Many tasks I've put time frames on. Always got pissed at never doing it in that time. Now I go with it takes what it takes attitude and I'm much happier and job quality is usually better. There's always something that will slow you down.
Ron

 

The flat-rate is the Moco's way of not having to pay the service techs.
It is only a guide, not gospel.
Scott

 

You got that right, I can do a big bore and cams in 8 -10 hours without tuning if everything goes right. That is a big "if". I am sure those that do this for a living have run into far more issues than Hot Toppers.

Bent exhaust flanges that someone over tightened and now you have to pull the studs to get the exhaust off, cross threaded bolts and nuts that you have to tap and die, custom items added that really dont fit for crap, and the list goes on and on.

 

The ONLY time the Flatrate is Gospel is for Warrenty... And yes, it is merely a guide....

Most HONORABLE shops will bump the flatrate up by 10-30%....

Those shops that pull labor times out of the air, I truly feel that they are doing the customer a disservice... What ever did happen to DOING THE RIGHT THING BY THE CUSTOMER?????

Where I worked, our labor rate was $54 per hour, and we put a bump of 25% on the flatrate.... Yet other shops around us were charging upwards of $70, and making up labor times, the customer none the wiser....

Off topic a bit.... Guess that's one of the reasons we were in business for 89 years... But the Service Dept can't carry an entire dealership, sales hit an alltime low for 6 months...