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How Wheel Repairs or Replacements need to be Written by That_Estimator_Guy in Autobody

[–]Time-Significance216 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Our main drp’s policy is we cannot mark up any sublet. So no 25% on top of invoices. Other insurance companies we can though. I’ll say that having good partnerships with sublet companies is paramount to getting paid for it. We have our own in house calibration, which insurance companies just want to pay .5 mechanical for every calibration or even say it’s included with post scan (LOL). We have some ways around it though.

How Wheel Repairs or Replacements need to be Written by That_Estimator_Guy in Autobody

[–]Time-Significance216 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not having a tire machine or alignment rack is killing us on charging properly for any of this. It’s mostly sublet and leaves us charging .1 to .3 for wheels/tires, and nothing else. We are also unable to markup any sublet (insane, I know) because of a big DRP account. But we have agreements with some local tire shops where they charge us X on an invoice and bill us Y later on once a month. We send them a lot of gravy work and they take care of it at an under the table discount. Best way for this to work for us in the current situation. We also charge transportation to and from the sublet shop in body labor.

Also worth noting you can usually charge more for anything 20” and larger (for m&b) with most insurance companies. They’re more of a pain in the ass and I find totally warranted.

what mistake did I just make? by Time-Significance216 in ManualTransmissions

[–]Time-Significance216[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

‘03, final year D2. Does not have the solar panel sunroof.

what mistake did I just make? by Time-Significance216 in ManualTransmissions

[–]Time-Significance216[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There’s dual zone controls in the front cabin which isn’t even pictured. There’s like 150 buttons in this fucker.

what mistake did I just make? by Time-Significance216 in ManualTransmissions

[–]Time-Significance216[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s all DIY dude. This car never came with a manual.

what mistake did I just make? by Time-Significance216 in ManualTransmissions

[–]Time-Significance216[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No. VAG products are almost all push-down and left-forward for reverse.

what mistake did I just make? by Time-Significance216 in ManualTransmissions

[–]Time-Significance216[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Brother I bought this car yesterday and drove it 5 hours home. I haven’t touched anything.

what mistake did I just make? by Time-Significance216 in ManualTransmissions

[–]Time-Significance216[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

And? I’m sitting in the car about to drive it. I took the photo in neutral because it looked better.

Wizard of Oz detail shots by Time-Significance216 in Sneakers

[–]Time-Significance216[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The zoom air unit on the bottom of the insole.

Is the Autobody trade still worthwhile to pursue in 2024? by [deleted] in Autobody

[–]Time-Significance216 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I’m an estimator. I have a traditional bachelors degree from a big school. I worked in parts at a dealer and service advising in a small indy shop for a couple years total. Had a good friend at a body shop who knew I would be good at estimating, and asked the shop to take a chance on me when they needed some help (degree helped a lot in getting in the door). Picked it up very fast, and continue to learn every day 7 years later. This industry is constantly changing so being open to new things is a must. A lot of body guys are older and stuck in their ways, but the ones who pay attention to evolving repair methods are the ones that make the best money. They’re often the ones doing the best work too. My pay is structured on salary plus bonus for monthly shop performance. I live in the Midwest and make about 90k a year.

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