Broken spring-would you replace shocks as well?

[Orionaut]

Simple question.

You are changing the springs on a 60,000 mile car. There is nothing "obviously" wrong with the shocks.

Would you change both springs and shocks, or just the springs?

If you were having the work carried out by a Garage and the Garage recommended changing both, would you see the logic in doing so (Shocks age, everything nice and new is good, doing whole lot in one go incurs little additional labour, just additional parts cost), or would you feel that the garage was trying to pad the job out a bit?

 

[Orionaut]

HooooKayy, I will come clean.

"I" am the workshop.

I like to do the whole lot in one go (Especially with struts)

I have no problem with regular customers, They know me, trust me, and know that, as "Which" would say, I am "Good but Pricey" because I am inclined to be a perfectionist.

(Funnily enough, Like most people who are perfectionist in their chosen calling, I am an utter slob in every other aspect of my life! (How does that work?? It confuses the Hell out of my lady friends, really it does! and it actually confuses me too really! ))

It is the new customers that I am wondering about, even though I have been doing this for decades, I still find myself wondering how hard to push it when I am talking to somebody who is comparing a quote between a workshop that is happy to just quote for replacing a single broken spring and Me who wants to do both, and shocks, and top strut mountings (And, you know, those wishbone bushes are beginning to delaminate, they probably wont get through the next MOT, those brake hoses have cracks in them, those disks are badly corroded and that off side brake caliper doesn't retract smoothly and is binding slightly...... Aaaand so on! )

Ho Hummn, Life's a Game!

 

[Orionaut]

Nah if it's for a customer just be honest with them.

Say you can replace the springs if they want, but that if it was your own car you be looking a either all 4 springs or shocks as well.

Give them advice and let them choose

That is my default,

But I do feel uncomfortable If I feel I have been pushed into doing a half-arsed job, I really do!

As I said, I have been doing this for nearly 40 years, There have been occasions where people have come back to me and i have said "Yes I told you so!"

My own feeling is that the customer is NOT always right and part of ones role as a professional is to tell them so when it is necessary to do so!

 

[Orionaut]

she actually got something for £25 fitted.

I really hope you are kidding,

Really!

£25!

WTF were they? QC failed ones that were fit only for agricultural use?? (I have actually seen this, though not recently)

Sad to say, nothing would surprise me these days though!