People have gone FULL RETARDED

[AceArcher]

Don't think to highly of a 4wd in snow / ice guys. I can tell you that a front wheel drive vehicle with a limited slip differential more often than not does better on snow / ice than a 4wd. Having the engine weight right above the drive wheels and having both the drive wheels providing power helps very very much. The low center of gravity for a FWD vehicle also means that if you do lose control and spin you are less likely to flip.

Order of driving preferance for me in sleet / ice conditions is thus. from worst to best

1) rear wheel drive truck/car. (FORGET IT, Dont even think about leaving your driveway)
2) 4 wd truck / suv or FWD vehicle (standard 4wd not limited slip diff's) (Better)
3) Front wheel drive vehicle with limited slip diff (pretty good)
4) 4wd vehicle with limited slip / full time awd systems (best)

But as everyone is saying, slow speeds, extra distances for breaking, you can do okay in most any vehicle...

I managed car rental operations as a regional manager for Hertz and Alamo over 15 years in the Northeast. I have seen a lot when it comes to dealing with driving in the snow. And i sure talked to one heck of a lot of guys like Southern 151 during times like this. You always knew when snow / ice was in the weather report when you talked to your body shop guys.. they had grins from ear to ear.

[southern151]

Originally Posted by AceArcher

Don't think to highly of a 4wd in snow / ice guys. I can tell you that a front wheel drive vehicle with a limited slip differential more often than not does better on snow / ice than a 4wd. Having the engine weight right above the drive wheels and having both the drive wheels providing power helps very very much. The low center of gravity for a FWD vehicle also means that if you do lose control and spin you are less likely to flip.

Order of driving preferance for me in sleet / ice conditions is thus. from worst to best

1) rear wheel drive truck/car. (FORGET IT, Dont even think about leaving your driveway)
2) 4 wd truck / suv or FWD vehicle (standard 4wd not limited slip diff's) (Better)
3) Front wheel drive vehicle with limited slip diff (pretty good)
4) 4wd vehicle with limited slip / full time awd systems (best)

But as everyone is saying, slow speeds, extra distances for breaking, you can do okay in most any vehicle...

I managed car rental operations as a regional manager for Hertz and Alamo over 15 years in the Northeast. I have seen a lot when it comes to dealing with driving in the snow. And i sure talked to one heck of a lot of guys like Southern 151 during times like this. You always knew when snow / ice was in the weather report when you talked to your body shop guys.. they had grins from ear to ear.

I have a special dance just for such occasions! So far though, we've only had junk towed in. The coming days will hopefully shed some brighter light on the industry though!

[AceArcher]

Originally Posted by southern151

I have a special dance just for such occasions! So far though, we've only had junk towed in. The coming days will hopefully shed some brighter light on the industry though!

I bet you do..

What kind of labor rates does the industry charge down there for mech / body / paint?

[southern151]

Originally Posted by AceArcher

I bet you do..

What kind of labor rates does the industry charge down there for mech / body / paint?

Mechanical in a mechanical shop starts at $90. We do not get that rate. Ours is about $75. Frame is $65. Body and, paint runs @ $48 and, materials is $33/hr. We're working to bring some of those numbers up a little right now. Heck, we had an approx. 20% increase in material cost last year and, not a bit of increase in rate.

[AceArcher]

Originally Posted by southern151

Mechanical in a mechanical shop starts at $90. We do not get that rate. Ours is about $75. Frame is $65. Body and, paint runs @ $48 and, materials is $33/hr. We're working to bring some of those numbers up a little right now. Heck, we had an approx. 20% increase in material cost last year and, not a bit of increase in rate.

Do you feel there is a big difference in labor rates charged for shops depending why type of clientele they pursued?

I was always amazed at how different labor rates were in different markets. some markets there would be back alley type shops that would get all the low $ work, and then there would be high end lovely looking shops which had huge showrooms and immaculate work bays that would charge through the roof. Then other markets it seemed like all the body shops worked together and held the line on what minimum rates were.

[southern151]

Originally Posted by AceArcher

Do you feel there is a big difference in labor rates charged for shops depending why type of clientele they pursued?

I was always amazed at how different labor rates were in different markets. some markets there would be back alley type shops that would get all the low $ work, and then there would be high end lovely looking shops which had huge showrooms and immaculate work bays that would charge through the roof. Then other markets it seemed like all the body shops worked together and held the line on what minimum rates were.

We have a HUGE volume of cut-rate shops around here and, they hurt us sometimes. Some folks don't know why we charge "so much" and, I've been told before that "I'm not paying for some fancy office and, nice building! I'm going over there!" Too bad, "Over there" is a shop full of crackheads, with terrible quality, no warranty, and, no insurance coverage for a customer's vehicle! I'm insured and, my guys are the best so, I charge as per industry standards. Most of your named shops stay pretty competitive though.

We also do have a pretty "fancy" office for our industry but, I don't charge for that...I just pay for it!

[Bdub]

Originally Posted by AceArcher

Do you feel there is a big difference in labor rates charged for shops depending why type of clientele they pursued?

Then other markets it seemed like all the body shops worked together and held the line on what minimum rates were.

It is like that here in lake Charles, all the shops are pretty much getting the same rates, I think one dealership went up first and all the bigger shops followed suit right afterwards. The money in collision isn't what it was 10yrs ago. I've been doing this for 9 years now, 8 of which at the same shop.

[MathGeek]

Originally Posted by southern151

Mechanical in a mechanical shop starts at $90. We do not get that rate. Ours is about $75. Frame is $65. Body and, paint runs @ $48 and, materials is $33/hr. We're working to bring some of those numbers up a little right now. Heck, we had an approx. 20% increase in material cost last year and, not a bit of increase in rate.

You've got some room to raise rates, and you'll still be our first choice with higher rates.

We work really hard at avoiding the need of your services, but with a flock of teenagers getting licenses, our avoidance efforts may not succeed indefinitely.

I do recommend License2Drive in Lake Charles for those with teens approaching driving age. We were unable to find good training in the Baton Rouge area, so we expanded the search. These folks seem intent on actually developing safe teenage drivers and not merely meeting the state requirements and cashing the checks.

[southern151]

Originally Posted by MathGeek

You've got some room to raise rates, and you'll still be our first choice with higher rates.

We work really hard at avoiding the need of your services, but with a flock of teenagers getting licenses, our avoidance efforts may not succeed indefinitely.

I do recommend License2Drive in Lake Charles for those with teens approaching driving age. We were unable to find good training in the Baton Rouge area, so we expanded the search. These folks seem intent on actually developing safe teenage drivers and not merely meeting the state requirements and cashing the checks.

Thanks! We work very hard to keep our customer satisfaction index up top! For customers, I've stayed late, came in early, taken care of rental cars, saved a few $, etc, etc. Our customer service, I think, is what sets us apart from so many of the other shops in our area.

As far as avoiding the needs of our services, I understand. I was told a while back that "I love what you did for our vehicle but, I hate seeing you!" We're more loathed than the dentist!

[Bdub]

Originally Posted by southern151

Mechanical in a mechanical shop starts at $90. We do not get that rate. Ours is about $75. Frame is $65. Body and, paint runs @ $48 and, materials is $33/hr. We're working to bring some of those numbers up a little right now. Heck, we had an approx. 20% increase in material cost last year and, not a bit of increase in rate.

That's good rates, ours is not 75$ for mechanical, body and paint is stuck at 51$, not 100% sure on what shop gets on frame right now but I don't think it is 65$ despite the decline in payout from insurance companies on labor hrs per job...We are statefarm service 1st and enterprise rental contracted plus other contracts...