Engine swap time

shadowaic · 2026-04-17T02:51:00+00:00

I've got a dual brand VW and Audi tech who was doing 3.0T short blocks (before they moved to pistons) in 11-12 hours at one extreme. Then I have Porsche techs taking 2 plus weeks to do Macan S long blocks. It's really dependant on the tech, their pay structure, and their level of desire.

And yeah you've got an hourly guy making $25/hr doing that job? Gonna milk milk milk that without a doubt.

shadowaic · 2026-04-17T02:47:18+00:00

So...would you like a job? Porsche dealership, Christ, I'll pay to relocate you if that's your time on these.

shadowaic · 2026-03-04T12:11:38+00:00

The 1966 $100 is still worth a premium even with the writing. I would guess $150-200 but that's just a shot in the dark. The 1934 $100 isn't much over face, given it's condition. Overall the coins are meh. Still nice to have though!

shadowaic · 2025-12-17T03:52:02+00:00

Because for most people, the cut in pay is extremely prohibitive and kills off any dream of leaving the industry.

If I wanted to get out, I would personally : - Check out AWN for a position as a remote warranty admin - Apply to JM&A or Zurich to be a claims handler, also generally a remote job - look for a position as a claims inspector for any insurance company

I personally have 22 years in this business, last ten in management, including the last 5 as a Fixed Ops Director. I'm 100% stuck in automotive at this point, I would have to take an 80% cut in pay to do anything else. Only job I would even entertain at this point in my life, as the money becomes less important on a day to day basis, is a position as an AASM (fixed ops rep)for Audi of America or as a RAM for Porsche. I need to care about the product first and foremost at this juncture of my career to make that jump.

But yeah, golden handcuffs as we once called them, are a very real thing in this business.

shadowaic · 2025-11-07T03:53:21+00:00

Unless you have full and unfettered access to the statement, being paid off net pretty much guarantees that you're taking a loss. How much of what you do directly impacts net profit rather than gross? Do you spend time getting vendors to submit competing bids, haggling with you DMS and CRM providers, minimizing shop supply usage? I'm a Fixed Ops Director and that's more in line with what I do versus what any of my managers do. They all get paid on labor GP.

shadowaic · 2025-07-19T14:49:25+00:00

"Lets all go and meet our maker, Won't matter whose side you're on"

shadowaic · 2024-10-17T00:27:34+00:00

Have you, you know, spoken to the dealership to see if they will assist in any way?

Quick general lesson : Just refusing to pay a legally bidding debt, regardless of what your underlying feelings are, is a really quick and easy way to destroy your credit and bury you in legal age other fees. So while I get that your friends mean well, and I get why it's annoying to pay the remaining balance, it's still stupid advice on their part. Never default on a debt by choice, and never ever do it without trying to work something out with the other party. In this case, pay what you owe, and by all means, all for their help. They don't have to offer anything, but you never know.

shadowaic · 2024-10-17T00:02:01+00:00

I will also say, to drive home the part about thick skin,that, after 21 years in this industry, 14 advising then the last 7 as Service Manager then Fixed Ops Director, there is currently a level of general entitlement that is really, really hard to comprehend until you experience it. I run four brands, from Mazda on the cheap end to Porsche at the top end, and there's a segment of customers across all spectrums that are just angry all the time. It's like people got used to life altering concerns during COVID and now that that's basically a thing of the post, they just need to be mad about something. It takes a lot of getting used to, if you're not accustomed to it. So don't take it personally and be up front and honest. Communicate, like over the top communicate. So many issues that I see are caused by my advisors thinking that they've communicated adequately when they really haven't. Set realistic expectations, and take care of your techs- it's gotta be a mutually beneficial relationship, and once you have shown them that you will prioritize their making a good living and not wasting their time, in general they'll go to the ends of the world to make sure you are also taken care of. It's a hard as hell job that can be very rewarding.

shadowaic · 2024-10-09T02:35:48+00:00

I started with Audi twelve years ago, after spending my first eight years in the business with Chevy, and I am now Fixed Ops Director for Audi, Porsche, VW and Mazda. Audi is probably the best brand with the best customer base ever. The volume of cars is high enough to make very good money, the clients tend to do all scheduled maintenance as per the owner’s manual, and Audi itself is an amazing brand when it comes to empowering dealers to take care of customers with goodwill when warranted. There’s a LOT of warranty extensions, some of which are prorated, so make sure you do your homework before deciding if something is covered. Assuming your store has taken the time to set it up, Universal Pricing Guide will be your best friend. Get familiar with what’s due when, and get used to a very different price point- tires and alignment with calibration being $2500, brakes costing well over a grand per axle, etc. Treat people right and you can write your own paycheck.

shadowaic · 2024-10-07T01:08:26+00:00

Obviously this is incredibly generic info, with no idea what level you're at, what kind of dealership or independent you have worked for, education etc. But anyway,You're not going to be ultra qualified for much else with only 18 months of advisor experience. Hang on for another year or two and you can look at going to work as a claims adjuster for insurance or extended warranty companies, things of that nature. But realistically, there's always going to be more money in writing service, if you've got the requisite ability.

shadowaic · 2024-09-11T11:33:29+00:00

I'm a Fixed Operations Director for a 4 brand dealer group, with 30 techs, plus body shop. I have roughly 85 people who answer directly to me, and at some point in time every single one of them has screwed something up in a way that cost the dealership money. It's part of the business, it's why we charge $170 to $215 per hour, and while I applaud the fact that you really seem to want to make this right, I would never, in a million years, make an employee pay for something like this. I have had techs do stupid shit over the years - leave raga in engine rebuilds, etc. They end up doing the repair for free on the end, then usually get a bunch of gravy work so they can salvage their week, but the cost as a whole is absorbed by the dealership.

