> Note: I used to be a service advisor (aka service writer) at a BMW dealership in New York.
Note: I used to be a Ford Dealership tech/mechanic in Michigan. (Master ASE certification - I know what I'm talking about)
> Book rate is supposedly the average number of hours it takes to do a job, as benchmarked at the factory. If a service writer at a franchised dealership tried to charge more, the franchise could be revoked. Oh, and its horribly unethical.
I disagree. I don't believe it's unethical to quote different labor rates for different vehicles. For instance, Owners of conversion vans are often charged more for tune-ups because it is often much more difficult to remove the "dog-house" cover from the interior with all the added non-standeard trimwork.
4x4 trucks with aftermarket skid plates - one more thing to remove (not in labor time book)
Custom wheel covers - more crap that needs to be taken off - often without the aid of the original wheel wrench tool. (not in labor time book)
Crap inside the car - I remember changing an entire vehicle wiring harness in an escort. I needed three stalls, One for the car, One for the parts removed, and the 3rd stall for all the stuff inside the car.
> No, customers are not quoted anything other than book rate. And occasionally, a generous technician will agree to do small work for free, essentially agreeing to NOT get paid for work performed.
The second sentence contradicts the first.
> Techs LOVE warranty work because it is automatically authorized by the factory, as opposed to a customer who doesn't want to agree to new valve gaskets because the car will still run for a few thousand more miles before its critical.
In this particular case, it would not be unethical for the shop to charge for the work performed. In this case a diagnosis fee for determining the problem was a "valve gasket" (as you call it) Usually they're called "valve cover gaskets".
> Here's a little dealership secret for you: technicians have an hourly wage. As many hours as they can book in a day, they get paid for, either warranty or customer pay work. The only reason they like warranty work better is because the repairs are always authorized, as opposed to wasting time waiting for the service advisor to get approval over the phone from a customer.
Technicians are usually paid via the "flat-rate" system - this means they are paid by book time - not clock time. Oil changers could be either flat-rate or hourly paid. Higher-end technicians can be paid via a salary system. They are usally the first people to be kept busy because they are getting paid whether or not a car comes through the oor. This option only works for high volume shops. I don't doubt that BMW techs would be paid on an hourly basis. Quality suffers (how much is arguable) under the "rush it out the door" flat-rate (book time) system. BMW dealerships would be willing to make this sacrifice because they'll be more likey to keep selling their $50,000 cars. Yes, you will likely be treated differently if you are a lifetime BMW customer.
> ...wasting time waiting for the service advisor to get approval over the phone from a customer.
often repairs are authorized to a certain amount before a repair is made. If authorization is needed, mechanics switch to another vehicle while the customer is contacted. No time is wasted as long as the mechanic has more than one car to work on.
> aftermarket parts. Independant shops tend to buy more aftermarket parts than OEM parts. Which brings up an interesting point, which is that aftermarket parts tend to be poorly manufactured and need to be replaced sooner than the factory equivalent.
This is a common automotive flamewar. Neither side is right every time. Often OEM parts are better, but other times, SOME aftermarket parts are better. And in some cases, the parts are "vendor made" which means those lift gate struts you buy from the dealership are made by the same factory as the OEM parts. No Automakers use their own parts exclusively anymore.
Buyer Beware. Some vendor parts are better, some are worse. Don't believe somebody that says "ALL" OEM parts are better. And don't believe people that say "ALL" aftermarket parts are "ALWAYS" equal to OEM - They're sometimes not.
If OEM parts cost $500 and aftermarket parts cost $250 for 90% of the quality, Sorry, but I'm gonna buy the aftermarket parts for my own car.
> Is there a good way to find out about the best mechanics in the area?
Unfortunately, it is not easy. A dealership will typically have a guy specialize in one area, so a shop might have a really good Transmission guy, but maybe not a very good engine guy.
The best way to find a good mechanic is probably to ask the local part stores. They usually don't fix stuff there, so they don't have a conflict of interest, and they usually know the shops quite well. Try to find an employee you think has worked there longest; they probably know more horror stories, and will likely have a better idea where to send you.
