Wally World story raised some concerns

[guest]

Someone would actually pay to have batteries installed ?

Not really so much of a big deal and deffinatly not attempting to chastise the individual who paid for that service.

But the fact that someone did pay for a remedial labor job causes me to reflect on the preparedness of a typical driver.

Is your vehicle not fully stocked with a tool set ? I'm not talking about some nickle and dime cheapo tool set. Do you not have aproximatly
200-$500 worth of mechanic quality tools in your truck ?

INCLUDES:

3/8 & 1/2 socket set with similar open ends
as't pliar's,channel's,vise's
as't screw drives and torx's
pry bars
volt meter
test light
mechanics wire
as't wire lenghts in multible gauges
full as't of connectors and terminals
tape elec & duct
replacement belts
all engine filters
all bulbs
tire guage

Does your truck contain the service manual and do you fully understand
how to troubleshoot basic electrical and mechanical failures ?

Bottom line-
If indeed you consider yourself a professional, then you owe it to yourself and your bottom line to learn the appropriate skills that keep your vehicle in service.

Exclusion-
Obviously there are situations where none of us can do anything about a major breakdown due to the complexity of the repair.


Personal experiences to date-
a.lending a driver a 1/2 wrench to tighten his falling off western mirror
b.lending a driver as't sockets cause his air-ride seat was loose and darn near coming off the floor track
c.lending a driver a test light because he had no box lights and fuse in panel was ok. tuned out to be nothing but a cut power lead 2 feet from the 1st light. of course then had to give him a butt connector to fix the situation.
d.lending a driver my tire guage at the fuel island. he had 55 lbs in his steers
e.lending a driver as't sockets to tighten a barn door that was about to literally fall off
f.gave driver about 15 feet of mechanics wire to re-hang an under truck exaust that had fallen down.

Pay ANYONE to replace a battery ? I don't think so !



EDIT- due to not being able to use proper use of the word as't beacuse you cannot put 2 ss's together. Now that's funny.

 

[LDB]

I do not have the aforementioned hundred pounds of tools in my truck but I can carry an extra hundred pounds of paying freight. I also do not have a complete set of surgical scalpels, clamps, spreaders etc. because I am not qualified with either set. For those who think less of someone with no mechanical aptitude so be it. I am good at many things but those are two I'm not good at. I'll change the headlight or wiper blades etc. but I don't fool with the wiring at all. I know my limits and know when the cost of paying someone to do the work is lower than the price of not paying them to do it.

Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB, OOIDA 677319
Owner, Panther trucks 5508, 5509, 5641
Highway Watch Participant, Truckerbuddy
EO Forum Moderator
----------
Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.

 

[guest]

>I do not have the aforementioned hundred pounds of tools in
>my truck but I can carry an extra hundred pounds of paying
>freight.


There has never been a situation when common sense tools cost me a lost load due to weight. Borders on the absurd you'd take such an angle. That mentality almost leaves me speechless.




>I also do not have a complete set of surgical
>scalpels, clamps, spreaders etc. because I am not qualified
>with either set.



The mentality of that statement deserves no reply.





>For those who think less of someone with no
>mechanical aptitude so be it.



I've not been blessed with natural mechanical abilities. Quite the contrary actually. But, I can read manuals and can follow well described instructions.





>I am good at many things but
>those are two I'm not good at. I'll change the headlight or
>wiper blades etc. but I don't fool with the wiring at all.


I'm not a mechanic by design. But,I'm also not desiring to be victim of a roadside repair done by someone else that possibly can be done by me. There are just so many minor things that all of us can easily do with proper written guidance and the proper tools.




>I know my limits and know when the cost of paying someone to
>do the work is lower than the price of not paying them to do



And I know my limits as well. I attempt nothing that's beyond the scope of my mechanical abilities.



I'm somewhat, but not nessessarily surprised by your comments. I described real world experiences that i've come across and how having the basic tool set fixed those various problems. Those were all extremly minor problems and required little or no mechanical abilities. Why in the world would you consider taking such trivial problems to a repair center? So preparing for such situations should be ignored cause i might be able to get an additioal 100 lbs of freight onboard? Deffinatly shocked a grown man would spin this the way you just did. But , there is a bright side to all this. You are the kind of professioal driver that many repair shops are dieing to see pulling or towed in.

 

[Jefferson3000]

Well, in reading that post, it seems that the decision was to have the batteries changed out by the service dept., after having purchased them. Why? One reason would be to use your home time to be with family, rather than doing mechanical work. I would rather pay someone for that service, than interrupt my outing with my dad or anyone else. Some shop will even do the install for free after purchase. Plus, you have the second battery which is not installed in an easy to reach place.

It's not always an issue of being unprepared tools-wise, or being unable to do the mechanical repair oneself.


Drive Safe!

