How Does Extreme Powersports Rate On Warranty Repair

Motorcycle Flat Rate Times

Every repair chore takes time. How much time a repair takes is known equally the Flat Rate Fourth dimension for that job. How do they come up up with that time? The manufacturing plant time studies the different motorcycles models on the associates lines. They fourth dimension each procedure a number of times and get an average fourth dimension for each process. A procedure might be cutting a valve seat, or assemble the valve and springs into the cylinder caput or assemble a clutch. Each repair procedure is then assigned a number.

Factories like to time study every little affair for a reason. When a bike under warranty breaks the factory wants to fix it the cheapest way possible. They crave the dealer who fixes the bike to put the number of each repair procedure of each repair on the request grade for payment. The factory totals up all the repairs, multiplies that number past the agreed on shop rate and pays the dealer accordingly.

The shop rate is the amount per hr that the shop charges per hour of labor. Nigh shops post information technology in the service area or you tin merely ask them what information technology is.

Repair shops oftentimes use these apartment rates to figure out how much is a off-white price to charge for each repair. This sounds good and all until you consider 1 thing. Factories want to loose as little money equally possible. Warranty work losses them money. And so what is a manufactory to do? Uncomplicated, make the repair process go as fast every bit possible while all the same making information technology seem off-white. Then how do they practice this?

I one time worked for a company repairing Natural Gas Meters. While I was in that location I watched them create a fourth dimension study for gas meter repair. They basically took the fastest repair man in the shop, gave him new meter bodies and parts and timed him putting the meters together every bit fast equally he could go. Information technology was prepare, set, get.... work, work, work, one meter done. Work, work, piece of work, two meters washed. Work, work, work, three meters done. Finish and rest. Fourth dimension information technology again. Take the best time and that is how long it should take for that procedure.

That is how the motorcycle factories do it too. Time a human who has spent his entire adult life putting a piston into a cylinder. Requite him all new parts and fourth dimension him going as fast equally he can get. That volition guarantee yous go a really fast repair time. Practise the factories actually do this? Peradventure I might be exaggerating a flake just non past much.

And then what does this have to exercise with us? Nearly shops utilize some sort of time studies to figure out what to charge their customers. In a manner this is good and in another fashion it is bad. If y'all are a slow, precise mechanic (As well known as Me) the time studies give you a fair price to charge and allow y'all to spend every bit much time as is needed to complete the repair. That is expert. Problem is the time studies are not always authentic. Sometimes the studies do repair at warp speed. That is bad because a information technology does not allow plenty time to realistically complete the repair.

Rusted bolts. Stripped screws. Dirty engines. Old rusty engines. These things make the chore hard and time consuming. Sometimes engines just practice not want to come up apart. Y'all have to worry and piddle with them to get them apart without breaking good, hard to detect, parts.

And so, in reality, the time written report a manufacturing plant gives for repair is more like a suggestion then a rule. What we really want is to know is the time it takes a trained mechanic, working at a reasonable speed, on a clean and well cared for motorcycle, to exercise a repair. If the motorcycle is rusted, dirty and poorly maintained the time it takes to repair it will exist longer.

And so allow us put some numbers to this.

To Figure the actual cost of a repair simply add upward the times for all jobs done and multiply that number by your store charge per unit. So for a Honda XR200R remove & replace the cam chain (ii.seven), one carburetor cleaning (1.2), and change out rear concatenation (.4) y'all get a full time of four.3 hours. Multiply by a $75.00 shop rate and you go $322.50 for the labor part of the task. Adding parts, taxes and sometimes a small fleck for store supplies (Grease, soap, solvents, ETC.) gives the total price for the job.

Not all shops use Flat Rate Manuals but Flat Rates do provide a useful starting place to figure a fair labor toll. You tin purchase current model Motorcycle Apartment Rate Manuals from many different places online or from a dealer of the make of motorcycle you are working on but they can be quite pricey.

Here is, for your edification, a Labor Rate Table from 1972. Effectually 1969 I was running ads in the local paper for tune ups for Honda singles and twins for $12.50. The local shops were charging $xv.00 for the same thing and so I did quite well. About an hour and a half of pleasant work as I recall. Minimum wage was $1.15 an hour. Gas was virtually twenty to twenty 5 cents a gallon.