In regards to the flat-rate books being a rip-off.
Some is, some ain't.
The factory books are designed to document the time it takes to perform a job, and that time is fairly accurate (the first time you do it.) Actually it likely takes longer the first time or two you perform the job.
As the mechanic does the job over and over again, he becomes more proficient, and that job time becomes less and less. He finds the tricks to make the job easier, he buys a tool he needs to make the job easier. He gets the same job done, in less time. But it's his experience that allowed that to happen. Now the experience mechanic gets paid more, because he can produce more work in a given day than the non-experience mechanic.
When I have been involved in the flat rate process, the service guys showed up and asked one of my (engineering / design) techs to do a job while they ran the stopwatches. Well, he did that one job (and nearly only that one job) day in and day out. I don't think you could beat that flat rate. No way, no how.
Then there was my dad - worked in a dealership (back in the olden days) and invented his own tool for one common job that let him get it done in 15 minutes instead of the 2 hour book time (did the job without removing the parts).
Some jobs are gravy, some are not so hot so... It pays to be on good terms with the service writers...
Not a flat rate story - but back when I was a young punk engineer, I was on a test trip to Denver and we needed to swap out the rear axle in one of the test cars - 2.3L Mustang II - so we took it to a dealership for the heavy lifting part. While one of the cars is sitting in the service bay and we are standing around waiting for the axle and remembered that I need to swap out the carburetor (I told you it was back when I was young, right?) - so I ask the grizzled old service tech. (he must have been in his 50's
) if I could do it while we waited - he didn't like the idea - said we only had about 5 or 10 minutes to wait...
"No problem" I reply.
So as I set my tool bag down and lean under the hood, the tech. launches into a tirade about the *&^$*@# carbs on these 2.3L engines...
As he started the story I went to work. First I ripped off the maze of vacuum hoses without even stopping to think (I was the one who decided where they went in the first place and I did these carb swaps at least twice a day, five days a week). Then I reached into my tool bag and grabbed exactly the right extension that had exactly the right socket already on it. Spun off the easy to get to nuts, then I stuck it into exactly the right place at exactly the right angle to get to this one difficult to find nut just about the time the tech. had started to complain about how hard it is to even FIND find that nut much less get it out without dropping it...
Now, I can hear that he is really just starting to really warm up to the rant, but at that point I stand up, turn around, carburetor in one hand, the "hidden" nut in the other.
He looked at me, his eyes got big, and he just stopped talking...
I think he was impressed.