Jeff

 

[guest]

>It's not always an issue of being unprepared tools-wise, or
>being unable to do the mechanical repair oneself.
>
>
>Drive Safe!
>
>Jeff



Exactly !! I totally understand where he was coming from in that particcular post. Heck yeah I'd do the same thing if I was home.


I just can't say no to the roadside needy. Therefore i've found myself too many times helping folks out who could actually be taking care of themselves had they been better pre-pared.
Thus was the intended nature of this post.

 

[rode2rouen]

>Someone would actually pay to have batteries installed ?
>

Yes, I spent over 30 years working on other people's trucks and now that I am a reasonably successful, professional O/O, I'm more than happy to pay my AceTech to put in a new set of batteries!!


>Bottom line-
> If indeed you consider yourself a professional, then you
>owe it to yourself and your bottom line to learn the
>appropriate skills that keep your vehicle in service.
>

I beg to differ. My experience as an instructor in an Auto/Diesel Technical School taught me that some people have NO BUSINESS attempting to use hand tools!! This does not mean that they cannot consider themselves Professional Drivers.


>Pay ANYONE to replace a battery ? I don't think so !
>

I think so, IF they have the appropriate skill and mechanical ability...something that does NOT exist at the local WallyWorld.


>EDIT- due to not being able to use proper use of the word
>as't beacuse you cannot put 2 ss's together. Now that's
>funny.
>

That's not funny, that's Leo saving us from ourselves.


Rex

 

[darkunicorn]

Hope Wal-Mart isn’t reading and decide to kick us all out of their parking lots LOL to a lot of us its home away from home ya know? One thing though if you have problems at a Wal-Mart take it to the department manager, if he don’t satisfy you ask to talk to the manager on duty, if that don’t work the general manager, if still upset make sure you have all their names and email corporate one thing Wal-Mart don’t like is a unhappy costumer one becomes 2 then 4 and so on and so on believe it or not Wal-Mart does understand that. No not a Wal-Mart wanna be 1/3 the family works there no thanks but do own a lot of Wal-Mart stock LOL

Alvin

 

[LDB]

In quoting and trivializing most of my post you skipped over the part saying I will change headlights, wiper blades etc. because those I have the aptitude for. I certainly didn't say having 100 pounds of tools is a bad thing compared to an extra 100 pounds of freight capacity, just that by not having 100 pounds of tools I'm poorly skilled with I can carry that much more. If I were mechanically inclined I'd have a lot more tools on board. My father is an excellent doctor. It's sensible and useful for him to use a couple cubic feet of his trunk for a well stocked medical bag. I have a small first aid kit the size of a lunch bag. It holds everything I'm able to take advantage of. I envy those who are very mechanical. It just isn't sensible for me to take 4 hours following very detailed directions to accomplish a 30 minute job for someone with that aptitude.

Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB, OOIDA 677319
Owner, Panther trucks 5508, 5509, 5641
Highway Watch Participant, Truckerbuddy
EO Forum Moderator
----------
Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.

 

[darkunicorn]

I have great mechanical aptitude in fact have a reputation of being able to fix any thing but a broken heart (I’ll leave that to your father Leo) any way I only carry the basics because if I carried all the tools I needed to do any repair on my truck my self it wouldn’t be 100lbs of tools it’d be more like 1,500lbs and that wouldn’t cover every thing, and that’s a lot of freight. I know where your coming from I have a brother that is the best at what he does but don’t have a clue when it comes to fixing any thing at all. That’s out of 4 boys he’s the only one that cant do at least minor repairs even a simple oil change is way beyond him. On the another note you’re a successful fleet owner at one time I thought I wanted 5 or so trucks but now know that I would have to go to Iraq and drive to relax a bit if I did.

Alvin

 

[Dreamer]

Not to be a smart alec, but it was probably just a matter of convenience.

Seeing as most places you buy batteries from for a van will install them free... why not let them install them while you shop?

IF you read the original post.. the problem came when changing the auxillary battery, which was in a custom hanger, (rusted) which was bolted inside the frame rail, under the van...

(Choice 1)Crawl under said van, get greasy and dirty, or (Choice 2) let supposedly qualified store associate change for free while I shop.

I'd take Choice 2, as Greg did.. problem? Said supposedly qualified store associate didn't have a clue, resulting in Choice 1 being necessitated anyway....

Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you have to if it's 'part of the package'.


Just a thought....




Dreamer
Forums Administrator


--------------

"If you don't have the time to do something right,
where are you going to find the time to fix it?"

-Stephen King

 

[lgrunner]

As a former ASE certified "Master Technician" with many years of repairing/servicing vehicles in my past, I am truly concerned that a segment of "mechanically informed" people would attempt to chide the rest of the population into undertaking tasks for which they are woefully underprepared! One tiny spark (oops...the wrench slipped ) near an off-gassing battery, is all it takes to ignite an explosion. Sulfuric acid flying everywhere is NOT a pretty sight!

