whalebird

Droops83...that sir is a fine post. In my shop, I gave away thousands of dollars in advise. I often joked, yes labor was $75 an hour, $100 if you watch, $150 if you helped. Call me or stop by and chat $250. Car talk is expensive.
All joking aside, I always advocated a DIYer. It makes an educated customer.

Steve Weiner-Rennsport Systems

Well said, Chris,......

race911

Definitely! (Which is why I exited the repair business in my late 20's to go to law school, as I had the desire to make some real money. Though it has come from owning non-automotive businesses as I've never been a lawyer for pay.)

Amber Gramps

I don't think anyone begrudges a good mechanic his pay. When you look at the joy they bring to us via a good repair they are sorely underpaid.

Out of necessity the majority of work done to my cars has always come from my own hands because I could not afford to take it in. The girls at Pep Boys greet me by name. They know every time I go in I'm buying tools, cleaner, and some stupid part.

Heck, I did a water pump on a friends Toyota 22R-e friday just for the fun of it. I paid the $29 for the pump just for the fun of doing it. There is something extremely enjoyable about getting in there and doing it yourself. Should everyone pulls the cans off a 911? No. but everything shy of motor internals, tranny, and final alignment can be done at home with a minimum of tools.

Remember this one? Looking back I was petrified, but have taken pride in a job well done every time I open the shed door. Mr. Zimmermann

whalebird

No question A.L. I like working on cars too. Like race911 said though, getting paid for your talent can be hard as a career(especially Porsche). Benz was the land of milk and honey by comparison. It's a lot more fun as a hobby than a means of gain.

w00tPORSCHE

I would love to give free advice (have done that for years in India as a physician)....but just too much at stake in this country ... too many frivilous law suits. We physicians are just one lawsuit away from closing shop. That thought haunts me everyday/night.

BTW, I have nothing but respect for all the independant mechanics who are the caretakers of my cherished possesion. If I had the means I would love to give busines to as many of the mechanics as possible. I always pay them a little more than what I have been charged as a token of my appreciation for keeping my cars in good health.

I consider myself lucky in that my passion and profession are tied to each other...ie. Curing illness and believe it or not, I do get paid fairly.

whalebird

Me too w00t. I have a lovely business now and can work on my "stuff"(and other's stuff) for passionate reasons. I don't have a 911 now and come to this forum daily for "passion" reasons. This is one reason I relate to race911 and his insight in these forums...he's seen the industry from all angles.
Flying out of the Miami Gran Prix (we had a total-loss 930 with our driver in the hospital); my crew chief says "I'd love to go to a race as a spectaror one day".

whalebird

Just for fun, go to the link below and scroll down to "Porsche 911 turbo factory racing car" for the car that I crewed on
http://www.wspr-racing.com/porsche/porsche.html

whalebird

My tenure would be found under "racing history" #57 John Wood Racing.
I guess "history" as well.
Edit...pull out your old issues of Panorama(October 1992) and you will find our car on the cover...and a good story inside

theiceman

A mechanic was removing a cylinder-head from the motor of an older porsche, when he spotted a well-known cardiologist in his shop.

The cardiologist was there waiting for the service manager to come take a look at his new turbo when the mechanic shouted across the garage, 'Hey Doc, want to take a look at this?'

The cardiologist, a bit surprised, walked over to where the mechanic was working on the car. The mechanic straightened up, wiped his hands on a rag and asked, 'So Doc, look at this engine. I open its heart, take out the valves, repair any damage, and then put them back in, and when I'm finished, it works just like new. So how come I make $39,675 a year and you get the really big bucks like over a million when you and I are doing basically the same work?'

The cardiologist paused, smiled, leaned over, and whispered to the mechanic, "Try doing it while the engine is running.."

compliments of the Raspery Roadster

rusnak

Gt2? The turbo and flat fan have gotta be a total rush. I need to look again when I get in front of a computer.

Cardiologists who earn their money really, really, really earn their money.

Ed Hughes

Very cool!

Joe6pack

So, maybe in exchange for my starting this post, some of you pros could jet on over to my afm post and diagnose my idle drop for me . Actually, I would appreciate any help I could get - ever seen anything like this on 3.2. I didn't get to work on it last night, but maybe I will have some time tonight.

Amber Gramps

O2. End of story.

Wait. Not a pro

whiterabbit

Hi all I am a newbie here and was reading this thread. I have an 84 with 85k miles on it and am planning to have the top end looked at although the car is running great. I was also considering moving up to 3.4.

Am I being realistic thinking I can get the top end rebuilt and new 3.4 P&C 's for 15k assuming I r&r the engine and have it shipped to a reputable shop? I am figuring on 10k in parts and 5k in labour.

I feel OK with the removal and shipping of the engine myself.