Overall, dealerships have better repair records, because they have more repition than shops that work on everything. The comprimise is that they typically cost more. If it is something that you can't risk - try a a dealer. If you want to save some bucks, try a privately owned shop.
Two last bits of advice, Privately owned shops are typically more willing to buy used parts from salvage yards. You may need to special request it, but you can save a lot of money.
Example: My Ford Escort needed a new camshaft and misc. parts Dearercost for new cam - about $300.00 new roller lifters - eight @ $16.00 each lifter guides - 4 sets @ about $6.00 each
Junkyard sold me the entire aluminum cylinder head with a warranty for $75 - parts sold separtely would easily cost over $1000.00 after removing the parts I needed, I bet I could still get my $75 back if I sold the rest of the parts on E-Bay.
Salvage yard parts work best for stuff like windshields, hard to find body panels, and non-moving parts. For obvious reasons, try to avoid using used brake parts, shocks, or other common wear items.
Lastly, Don't be afraid to check out performance parts. Another dirty secret in the industry is that the plain jane parts cost more money than hard-core racing parts.
Example: My dodge Shadow had a snapped camshaft. OEM replacement cost was about $300.00 but a Mopar (Chryslers racing brand) cam sold for about $130.00 at the same dearlership! In the end, I got a better than stock camshaft for less than half the cost!
Automakers make money by keeping this stuff secret. Why?
Dealerships do two types of repairs: Customer Pay, and Warranty pay. As a way to protect consumers from questionable hourly billing, shops use a refrence book that tells them about how many hours a job will take. This book is how your estimate is determined (plus or minus whatever the service writer thinks they can get out of you)
What you're not told is that customer pay jobs are often quoted TWICE the time alocated for warranty jobs. Very few mechanics like warranty jobs unless it's something that they have a really good shortcut around (i.e. A faster way to replace an engine than the shop manual shows)
Since automakers tell the dealerships how much they will pay for warranty jobs, Dealerships tend to make up for it by overcharging for customer pay jobs (via padding the quoted labor times)
So who gets screwed? Not the automakers... They sell more replacement parts when they can eliminate independant shops and aftermarket parts. Independant shops tend to buy more aftermarket parts than OEM parts.
Not the Dealerships... The dealership mechanics don't like to give up their "gravy" jobs like brakes & transmission services to Independant shops because those gravy jobs are what help them compensate for warranty work. Dearership owners feel the same way. For a given week, if mechanic 1 can replace 10 customer pay transmissions, and mechanic 2 can replace the same number of warranty transmissions, Mechanic 1 just earned the dealership twice as much and without all the BS warranty paperwork.
Independant shops get screwed. Common sense. They can't compete because automakers are trying everything they can to get customers to come to them for all their needs. Independant shops must then rely on oil changes & mufflers to make their money, and there's too much competition there because it doesn't involve as much training. There isn't nearly as much money to be made changing oil as there can be for drivability & electrical stuff. The little shops must do a lot more little tests that the Non-OBD2 codes provide. How can a little shop compete?
Customers get screwed. Mainly because competition is eliminated. Don't expect to see any improvement either. CNN headline news has been reporting that there will be a shortage of about 200,000 mechanics by the year 2010. Expect to see dealerships take advantage of that and watch labor rates and times skyrocket.
My first computer was a Gateway Destination PII 233
What made the enclosure unique was that it was a horizontal case with no CPU fan. Instead of having a fan on the processor, they used a Huge-Ass heat sink and a shroud that would redirect air from the Power Supply fan. When I say huge, I mean this heatsink was about 5 x 3 x 3 inches in size! When I switched that motherboard & Processor to a vertical case, I could not reuse the fan shroud/ducting so for a while I actually ran it without any fan! Yeah, it was probably risky, but apparently there was enough natural convection heat transfer over the huge heatsink to avoid problems.
It's a shame that nobody makes a power supply with special air ducting for processors and heatsinks. It would be sweet if somebody did that and added a tempature based fan controller.
... because now when the Superbowl or World Series is in town, Telephone companies can put these things up to help maintain reasonable wireless service. Maybe these could have even helped avoid the cell phone blockouts in NYC on 9/11
> I still think you can't beat a $50 CDR and 0.20 media costs.