That's the worst case scenario. "Minor" issues arising from handling used batteries include: your skin becoming irritated and if you wipe your hands on your clothing, the residue from the battery case WILL turn that favorite pair of jeans into a Swiss cheese rag.

Give these batteries(chemical storage devices) the respect they're due. Even if it means(gasp!) paying a tech to install it.

A Man/Woman has got to KNOW their limitations!

 

[unorthodoxneon]

Also dont forget if you change your own batteries you may have to find a place to take the batterys too and dispose of them. Alot of places only take such products on certain days of the week. Meaning down time for you and less money you could be making. Unless they offer a core policy but there is a few places that are not automotive stores likea pep-boys, autozone, murrays ect that dont do core charges.

As far as battery acid and stuff goes on the battery thats why i went with an optima

 

[dhalltoyo]

Ditto!

I can do the very basics, but I rely on the pros who have access to tech support systems to handle the maintenance and repairs for which they were trained.

I personally have zero confidence in Wal-Mart; even for oil changes.

It has been my experience that my local Chevy dealer, and some in other states, will match prices on batteries, tires, oil changes, etc. AND when you pull into their service lane and your VIN enters the computer database a GM dealer will perform any updates or address any known operational concerns. Nobody at Wal-Mart is going to have that info available.

For example, the rear exhaust hanger bracket has a tendency to loosen up on new vans. Once tightened it rarely ever loosens up again. During a regular oil change the service mgr came by and told me he had it tightened for me; uh, at no extra charge to me. Who at Wal-Mart would even remotely have a clue about that issue?

I priced a set of tires at one of the largest discounters in the business. I mentioned it to the parts mgr at my local Chevy dealership and he said that he would be glad to sell me the same tires at the same price.

Every time they rotate the tires they micrometer the brake pads and write down the numbers so I can see how close I am to needing a replacement.

The van is how I make my living and I can not afford to be without or have some untrained service person put me out-of-service.

I also have two batteries, but I will be going to a Chevy dealer when they need replaced. My repalcement cost will be the same as Wal-Mart's price.

 

[greg334]

Ok here goes….

First thing is I am not trying to be defensive, I got a cold and short attention span, beside I can’t enjoy the warm weather where I am at.

Why would someone want to go to Wal-Mart to get batteries replace?

As dreamer said “Seeing as most places you buy batteries from for a van will install them free... why not let them install them while you shop?†and “IF you read the original post.. the problem came when changing the auxillary battery, which was in a custom hanger, (rusted) which was bolted inside the frame rail, under the van...â€

Thanks Dale for pointing that out.

This is the reason why.

I have to deal with a pinched nerve in my neck due to an accident and a bad shoulder, so why should I pay labor on replacing the batteries?

Yes David I agree with your take on using a GM dealer but I didn’t buy this new, so getting a single dealer to give me good service would be hard. I would have gone to GM for the batteries but I didn’t want to deal with the explanation of the discount to the guy behind the counter and have them mess up the bill (last time it took 45 minutes to get the discount in and the price corrected), beside the batteries I have can be replaced on the weekend at any Wal-Mart instead of waiting for a dealer to open on a weekday. As for tires, I want to go to somewhere like Rickson to get the tires matched and mounted the right way – not Wal-Mart.

If you don’t know what I mean about matched and mounted, go here

http://www.ricksontruck.com/match_mounting.html

I am no dummy when it comes to repairing my vehicles and more so since I have all kinds of good sources of information only a phone call away if I need answers and years of experience to boot. I was certified mechanic (never renewed under the old system in Michigan) and factory trained to work on upper end cars – Mercedes and Rolls’ to mention a couple. I have plenty of tools between two garages and one basement but I carry minimal tools I need to repair most anything on board because of the weight.

I do agree with HayfieldExpress’ information about carrying tools with you. I don’t think a shop manual is possible to carry or helpful to many because of the size of the manual (mine is four volumes in printer form and the pdf version is well over 50M I have on my laptop and retail for $125 each) and the complexity the manuals have built in. A good Chilton’s that illustrate general locations of items should be good enough for Van owners but straight truck owners, I won’t say a word.

 

[cheri1122]

I carry with me always, what I consider to be the most useful tool - money. It's very lightweight, even cash, and it can accomplish any repair, without getting me dirty, greasy, and/or bloody & bruised. My knowledge base of fixit issues is inadequate for more than the simple repairs, ie: I can change the oil, (but don't want to), lights, etc. I am working on that, but even what I learn may never be used by me, except to ensure that I get what I pay for. Space, weight, and time are factors that must be figured into the do it myself question, and we can come up with different answers at different times. But, I am wishing now that it had occurred to either my Dad or me, when I was growing up, that mechanical issues are something I should have learned as well as my brothers! :+

 

[dhalltoyo]

Excellent post!

Money is a universal tool thats fixes mechanical problems.