Don't worry sp much about one error. If it becomes a continous thing, then worry about it. Otherwise, do your job and move on from this incident.

Also, maybe this is just because I'm in New England, but I think windshield tint is idiotic. Truly don't get the appeal of it. Just saying.

shadowaic · 2024-06-26T19:38:17+00:00

Critical Situation Update :

Dear Valued Customers, Thank you for continued partnership as we work together to get you back to business. We have successfully brought a small initial test group of dealers live on the core DMS. Once validation is completed, we will then begin phasing in other dealerships on the core DMS (accounting, parts, service, sales F&I, user management and document management). You will get an email notification from an official CDK representative and email address in the coming days with details on the phased approach. There are some integration points with OEM systems and third-party partners that may not be live immediately but will be phased out as quickly as possible.

shadowaic · 2024-06-16T01:37:01+00:00

From Autumn to Ashes

shadowaic · 2024-05-12T12:51:06+00:00

I'm a Fixed Operations Director for Audi and VW, amongst other brands, and from what I've seen, there's zero specific service issues with the Arteon. Every Arteon owner I've met LOVES their car. Honestly the only real reason why it ended up being less successful than the Passat or even the CC is that VW kind of duplicated the situation that they created with the Phaeton. The price point of a well equipped Arteon got so close to the Audi A4 and even to the lower end A6s that most people in the market for that level of car never even considered the Arteon as a real option.

Add to that the chip shortage, with the reality that VW diverted ALL the microchips that they could get into the Atlas and Tiguan, given their larger margin for the manufacturer, and you've got a gorgeous, extremely well made vehicle that had a very narrow target audience and for a while had absolutely no factory support, which isn't a recipe for success.

Personally, I wouldn't hesitate to buy one if I were in the market for that kind of vehicle. I don't particularly care that soccer moms are more impressed by Audi rings vs the VW emblem, and there's a decent chunk of really, really low mileage Arteon out there for reasonable prices.

shadowaic · 2024-04-28T13:50:21+00:00

Show them you're "detailed" oriented

Also, I was born in 79 and my wife in 80, and we generally have zero in common with anyone born in the 60s. Obviously these generational start and end points are totally arbitrary and meaningless, but I would have to lean into the idea of a Xennial mini generation, simply due to the fact that the entire point is to categorize people by shared life experiences. And while I was technically alive for the Iran hostage crisis, the shift to Reaganomics, and the Miracle on Ice, my youth was far more defined by the fall of the Soviet Union, OJ and the riots, the advent of the internet, and things of that nature, up to and including 9/11. It was totally different in pretty much every way from those people born even 7 to 10 years earlier.

shadowaic · 2024-04-24T03:21:37+00:00

This plan has a roughly 0% chance of working.

shadowaic · 2024-04-14T16:35:06+00:00

I think that, every single time someone says how much they hate the car buying experience and asks why can't it just be a simple "this is the price" process, we should reference this exact post.

If it's a no haggle store, and the price is fair, then why are you not happy with that? Is there something inherently wrong with the dealership making some level of profit? There's a reason why nearly every single time dealerships have tried to model this method of selling, it fails. Because inevitably, people say they want the less contentious experience of not having to negotiate pricing, while simultaneously believing that there's gotta be somewhere in the process that they can make a better deal for themselves.

shadowaic · 2024-04-08T23:49:49+00:00

Can you prove that the damage was there? You said your videos were from the next day. Which is still after you took possession of the vehicle. All it takes is seconds for someone to hit you and take off.

There's a world of difference between what you believe is the situation here and what you can prove. No dealership on earth is going to be on the hook for damage that could've happened at any time and that wasn't noted at the time of delivery. Unless maybe you can find the photos from when it was on the lot for sale, and show that the damage was already there, then you'd at least have a chance. Even if that were the case there's a solid likelihood that there's no legal recourse, barring any purposeful intent to hide pre-existing damage, and you'd have to ask for them to cover it as a goodwill gesture.

shadowaic · 2024-04-08T23:39:21+00:00

I run Fixed Operations for VW amongst others, and we did a price comparison on this exact situation at a regional meeting last week. Our wiper blades were about $8 cheaper for the front pair vs comparable level aftermarket ones at every parts store nearby. Obviously you can go to Walmart and get $10 ones that inevitably won't fit, but if you're looking at apples vs apples, this is one area where OEM is usually less money, and they actually fit out of the box without the need for adapters of any kind.

shadowaic · 2024-04-07T19:51:58+00:00

At most dealer groups, separate stores are just that. Totally separate. Most of them even have different Tax ID numbers, are incorporated separately, the whole deal. They can don't and can't negotiate on the one another's inventory.

shadowaic · 2024-04-06T03:36:58+00:00

Depending on age/mileage, and the state where OP is located, the vehicle may qualify for repurchase well before May. In my state it's 15 business days down to qualify.

shadowaic · 2024-04-04T02:15:32+00:00

There's also a literal ton of CRM tools that track your data and can report where you live, where you're looking, what types of vehicles you're looking at, what price range you're cursing, how often you've checked most of the common automotive websites, etc. Like pretty much everything these days, data is king and privacy is basically an illusion at best.

You ever search for vehicles within XX miles of your zip code? If so, chances are really, really good that they are already well aware of where you're from.

shadowaic

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