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Chapter 6: Manufacturer-Dealership Relationship It is a rare exception to find a dealership giving a raise to the technician with the highest customer satisfaction. After-Warranty Repair Times The problems with the flat-rate pay system do not end when the warranty expires and the manufacturer no longer dictates the amount of time for each repair. Dealers create and use their own aftermarket flat-rate manuals for after-warranty repairs. These manuals usually multiply the manufacturer’s warranty time standards by 1.5. For instance, a technician changing a part might flag 1.1 hours under warranty, but flags 1.7 hours after the warranty has expired. Vehicle Diagnostics In most cases, there is not really a flat-rate time for diagnosis. This means that a good technician who can troubleshoot a problem in 0.5 hours may charge significantly less than a clueless technician who spends two days swapping parts to figure it out. Always ensure the technician makes note of computer tests done on the repair order. It can certainly cause a difference if there is trouble with the vehicle later. Diagnostic tools in the repair shop seldom find the problem. They only point in the general direction. In fact, during diagnostic tests, a significant percentage of defective electrical and electronic parts typically pass, returning "no fault found" codes even though they are defective. This makes the clueless technician’s job take even longer. An honest, competent technician who can diagnose a problem in 0.5 hours will flag 0.5 hours. A competent but slightly less-than-honest technician may feel that he should not be penalized for being good at his job. He may flag 0.8 hours.

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