Dave2302

Tried that with a few Dealers, "They can't disclose that information", want my name, address, reg number, email, what colour knickers Mel has on, any stains etc etc etc etc Job's here, I know I'll be chaper than MB, just don't wanna be too cheap lol, most of my customers aren't as Anal or High Miler as this guy, they get my "Full Service", this guy want's everything on the schedule, which I have, but I am having trouble putting hours to it !! Best guess is around 5 - 6 hours, but I'd rather know for sure Then there is 3 Tyres, MOT, Rear Lamp, HVAC Sensor and 2 Rear Rollbar links He's a very good Customer, pays up instantly etc etc

Anyone know the "Book Time" for a 150k mile B service at MB ?? It's a real big service, Brake Fluid Exchange, Diff Oil, Trans Oil & Filter Pollen Filter, etc etc etc Can't find it on my Autodata or Wurth Don't wanna sell the job short, but I know MB would have the guys Trousers Pants, Arms Legs etc TIA Dave

Exhaust will be rusty

Sounds to me like you bought a Sprinter one (they don't have Flaps) Bloody Cheapskate

Change the Fluid and Filter, you will not be wanting to pay the labour to R&I that trans if it goes tits up. I had to pull one out on a RR Sport, both our fitters were off, what an absolute cunt, it took me a whole and busy day, and I usually have any trans out inside 4 hours !! I think the "book time" is something ridiculous in "days" which includes lifting the body up from the chassis Needless to say I didn't do that ZF, and others, "Lifetime Oil" is a complete load of bollocks You can buy the correct Oil, and the Sump / Filter all as a kit. Note that if yours is the one with Filter Built into Sump, and a Welded Cross Member right under it, yo have to drop the Sump a little, break the Filter Pipe, and then use the "Car type separate Sump and Filter to reassemble BTW it sounds from the E5K for the Turbo that yours is one of the ones that is supposed to have the Body Lifted for changing everything except the Air Filter

LIKE, (some of us had our like button and edit button taken off us )

That is most likely because he did a proper apprenticeship like myself and others of that era All these young NVQ wallers are mostly clueless bastards, yeah, there are some who have gone the extra mile, but when taking on staff it's a lottery these days

Having it off right now, if it stays like this for November I'm having end Dec 2 weeks and start Jan 2 weeks off , well catching up all of my own jobs lol, Phones off, Gates Shut and Locked though !!

I mean this in the nicest way He sounds like a mate of mine bless him, with a Workshop fairly local to me. He always tells me "These modern Cars are shit, what was wrong with Carburettors, Points and Condensers anyway" Sends me all the cars with the "Devils Work"

LOL, Mark I agree with you for 2 hours, but like I said, it was this Battery one that got me thinking and started all this shit ................ What if it was a lengthy Clutch DMF job like tho one I I did last week on the Expert Van, I would be wanting to claim a 9 hr job back from somewhere even if it was questioned in an audit and subsequently reduced to say £40 per hr ................................. Last night I phoned Elaine for a catch up, (she's the lady who used to do our Transmission firms books). She said that used Car Warranty is totally different to Workshops own Warranty, used car is expected to be covered by 3rd party Warranty co, or funding from the profits. This "negative Sales Invoice" is how she put for example, a 12 hour strip and rebuild Gearbox Warranty through back in those days, she even put the necessary Gaskets and Oil Seals etc through Purchase Invoices and marked as "Workshop" rather than "Reg Plate Number" for the original Rebuild parts ................. Suppliers don't warrant those for an internal part failure. She said that is how Engine recon Firms deal with Workshop Warranty works, I will have to wait and see now...................... I've just got to confirm with new Accountant up here to make sure HMRC haven't got wise and stopped it in more recent years I also saw the local Coach / Bus operator in the pub earlier today, he says he's still putting them through like that if need arises. In all our years trading back then we had 2 or 3 big Tax audit / investigations and they never said a dicky bird about this, in fact the only thing they ever suggested was that my fuel bills were going in my power boats, because they saw one in the Car park one time, and asked who's it was !! Dumb cunts lol, all company vehicles were Diesel, power boat ran on petrol, so our Accountant fucked them right off I just guess it's like all things Tax, if you are taking the piss you get slapped with the big stick

