there is a program where the dealership will pay off your schooling for you. i was looking into it for after retiring from the military, but with the medical problems my dad had, that went out the window.


how do you cushion flat rate? the book states what the rate is, and thats what the customer is charged for. unless, you are charging the customer 3 hrs for a 2 hr job? that sounds like it could get you in a lot of trouble.

 

What dealership was that? Is it new? The dealerships would have to want to do that and it would take an 8 yr contract to make it worth it to the dealership.

You must be new to service. every automobile and motorcycle dealership tries to get the most out of what they can get. FLat rate is a guide not the law.

 

it was not any one specific dealership. it was a hd program. like i said, i didn't get the particulars as far as repayment length, but i figured it was gonna have to be prorated over a couple (maybe 3) years.

no, not new to service. just have always paid 2 hrs labor for a 2 hr job.

 

Cushion, they charge 3 hours for a three hour job, but the tech can do it in 90 minutes, so in a 8 hour day, a really good wrench could get alloted 10-12-16 hours worth of work, but only need 8 hours to do it in. The tech should see the majority of this extra rate, not the shop ,as it is free to them, makes the customers happy, keeps the tech happy.

 

Parakiller, Looks as if you aredoing a fine job with your own service. From the looks of your driveway under your bike, you should keep the oil and gasket companies happy.

 

this i understand, if a 2 hr job takes 90 mins, i still pay for 2 hrs. thats the beauty of flat rate (for the tech anyway). but, if it takes them 3 hrs, i still only pay for 2. i didn't equate this with 'cushioning' cause its up to the technical abilities of the tech on that one.

 

Beemer737, you are correct in what you say about going by the book as to the number of hours it says a job should take and if you can do it in less you are able to do more bikes in a day and can make money off all of them. It's the same in the auto repair/paint & body business also. Having worked in a dealership they do go by the book as far as the # of hours you can be charged for a job. As for a tech making 100K a year I think that's a bit much. Even with a high volume dealer they tend to have more mechanics to cover the load so it evens out anyway.

 

Are those old oil stains under your bike in the pic? LOL

 

huh? did you say something? that sig pic got me a little distracted......

 

do you actually know what flat rate is? or did you go by what they told you?