify how long repair should take a mechanic. This is not only useful for the consumer but massively useful for insurance companies.

Any shop/mechanic that doesn't complete work before the book hours should be flogged with a timing belt.


B) Most small shops forgo the book thing, and especially those that specialize on a certain brand or certain automotive aspect.

So for me I won't be doing book in Nigeria (I think so far), it will be project based. For example, 4 wheel brake job, including changing all rotors/drums, pads/shoe and related hardware should be a relative easy task that can be advertised for a given amount of money. So you might see something like "N35,000 brake job".

The industry in Nigeria needs to develop a book for repairs as we're in uncharted territories. I've seen some scary engine bays.

We also desperately need a blue book value.

darmilolah:
If our 1.8 cars engine rebuild will not cost more than 50-60k from English speaking mechanic workshop. Then, I think its better to go for the peace of mind.

Gazzuss please leave my Ikorodu. Every town with their own logo.

GAZZUZZ:
as per number of hours, rust and abuse come into play.

This client had his exhaust joints welded in place, a 4-6hr engine drop cost us 2days, and a lot of emails forward and back plus pictures to explain why we had to cut the old one out, and explain why we would not return it back without him getting a replacement

www.nairaland.com/attachments/7380490_img201807071537378_jpege92899f32cd931842ce749a1d75ef665

have you ever seen a situation where the engine refuses to come out due to worn out bolts by last technician?

Have you seen the amount of mud from a vehicle from akute ikorodu and notorious environs

Nigeria has a unique car repair culture.

It's a learning curve for the newbies

radautoworks:
I'm not sure if you saw previously from Egunmogaji's post. Engine parts are NOT expensive! Ask him what those kits he posted cost and most of the time, you only use a few pieces!

So diagnosis is free with repair, labor is cheap and so are parts. Your also get peace of mind for 6 months to a year. What's not to love?

EgunMogaji:
For sure.

And is where ea good shop will start collecting new spare parts/gaskets/o rings as time goes on.

On a funny note.

So I rebuilt a 13B rotary engine for a Mazda truck I was messing with and after I put it all together and installed the engine in the car, I noticed an O ring that was left over.

So these were the days before internet (yeah I'm a dinosaur) . I went to a local speed shop adn showed them the O ring. One guy recognized it as an important oil passage ring and the car will not build pressure without it.

I called the mail order place where I bought the rebuilt kit (I think it was JC Whitnney) and they pulled some gasket kits, some had one O ring, some had 2 O rings,

So guess what I had to do?

Yep, the O ring was installed already.

Oh the joys of engine rebuilds. Now I'm spoiled as I just have a video camera going while I'm working on cars so I can review if I did a step.

Uncle nah ancestor

You took apart the whole engine again

EgunMogaji:
Okay so here is where I take a slight detour.

You guys at home created the mess that we're in.

Did the client weld his exhaust himself? Wasn't it some odd toed Orang Utang Engineer with a welding torch that did it?

We have rusted and stripped bolts here in the USA. So all that is included in the estimate. A goo professional mechanic shop that wants to take on customer work based on the book must have experience and tools.

Just because there's book doesn't mean that you can't charge more than the book. You just have to get the customers buy in before the work starts.

The customer that comes in with a welded stuff etc can be told that the work for engine R and R is 20 hours and it's extra 5 hours to R and R the welded exhaust. He can then take the estimate to Joe Blow shop down the road for another estimate.

Guys, don't fight this thing. It's what countries we run to like Japan, USA, Germany, UK do that makes their business envious.

Make una stop looking at negative ways and try to come up with ways to set standards.

One of the biggest issue on my building site is artisans that are not able to give me a "per square feet" estimate.

Working on cars as a living, is not easy, just like in any industry, so yes you'll get to face welded exhaust, stripped bolts, etc once in a while.

I you face that on every job then maybe one should consult "Awon Iya Osoronga" to find out what the heck is going on.

