Having a family member who is a surgeon doesn't make you a medical expert... just like i can't become a heli expert because my cousin is a helicopter mechanic...
Your statement is no different than me saying all mechanics are crooks including you because i find that some mechanics are crooks...
We can agree that's probably not true... but then why would you say the same of another profession you know nothing about
For the record I'm not an AMA member.. i don't condone many of their stands ... and since you don't know... only 15% of practicing doctors are AMA members... hardly... all US doctors...
Are you really going to defend your false accusations of all US doctors? A "sorry I overstated" would have been enough...
This is the same as my profession FALSE ACCUSATION are salient and it echoes the consumers perspective and opinions of the US auto repair industry at large.
Please read a past forum submission and in fact if you wish I can draws actual parallels to poor medical services all sacrificed on the alter of driving profits.
Dennis
This is where specialization comes into play.
Vehicles generally show patterns of failure hence when someone comes on the phone explaining a fault/problem on say a Sprinter I can usually telegraph over the phone what is wrong, really the same goes for a Landrover or a Prius.
Now if someone rolls in with a Jeep, I want to be able to fix the vehicle in a competent fashion.
I am not as familiar with Jeeps consequently some some research is necessary before the tool box comes out. In any case diagnosis is essential and it take about an hour to get an idea when stuff is complex in nature.
As you have pointed out shops even dealers don't always get it right first time and there are very good reasons for this and even the medical profession has issues in that area.
One area is cost and profitability.
Dealers rarely repair a part/sub component even though a kit might/would fix the problem~ They simply don't want the liability of fixing it, install a new part is always the preferred option. Besides the manufactures insist on it for the most part.
No matter what the problem the first thing to do is research it!
As you have pointed out, web sites give some good posted repair experiences. Professional sites like Identifix give you repair information and real fixes that you can use to correct the problem first time. Networking with a fellow tech who specializes on that product line is a good resource. I subscribe to three such systems just for research and repair info.
Of course having the right tools always helps and a shop needs to have good investment in diagnostic equipment to find the problem.
Hence a good profit margin helps shops to buy /invest in the right equipment. Shops in the USA are woefully short of some equipment to do a job effectively.
In short they are profit starved for lots of reasons. Most shop owners are techs first and businessmen second, or not at all; they are American flounders, a not too rare a fish!
The second is techs themselves.
I am speaking generally here so don't get offended, but American mechanics/techs are poorly trained, even if they have invested $40K in a vocational school fees. Given body for body a Mexican tech is heads and shoulders above his Anglo counterpart. I don't know what they are doing in Mexico, but the Tech schools in the USA need to look at our neighbors to the south for some ideas. Electrical knowledge is the most common shortfall!
If we are specifically referring to MB products and stuff like Landrovers, Prius's, Rolls Royces etc a compounding factor is that American mechanics are scared to touch such product lines, or if they do they make a pigs ear of it!
Landrover hasn't enjoyed a good reputation in NA until recently when Ford "Forsdized" the product line. Now its a very good product.
Really boiled down most American techs gravitate to the big three for employment which leaves about 15% of the work pool who like to do Euro or Asian work. So import shops have to train to optimize the staff. I am always doing this, its revolving door.
I look for specific staff and I hire consultants at times at very high fees. I am often at logger heads over recruitment. Last Sunday at a conference of shop owners in Glendale California I was asked what do I look for in a job applicant.
I answered, demeanor, a critical thinker. someone who has the right attitude (an A or B) personality can read and write effectively, AND most of all can demonstrate aptitude when doing an on the job interview, and shadow. Their (consultant) viewpoint is employ anyone who can turn a wrench. For me that is scary on a Sprinter or a Landrover
The other underlying problem is that generally there are simply less people in NA willing to work on vehicles period. Hence there is a labor shortage of highly skilled workers and that is not just in this field but others are as well.
I suppose as a customer on the other side of the fence what do YOU think is a good starting wage for an American tech?
Is it 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 40 50 Dollars per hour ?
Don't forget FICA !
AND if you pay peanuts you get monkeys
I have cited a few salient areas, but not all of them but some of the biggest issues to fixing modern cars right first time!
Its not easy and if it was, everybody would be doing it!
Dennis