Nick, for Dealer Level I can fully recommend this guy:- https://www.obdstore.co.uk/product-category/manufacturer-specific/ No affiliation other than a very satisfied Customer, I did have a problem with one machine, and on a Sunday he replied to my Email saying phone me now, which I did, then he set up team viewer and his techie came on at 6 pm on the Sunday night and sorted it straight away. I have since bought other stuff and been very happy Autel under 1k, heres the one I'd go for if I were you, I actually bought the Elite Pro, but you don't need that, this is as good as it gets unless you are into programming :- https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Autel-MaxiSys-MS906-WIFI-Diagnosis-OBD2-Auto-Car-Scan-Pad-Reader-F-Audi-Benz-Kia/263447391064?epid=10016823727&hash=item3d56b02b58:g:8r8AAOSwa3ZbwYEI I just bought a handheld TPMS 401 off them, good helpful seller HTH, Cheers Dave BTW, VAG Com is very intuitive and easy to use, and "Full Version" does all. SDS / DAS / Xentry be prepared for a steep learning curve, but it is the only machine for MB's. Autel will be quicker to use for day to day scanning and resets, dealer level kit when it's a less simple problem

+1

Autel uses Wireless (bluetooth) IIRC Simple fact is no one machine does all, so it also depends what Cars you sell a lot of, and of course there is absolutely no substitute for Dealer Level kit ........................ This is why I have 3 Generics and 10 Dealer level Oh, and also just bought Autel Hand Held TPMS 401 as it is quick on TPMS Faults / Programming / Sensor Checking

I'm not going that route, for that reason. According to other sources, I write out a Sales Invoice to myself for 2 hours labour, plus battery FOC total = - £120 so I subtract £120 from my monthly sales total !! Then cross reference it to the Credit from HMP for the original Battery and also cross reference it to my original Sales Invoice on 12/12/17. That way I recover my 2 hours through the books, which now I've slept on it makes perfect sense.

Nick, IMHO the Autel is a much better machine than Launch, which is better than Snap On, in the same price bracket of course If you are replacing your Solus I'd be looking at the Autels around £1000 mark

Hi, best of luck with the new venture

No, scrub that, that doesn't work, so I'm still fucked if I know, will have to wait until Monday

I think a lot of you are missing the point, or I am just plain awful at describing exactly what I mean ?? One or 2 of you have come close.................. Firstly it is not a vehicle I sold, it is a Workshop Customer and I had it in 11 months ago after it was recovered off a local mountain for non start, I diagnosed it, and fitted 2 new Batteries 12 / 12 / 2017 which have a 3 year warranty. Mr P the Customer is a Mountain Rescue Guy, his vehicle has to be 200% reliable. One has failed, I spent 2 hours Workshop time travelling, and thoroughly diagnosing, (due to the use and importance of the vehicle), and then replacing a faulty part I supplied. I cannot Invoice the Customer, he has already paid me 11 months ago. I cannot Invoice the Factor, only the part is guaranteed. Yes it is exactly like an unpaid Invoice, and yes there is, (or was a few years ago, maybe it has changed since I ran the Gearbox business in England), a procedure for this I just do not know how to do it as I never got involved in the Bookwork back then, and being a limited and VAT registered company with PAYE Employees it was a lot more complicated then. The answer is below :- I either:- 1) Make out a sales Invoice for 2 hours, and put it in Sales Invoices with a Red MINUS £120 total, so at the end of the month my Sales Total is less £120 (less likely) OR 2) I Invoice the Workshop for £120 total with it's own Workshop Invoice, and put it in my Miscellaneous Purchase Invoices (more likely) OR 3) HMRC have changed the rules and this can no longer be done (dunno have to wait and see what the egg head says when they finally get him out of the Boswell Hotel Bar) My last conversation with Account he clearly stated that as long as I could justify any Purchase amount if questioned by HMRC then it was no problem. I was just hoping someone else who has a workshop knew how to do this or could definitively say "No Dave it was axed by HMRC in xxxx year" Yes exactly I just thought of this ................... What I could have done is paid someone else 2 hours labour to go, test, return and fit Battery, now I know I could certainly put their invoice in as a Purchase, so that is most likely how it is done, it goes in "MISCELLANEOUS PURCHASES"

