We just call them starters, so we’re good!

Every technician I’ve ever worked with uses them interchangeably at work. Nobody throws a fit in the industry.

This is a concept you seem to have difficulty grasping. Shop A does a clutch job quoted at X dollars. Shop B quotes you the same amount X. Shop A is better and more efficient, finishing your job in say, 4 hrs. Shop B screws something up, or slacks off, and finishes in 8 hrs. Does Shop B deserve to get paid twice…

Well, there’s a reason I *was* at that dealership. But yeah, stuff like that is why these Chicago techs went on strike. I don’t blame them one bit. Dealerships will nickel and dime their techs if allowed to, and any savings they give their customers are usually taken out of our pay for the job.

It gets worse if you have nothing but warranty. The dealership I was at did not pay you on warranty until Subaru paid them, so there were weeks where I would have to work 60 hrs just to make 40.

Which unfortunately, makes it even worse by putting a hard pull on it.

Our service department actually has specific dealer plates so we can test drive customer vehicles whose registrations have expired or brand new cars that haven’t been sold yet.

“You’re just not going to earn $50k / year doing this kind of work”

Newsflash, plenty of techs have been earning more than $50k/yr for a few decades. It’s cute that you think that his tools are nowhere near that much. I have no problem believing that he’s spent 100K. Have you stepped foot on a Snap-on truck lately? …

Different area, different prices. I’m sure the cost of living in Wilkes is far different than any of the metropolitan areas on the west coast or Chicago. It’s just the market rate for qualified technicians in those particular areas. I’m just pointing out that it’s not unheard of to make $30/hr as a technician, and…

Where do you live that they barely break $15/hr? I’m making $28/hr near Seattle and my buddy in Kansas(also a master tech) makes $26/hr. It’s not ridiculous if the dealership is charging $125/hr for labor. And that number has only gone up over time without a corresponding wage increase for anyone.

Shame it’s not a Ferrari. Ferrari Safari...missed opportunity.

You’re reading it wrong. What it does is make it front wheel drive only because it disables the transfer clutch system in the tail housing of the transmission.

And that’s perfectly fine. It’s not for everyone, and you have every right to feel that way. We shouldn’t have to live in a state where we feel the need to own a gun in order to feel safe. Unfortunately, these days, the crazies have been emboldened.

I own guns and was hoping I’d never have to use them in self defense, only for sport. People like this make me fear that I may have to actually do so one day.

Welcome to today’s dealership mentality. Why pay for a quality technician when you can get two warm bodies for less?

Now you’re just asking too much of that other human being.

FA20 does not have a belt nor idler pulleys. The FA series is all chain, meaning you have two timing chains, two tensioners, 2 guides, 2 levers. Don’t forget that you also have the high pressure fuel pump, additional high strength fuel lines, larger fuel injectors, oil scavenging pump for the turbo, larger timing…

Mine just about doubled. I like the lack of income tax up here, but am a little stunned at the insurance premiums. But then again, this state is the first place I’ve seen someone going in reverse on the freeway to catch an exit they missed.

Maybe it’s just the fact that I moved here from SoCal(yes, yet another Californian!). When the driving skills of the locals terrify a Californian, you know there’s something wrong. Thanks for the info, now I have more weirdness to look forward to learning about.

Really? Kent doesn’t seem that PC...maybe it’s because I work at a dealership in Auburn and everyone seems pretty conservative compared to actual Seattlites.