Why Do Auto Mechanic Shops . . . ?

[CrackyWainwright]

. . . often have 25 broken-down cars crowding their lot out front? Many of them stay in the same spot for months and months at a time. Who owns all those cars and trucks, and why don't they want their vehicle back running as soon as possible?

20 or 25 cars stacked all around a shop tells me there's a LONG wait for service, and I'll find another shop. On the other hand, some shops have few to no immobile vehicles sitting around giving a much cleaner, more organized appearance.

What's the deal?

 

[supton]

Am guessing it's where they found the cheapest space for their projects. Most of the shops I've seen or dealt with don't have piles of cars, but, some mechanics seem to be just as bad as DIY'rs in regards to picking up lost causes and other vehicles that they have the best intentions for.

 

[Nick1994]

Long term projects, the people probably know the owner and he lets them park it there and when they have time to squeeze it in to tinker with it, they do. That's what they do at the body shop my dad works at.

 

[SatinSilver]

I've noticed that as well. Seems like some of the bad shops have tons of cars sitting around. While the better ones run a tight ship and don't let the cars stack up like stale crackers.

 

[Andrew1972]

My subie specialist who is incredible at fixing and cost($65/hr) has maybe 8 client projects for downtime.

Typically the busier they are the longer they linger. They are dead obvious when it snows and bank and snow piles on.

My mechanic can take 1-3 days to fix what takes 1 or so days. However my bill is typically 30-50% less then a quicker shop. We never encounter a call back with him as car is always validated before returned on highway. Eg if he balances tires he road tests it.

The valve job on wife's Subaru came in at $5000 at dealer in 1-2 days. My mechanic did similar work over 3 weeks for $2800. Thankfully it included about $800 in PM parts so we change oil and drive on...

 

[earlyre]

Pure speculation, but we talking the kind of place with its own tow rig(s)? They might have a side line repoing cars. I used to date a girl whose mom was a "repo man", and there were ALWAYS 15-20 cars parked out front of their house....

 

[Bgallagher]

Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Long term projects, the people probably know the owner and he lets them park it there and when they have time to squeeze it in to tinker with it, they do. That's what they do at the body shop my dad works at.


+1 Or they can be turnovers they plan to sell. I have seen that a lot.

 

[Donald]

Look how many have plates? My guess is most are ones that had a engine or transmission failure and the owner choose not to have it repaired.

 

[Chris142]

The customer talked to Joe and his cousin at autozone said it should not cost more than $200 to fix. Once it gets towed to a shop they check it out the next day .the estimate is much higher. The car sits while the customer tries to get up enough money to fix it. We don't play that game. If the customer can't afford the repairs it's better off to tell them and send them on their way

 

[Wheel]

I would suspect they are parts cars, project cars, cars for sale on consignment, or cars that belong to folks who can't pay.

 

[bvance554]

Parts? I once got an $800 piece of glass replaced for $50 at a place like this because the guy had one sitting on his lot. I'm guessing he had no idea how much that glass was retailing for.

 

[skyactiv]

I lived near a shop that had too many vehicles in the lot, a corner lot. Auto parts stores delivery vehicles sometimes had to park across the street at a Dominos. The owner was swamped with work from a large Toyota dealers used trade in's they sent him.

 

[Kawiguy454]

don't mistake it for old junk ...it is old skewl gold.

 

[Lolvoguy]

Originally Posted By: Kawiguy454
don't mistake it for old junk ...it is old skewl gold.


+1

Look at the e30 M3. once considered gaudy in appearance is now attracting huge bucks

 

[GiveMeAVowel]

It may also be to make the place appear to have many customers, and is busy which could be indicative of a "good" shop.
Typical window dressing that also could just as easily indicate the place is just another ripoff joint.

 

[jmb3675]

There used to be a shop by my moms that let people keep their cars on the lot for up to 6 months until they could afford to fix them. After 4-6 months he usually bought the car from them or traded it for one that was already fixed. He would take a loss on most of them, but it kept people coming back. He always said taking care of people was good business. He stayed busy until he retired and sold the shop.

 

[Oldmoparguy1]

I have one of those locally. Butch's auto repair. He has 4 bays, always full, and 4-6 cars sitting outside. He turns over all those cars each week. He's my go to place. He always takes my work first. I drop a car off at 8am, It will be ready by 4pm without fail. If you'r in Charlotte, it's Butch Write on Parkton Ave. Just down the street and around the corner from my house, across the street from Wilgrove airport, 8A6.

 

[Subdued]

They call it "Side Job Sunday"

 

[Silk]

Anything lying around here is unpaid repairs. You get your car back when you pay the bill.

I remember one day I was so busy there was nowhere to park cars, we couldn't get cars in and out of the shop, everywhere was full. Some woman came in and wanted some work done. I was pulling my hair out and said ''Can't you see we are really busy, we couldn't do anything for a couple of days! You should look for a shop that's not as busy.'' She replied that she always looks for a busy shop because there must be a reason they have so much work. We didn't fix her car.

 

[Scott_Tucker]

It's not uncommon for the repairs needed to be more than the customer wants to spend so they ditch the car with you. In California we can charge storage if the customer has left the car more than 3 days after you tell them to pick it up. After 30 days you can file a mechanics lien and then after another 30 days the car becomes yours. The problem is that the cars that are usual ditched are the ones no one wants so it is a huge burden on the shop. The owners either feel bad for the customer and try to work something out or they just don't have the time to file the paperwork or sell the car so it sits on their lot. A bodyshop down the street has a Porsche 356 that was left by a customer 28 years ago. He last talked to him 11 years ago. He's still waiting for him but doesn't want to file a lien because he thinks the guy might actually want it back and pay him.

I'm dealing with this situation right now. The car is a 1950's wagon and the customer is unresponsive. I'm going to charge storage starting this week and will definitely file a lien if needed. Luckily for me the car is pretty cool so I may turn it into a project car if he continues to flake.