Me, nah, don't go in for all that religion, my religion is Sunday pm in the juicer

Nick, that's the whole point, nobody warrants labour these days, they supply you a new part yes, but why should the Workshop takings foot the bill. I almost had to go legal on Ivor Searle Engines a few years back, when a Rebuilt CDI motor they supplied pissed oil out of the Rear Main Seal before it even came off the lift !! So I then had to pull the trans out of the Merc and fit a new MB Seal to it !! They Coughed up in the end, well actually it was their agent who I bought it from that paid me, I don't know if they ever got paid How does it take 1.5 hours to say "Fuck off you know nothing cunt" !!

More likely bumming the Choir Boys

I am not Limited, did that years ago, never again !! I am a busy small business Sole Trader, who pays his tax and NI. I lost 2 hours @60 per hr = £120 surely this is a legitimate business expense, I know I can claim mileage, fact is at the moment I am that busy that those 2 hours could have been sold over and over. I know it was years and years ago, but the bookkeeper we had for the Gearbox Firm used to offset non productive workshop hours on a faulty part but I don't know how, that is what I am asking here, "can I claim a loss of hours" if so how. If I had fitted whatever wrong, and had to do 2 hours extra work then of course I would not expect to claim it. Of course I'm not that bothered about 2 hrs, ces't la vie, first time there has been a problem involving more than half hour in almost 3 years, but it got me thinking ................. Say it was that Clutch and DMF I fitted last week that shat itself, that is a 9 hr Job, (well 8.9 book time), leave this with me, I will get the Accountant out of the Pub and get a definitive answer and report back.

No, It is 2 Batteries under Drivers Seat, I guess around 0.3 hrs, but that doesn't cover driving 22 miles each way 4 times, and also checking charging and checking for drain, testing Batteries etc !! This guy is a very good customer, he is stranded without his Vehicle, and at the end of the day it was exactly as he thought, a dud Oldham 3 yr warranty battery supplied 11 months ago ........................ The 2 hours of my time is immaterial, but all I want to know is can I put it through my books by invoicing myself for 2 hours I lost if so I won't be paying tax on that bit of money in December 2019. If I can't fine I'll just write it off. If I could have gotten hold of the Accountant he would have said yay or nay, another garage mates wife, who does their book work reckons there is no reason why not, and they have been trading 30 years in Dunvegan.

If it were an 8.9 hr Pug Clutch fit I would surely be discussing it with them, but we have a good relationship, and I'm not sure these days don't most only warrant the parts not labour ? Tbh I'm not really bothered, but if it's allowed I would rather offset it in the bookwork, it's £££'s I'm not giving up to tax that way ...................... I remember reading about this somewhere, may have been on this forum ?? The customer offered to pay my time, but I don't see why he should, he paid me last year to fit 2 new batteries etc

I don't get much warrantys in the workshop against a job we have done. Well haven't had any in the last couple years, but had a PITA yesterday, a Transit, fitted 2 new batteries 12/12/2017, one died, vehicle non starter stuck up a mountain at the Guys house. So I attended in the Van, got the Van started, checked charging OK, removed the 2 batteries, tested them, one good one dead. Tested both circuits for a current draw, none found. So, dead battery, new one sent FOC from Factors this morning, and went back and fitted it, customer over the moon happy ......................... So here's the rub, that battery is FOC, but what about the 2 hours spent, call out yesterday / checking then leave site, and subsequent trip back to fit the battery this morning ? Do I invoice myself for 2 hours and put it through the books, or do I do another sales invoice and enter it as a negative amount in sales, or will HMRC just tell me to fuck off ??????????????? Anyone else with a workshop know how to do this, I have tried ringing useless cunt accountant but he's most likely in the pub now TIA Dave