What is a "Flat Rate Manual"?

[53ryder]

Searching an online website for manuals/information which would apply to my '67 Monaco. Came across a "flat rate manual". Never heard of it before. Is this a variant of a factory service manual? Any ideas?


Glenn

 

[67Monaco]

Searching an online website for manuals/information which would apply to my '67 Monaco. Came across a "flat rate manual". Never heard of it before. Is this a variant of a factory service manual? Any ideas?


Glenn

It's the book they use to determine how much they're going to make off of you at the stealership. Let's say your water pump goes out, they look at the book determine that the water pump replacement books in at 4 hrs. They estimate you at 4 hrs plus parts. The repair is done in 45mins. They still book you at 4 hrs. The 3hrs 15min is all profit.

 

[kellycom]

There are 2 flat-rates. The first being Warranty and the other being Customer-Pay. Warranty is what the car manufacturer will pay in terms of time for the job. Or if the repair shop that did a repair offers a warranty on the repair. The Customer-Pay is the time customer pays when not under manufacturer warranty. The flat-rate is the time the technician gets to do the repair and in the case of Customer-Pay the time you the customer pays for the repair. Do the repair in less time than the flat-rate and you profit. Do it in more time you lose. Customer-Pay is usually a lot more time compared to Warranty. (Example from memory: Evaporator on a 90 Ford Taurus. Warranty 2 hrs, Customer-Pay 10hrs. To replace an evap in a Taurus you need to pull the dash. That doesn't include replacing any other parts, evac or recharge of the system. Total hrs can be upwards of 4 hrs Warranty and 13 hrs Customer-Pay. I was able to do the full job (evac, recharge, o-rings, drier, evap) in about 3 hrs. Keep in mind that while doing the evac/vac I could be doing other things. Being a auto tech is a feast or famine type job. When there is work you do well. When there isn't you don't. If there is no work you don't get any pay. Most are paid a dollar amount per flat-rate hr. Shop charges $60 flat-rate/hr, tech may get $17hr.

way more than you needed to know. But in terms of does that type of manual help you. No it does not. If you want one for nostalgia go for it.



Customer-Pay is usually a lot more time compared to Warranty.

 

[patrick66]

You are getting a good rate at $60/hr. The local indie mechanic shops get anywhere from $75/hr and up, while the Big Three dealers get $90/hr. Import dealers get from $125/hr and up.

 

[kellycom]

Rates vary from state to state. The body shop that has my Fury is charging me 40 flat-rate/hr. When i stopped being an auto tech in the mid 90's it was around $60 an hr at most dealerships in my area. I primarily worked @ dealerships. It was an example to show that the tech isn't getting much of what the shop gets per hour. But again it was probably more info than most people wanted to know.

 

[commando1]

Up to $125.00/hr here in Bufu County dealerships and 10% OVER list on parts......
It's legal rape.

I once saw a mechanic (they were mechanics, not technicians) install a new head gasket on a V8 without taking off the intake manifold so as to beat the book...

By the way, the techs get a %-age of the shop rate. Sometimes as low as 25%.
50/50 used to be the norm. All that extra profit going into the owner of the dealership's pocket.

 

[1966Satellite]

I have a Flat-Rate and Parts Manual from 1967. It's published by Motor. Anything you want me to look up?

 

[bluefury361]

A good mechanic/technician can make a decent living working flat rate in a shop that stays busy.
There is a lot of missinformation and just plain ignorance about repair rates and how they are established. It really is a pretty extensive procedure to establish them.

Every procedure first has to be developed from scratch, then edited into a step by step manual procedure by a tech writer and finally a labor time developed from the procedure.
an exhaust manifold R&R, ( for example), can take two weeks to fully develope. A mechanic may take more time to complete the procedure the first time attempted.... but by the tenth time he performs the same procedure he learns how to shave time and come out ahead. A law of averages.
Another little known fact is that no air tools or power tools are used when establishing labor times. The mechanic is free to use any tools he has at his disposal.
In addition a 16% premiun is added to the established tme to allow for time in service.

Compairison labor times performed on new vehicles and identical vehicles with 10K miles time in service have shown that, on average, the time in service vehicle will be easier to service.

These days the guy who can diagnoise problems fastest is the most valuable guy in the service dept. Most parts and componants are non serviceable remove & replace. Not much gets repaired anymore.

 

[70bigblockdodge]

It also how the shop gets away with no time and a half. The real P.O.S shops have the balls to charge for shop supplies on top of hourly rate, even the most savvy lawyers don't charge for the ink in the pen that they are writing with.

 

[commando1]

I'll never forget the time I got hit for $5.00 for "Greasy Rag Disposal". Really?

 

[patrick66]

Here, it's called an "environmental fee" that they tack onto the bill. ALL garages here do it, not just the dealers.

 

[commando1]

What's next. A mandatory $1.00 Electricity Consumption Fee to run the mandatory One Hr. Minimum @$90.00/Hr. Diagnostic Test.

 

[53ryder]

I have a Flat-Rate and Parts Manual from 1967. It's published by Motor. Anything you want me to look up?

No. Just never came across a 'flat rate manual'. Interesting to learn about.

Glenn