Received an application from a prospective new technician today, who says he has 'tons of experience', and used to work in the aviation industry.
To hire, or not to hire: What do you think?
The day to day operations, headaches and triumphs encountered running an auto repair shop in San Francisco
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Monday, October 8, 2012
Customer quote of the day:
“The $2,500 we paid today to put my car back in top shape is less than the sales tax would have been on a new car”
( husband of happy customer )
Sunday, October 7, 2012
A new headlight costs how much ?!!
How much will it cost to replace one headlight on my Volvo?
Well, that depends....
In the best case we install a new “long-life” bulb and we’re done ( <$40 )
However, starting around 2004, some cars came equipped with bi-Xenon, high intensity discharge (HID) lighting systems, and these bulbs are $125 each.
However, Volvo has a service bulletin regarding rapid bulb burnout that introduces a resistor kit, so if you don’t already have one, it may be a good idea ( $150 with 2 new non-Xenon bulbs)
However, we will always check to see if the reflector that surrounds the bulb is not broken. If it’s broken and wobbling then again expect rapid bulb burnout ( and $525 for one new headlight assembly)
And lastly, one or two time a year we discover the ECM ( electronic control module ) that sends the signal to the headlight has also failed. If so, then after about an hour of diagnosis, $750 to $1,250 ( per side)
Our suggestion for smart maintenance is :
a) replace faulty headlight parts as soon as possible
b) always change bulbs in pairs
b) install the headlight resistor kit where applicable
Well, that depends....
In the best case we install a new “long-life” bulb and we’re done ( <$40 )
However, starting around 2004, some cars came equipped with bi-Xenon, high intensity discharge (HID) lighting systems, and these bulbs are $125 each.
However, Volvo has a service bulletin regarding rapid bulb burnout that introduces a resistor kit, so if you don’t already have one, it may be a good idea ( $150 with 2 new non-Xenon bulbs)
However, we will always check to see if the reflector that surrounds the bulb is not broken. If it’s broken and wobbling then again expect rapid bulb burnout ( and $525 for one new headlight assembly)
And lastly, one or two time a year we discover the ECM ( electronic control module ) that sends the signal to the headlight has also failed. If so, then after about an hour of diagnosis, $750 to $1,250 ( per side)
Our suggestion for smart maintenance is :
a) replace faulty headlight parts as soon as possible
b) always change bulbs in pairs
b) install the headlight resistor kit where applicable
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