# It's Time to Shift Gears



## Bob Driver (Nov 1, 2017)

After some deep thought, I've come to the conclusion I need to shift gears with my shop. I'm about to stop taking jobs from the general public. I've already given up working on anything with a pull cord. 

This season has brought me a parade of knuckleheads wanting me to work on 15-20 year old conventional riding mowers. It's like playing whack-a-mole. Once you fix something, something else breaks, and more than a few of them seem to think I should work for free to replace a drive belt because I replaced their magneto 3 months ago. Replaced the engine on a mid-70's Gilson tiller with a HF Predator back in March. Guy brought it back to me last week and said it won't start. Asked him if it just started doing it? He said... "I haven't started it since the day I picked up from you". Knucklehead... 90 warranty from HF for a part defect.... Zero warranty on 6 month old ethanol fuel.

I'm going to keep some of my customers that have the high-end zero turns and start focusing on commercial z-turn flips. Way more money, less grief, and time involved. The knucklehead with the 1995 Yard Man can find somebody else to work on his $200 mower


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## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

There are plenty of knuckleheads out there, for sure. Brings to mind a story, that I believe jhngardner367 shared with us in his Michigan days, about a neighbour that had trouble with a snowblower. Apparently he tried using it to spread gravel in the summer time.....
You can't be burning up daylight hours on a $200.00 mower like you said, there are bills to pay!


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## Bob Driver (Nov 1, 2017)

Replaced a locked up starter and bad starter relay. Drove it on the trailer and delivered it to the customer. He didn't have the cash at that moment, so I said "catch me next week".
*
Two weeks later, *I call about my money. He's says.... "Transmission won't go in gear, come pick it up, and fix whatever you screwed up". This was after he mowed 3 acres with it.

Told him .... "It only cost me $65 in wholesale parts on the starter job and it's worth being out $65 in cash to me for you to not to call me again"


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## andyvh1959 (Jul 1, 2015)

Fully understand and a good realistic viewpoint. People just assume their old engines and equipment should work with no more effort than running their microwave. 

At the BMW dealership I worked at part time, had a customer bring his BMW K750 back for service because it wouldn't start. The fuel pump was rusted tight in REALLY skanky fuel. He wanted the fuel pump replacement covered by the shop because the shop installed a new fuel pump just 1.5 year prior. He had ridden the bike less than 300 miles since that previous fuel pump replacement, on the same gas that was in it back then. The same fuel pump in my 94 BMW R1100RS lasted 22 years/180,000 miles, and actually still worked. But, a short bent fuel hose had failed, so I replaced the pump back in 2016.


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## Bob Driver (Nov 1, 2017)

I started to consider marking any parts I replaced with a paint pen to narrow down the perceived warranty claims.

I don't need the grief of a customer that thinks a $100 parts/labor invoice to replace a starter and solenoid buys you a "Bumper-to-Bumper" warranty for the next 6 months


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## andyvh1959 (Jul 1, 2015)

Actually to mark the parts you've worked on with a paint pen is a very good idea. You could sell it as a method to insure you have properly serviced those areas. A "telltale" mark is a system Parker trains for making hydraulic system plumbing connections.


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## Bob Driver (Nov 1, 2017)

I usually put a hidden "punch mark" on any used parts I sell. Keeps guys from coming back two days later with their old magneto, or starter solenoid, and saying mine "Didn't work"


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