That should be the expiation and not the rule. This is life and it's not foolproof.

mayor2013:
But the information of welding the exhaust to engine permanently would have been passed accross to the owner of the car. Some Naija car owners like shitty jobs done on their cars. Perhaps the exhaust had some issues and he or she was advised to have it done this way just to cut cost. Now the professional involved needs to add extra man power to have this sorted which might culminate to be a free service.

GAZZUZZ:
Uncle nah ancestor

You took apart the whole engine again

EgunMogaji:
For sure.

And is where ea good shop will start collecting new spare parts/gaskets/o rings as time goes on.

On a funny note.

So I rebuilt a 13B rotary engine for a Mazda truck I was messing with and after I put it all together and installed the engine in the car, I noticed an O ring that was left over.

So these were the days before internet (yeah I'm a dinosaur). I went to a local speed shop adn showed them the O ring. One guy recognized it as an important oil passage ring and the car will not build pressure without it.

I called the mail order place where I bought the rebuilt kit (I think it was JC Whitnney) and they pulled some gasket kits, some had one O ring, some had 2 O rings,

So guess what I had to do?

Yep, the O ring was installed already.

Oh the joys of engine rebuilds. Now I'm spoiled as I just have a video camera going while I'm working on cars so I can review if I did a step.

EgunMogaji:
Okay so here is where I take a slight detour.

You guys at home created the mess that we're in.

Did the client weld his exhaust himself? Wasn't it some odd toed Orang Utang Engineer with a welding torch that did it?

We have rusted and stripped bolts here in the USA. So all that is included in the estimate. A goo professional mechanic shop that wants to take on customer work based on the book must have experience and tools.

Just because there's book doesn't mean that you can't charge more than the book. You just have to get the customers buy in before the work starts.

The customer that comes in with a welded stuff etc can be told that the work for engine R and R is 20 hours and it's extra 5 hours to R and R the welded exhaust. He can then take the estimate to Joe Blow shop down the road for another estimate.

Guys, don't fight this thing. It's what countries we run to like Japan, USA, Germany, UK do that makes their business envious.

Make una stop looking at negative ways and try to come up with ways to set standards.

One of the biggest issue on my building site is artisans that are not able to give me a "per square feet" estimate.

Working on cars as a living, is not easy, just like in any industry, so yes you'll get to face welded exhaust, stripped bolts, etc once in a while.

I you face that on every job then maybe one should consult "Awon Iya Osoronga" to find out what the heck is going on.

That should be the expiation and not the rule. This is life and it's not foolproof.

EgunMogaji:
Okay this how it works.

Telephone rings:

Gazzuzz: Hello, this is Oga Gazzuzz.

Customer: How far?

Phone goes silent

No seriously.

Customer: I have a 2007 Accord EXL V6 that I need to have the right front drive shaft replaced.

Gazzuzz: We only replace both shafts at the same time. Each shaft is N90,000 and it'll take 5 hours but subject to inspection. We will let you know how long it will take once the car comes in.

Customer: Oklidokli, I will bring it in tomorrow.

Gazzuzz: Hoists car up, sees Ikorodu mud of life, sees welded ball joints, welded nuts, etc

Gazzuzz: I just realized that we will be closed from today for 3 weeks..

No, seriously.

Gazzuzz: Based on what we've seen during the inspection we will need to charge an additional 5 hours of work plus the following parts to make this repair.

End of story.

EgunMogaji:
Mr. FUTO probably missed class when I held a lecture on "book".

A) The book will specify how long repair should take a mechanic. This is not only useful for the consumer but massively useful for insurance companies.

Any shop/mechanic that doesn't complete work before the book hours should be flogged with a timing belt.

B) Most small shops forgo the book thing, and especially those that specialize on a certain brand or certain automotive aspect.

So for me I won't be doing book in Nigeria (I think so far), it will be project based. For example, 4 wheel brake job, including changing all rotors/drums, pads/shoe and related hardware should be a relative easy task that can be advertised for a given amount of money. So you might see something like "N35,000 brake job".

The industry in Nigeria needs to develop a book for repairs as we're in uncharted territories. I've seen some scary engine bays.

We also desperately need a blue book value.