Some random guy comes in wanting a "tune", they have to drop it off and pay the diagnostic fee. Not going to mess with a carb w/o knowing what else could be wrong. Don't want to mask the real problem with a tune. I don't understand all this free service unless you're not doing this full time with overhead. If its a regular "good" customer, we do it for free if that's truly all it is.
What to charge Carb adjustment cost?
- Thread starter chevyforlife21
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zwoehr
ArboristSite Operative
How can you guys tell who is a potential regular customer and who is a "random guy" why not just go the extra distance for everyone and count it as an investment in future business?
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KenJax Tree
Terraphobic
If everyone was treated like a "random" customer they would never be a "regular" customer sometimes a little goes a long ways.
How can you not? The regular is the outfit that does all their business with you. They get the perks. General random people do not. I don't know them and don't know the situation with their saw to just "tune" it, for free, no less. This is a business. If there is an issue with your unit, drop it off and get it checked out. So many people come in and tell you "Oh its the carb, just adjust it" or "It's just the spark plug" and they have no idea what they're talking about. We have standards and policies, if it doesn't fit with yours, move along.
I would hope to make a regular out of a random by doing good work and communicating the costs and how to prevent future issues. If that's not enough, move along.
CascadeHusky
ArboristSite Operative
This isn't the everyone gets a free trophy attitude, but rather one from the real world. Unless you are a new shop looking for customers, from what I've seen good small engine shops have plenty of work and don't need to give freebies away to maybe get more. It seems like doing even a mediocre job with service gets you a backlog of billable $50-$100 an hour work. Time spent giving things away is time taken away from paying customers.
Now if you just like being charitable, then more power to you.
chevyforlife21
ArboristSite Guru
When you went to school to learn the skills I feel you should be getting something back from it
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Honest John
ArboristSite Operative
Yep, I consider myself half decent at tuning saws....to the point that I don't usually pull out the tach anymore. I've met some old codgers that have been doing this a lot longer than I have that I would gladly hand them a twenty to tune my saw. They've invested years in this, and they're just better at it than I am. I'd probably give them extra if they let me watch them and ask stupid questions too.
Chainsaw Jim
CJ Saws, LLC
For one, make sure you know how to tune firstcompare your results to a tach one day if you haven't already. You will **** just how far you are off. I know a lot of people that run and work on saws but only a few of them know how to get a saw close to spec tuning by ear. Only thing worse then charging someone take 5 minutes to tune their saw is to charge them to tune their saw wrong LOL I'm not saying this is for sure you but there are some members here who claim to know how to tune but if they post a bid of their saw cutting it's always running like a little piggy LOL tuning rich and having a slug is just as bad as tuning lean and blowing the saw up IMO.
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One of the Stihl shops in my area uses a tachometer to tune everything that goes through their shop. I buy used and dead saws for my business and a majority of the toasted saws I track down have that particular shops maintenance sticker on them.
CascadeHusky
ArboristSite Operative
Proper diagnostic equipment kills saws...you saw it here first.
wild_man_jack
ArboristSite Lurker
I just dropped a saw off at a dealer 2 days ago for a tune. I did buy a new saw last year from them (echo cs-590, great saw), and all my odds and ends there like oil, carb parts for one of my ditch witch duty saws, odd bar and chain. The one I dropped off is a husky 365 x-torq I bought used with a claimed 10 hours of use. I pulled the muffler, piston was perfect, starts good and revved good but would stall idling longer than 30 seconds. I attempted a tune myself, got it idling but had a bit of hesitation or stumble if it idled longer than 30 seconds, but revved up fast if it hadn't been idling. Wasn't sure if it was rich on low and loading up or lean...Also didn't feel like the power was there at the top end with the high screw all the way out when I sunk it in the wood to listen for it to clean up. So I took it in for a proper tune and they will cut off the tabs that limit the adjustment screw travel. I was hoping for a free tune bit that said min service charge of 30 dollars (cad), they still have it and I haven't heard back yet but for the cost of this saw I didn't want my first attempt at tuning to cost me a piston or anything. Figured I'll practice on my poulan when I reassemble it..
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99% of the saws that come into my place for a carburetor tune need something else altogether. I honestly don't like tuning a saw much beyond the basic settings. If I get at saw that takes much past 1/4 turn beyond the basic settings, it's time to start looking for air leaks. If I crank out the L and the H to get her to run, who am I helping?
zwoehr
ArboristSite Operative
I'm not sure what you mean about the free trophy attitude. Congratulations on having more work than you can handle. I'd be hiring more help if I was in your situation... But I'd also be try to do a better than mediocre job and be giving away "freebies" left and right.
CascadeHusky
ArboristSite Operative
I stand by what I said, but just want to throw out a clarification... I'm not in the small engine business. When I was about 16 I took a 272 chain brake into a shop that was jammed. The tech cleaned it out and charged me $10. I was happy, but that is the only time I've paid for small engine service. I enjoy spending an hour on a 15 minute job (the first time anyway). Why? Because my living doesn't depend on a saw anymore.
I was simply speaking from what I hear around me...good small engine repair places have more work than they can give a quick turnaround. Why give it away when people are waiting in line to pay you?