That's debatable. Hard Drives are approaching a dollar a gig. Check Pricewatch.com sometime. $85 for 80 gigs or $136 for 120 gigs isn't too shaby even if it is a 5400 RPM drive. Besides, if you're doing backups, a 5400 RPM drive is going to be way faster than the fastest burners, and WAY easier to automate.
Last Thanksgiving I actually beat that price. (60 gig Western Digital for $50 after rebate at bestbuy)
Yes, I do burn my ghost backups to CD, but lately, I'm wondering if it is even worth the effort at the cost of hard drive space.
> most of the tips and techniques tend to be of 'do it and see if it works' type of experimentation. I am interested in the simulation approach prior to actual experimentation to get a decent picture of what to expect during the experimentation phase, which IMHO should be safer and more cost effective.
I'm going to have to disagree with you on this one. In the early stages of vehicle modification, there is such a thing as "paralysis by analysis". In other words, get the basics out of the way first. better flowing Cylinder Heads, Exhaust, Induction, etc. Why spend exorbanant amounts of time & money on software, training, and engineering classes when you could just put the money towards parts?
On the other hand, let's say you're really hard core about this. You're already making....let's say 450 Horsepower in your "fast & the Furious" style Honda 4-banger. Adding 50 horsepower to a 450 horse engine is going to cost ya tons more than adding 50 horse to a 130 horse engine. Heck, a lot of the parts you buy can be right from a stock motor at a junkyard. Need a bigger throttle body? Grab one from a V6 motor. Need a bigger throttle body for your 450 horse motor? You're gonna have to shell out $300+ because you're not going to find one at the junkyard. My point here is, If you're hard-core, then it might be worth it to spend money on software. It can take years to become an expert on Finite Element Analysis, and even then, we still question our results. Finite Element analysis makes assumptions. Materials are assumed homogenous (same throughout), same grain structure (difficult to model forgings & some stampings), no casting flaws, bad welds, etc.
If anybody is interested, I plan on doing some FEA work on my own project vehicle before my school finds out that I've already graduated and kick me off the system:-)
I'm hoping to create a finite element model of a Ford Ranger frame to find out what I should do to strengthen the frame on my own vehicle. My '88 Ranger has been upgraded to 89 Mustang 5.0 power but unfortunately the frame has been twisting so much under load that the spot welds on the bed have been breaking. I'll plan on putting a link on my current webpage for those of you that would like to follow along. After July 1st, my username will change so check Here
> Auto mechanics bill $30 to $50 an hour for their time
Sorry... This is also incorrect. Auto Shops bill that much, not the mechanics. $30 sounds like the absolute low end, and even $50 sounds somewhat low to me. Due to overhead (shop equipment, office supplies, etc.), the mechanic will make about half of the flat-hourly rate. Most shops work on a flat-rate system which means labor times are calculated from a refrence book before the job is done. So if your 94 explorer has a leaky oil pan gasket, the job will be quoted about 6 hours (evacuate, A/C, remove engine, replace oilpan gasket, reinstall engine, charge A/C ). If your mechanic can do the job in 4 hours (not likely) he will still get paid for 6 hours. If he takes 12 hours, he still gets paid for only 6 hours (this is protection for the consumer). It's easy to see how the system encourages flat-rate mechanics to take shortcuts to earn more money.
I cannot verify hourly rates for Airplane mechanics, but I can almost certainly guarantee that they do not work on a flatrate system. From what I understand, Airplane mechanics/techs must use a torque wrench for every nut, bolt, and screw that gets tightened, and then log the value in a log book, leading to very time consuming work. In a car about the worst thing that can happen is to have an engine that quits. In an airplane that can be fatal. Shortcuts are not encouraged, so Flat-Rate payment is not encouraged.
> now mechanics are a dime a dozen, and near the bottom rung of the social ladder, in most places.
This is not true. One of my best friends in college made $50k right out of school, and was making a six figure salary at age 22
Though this is not the norm, it isn't bad for a two year degree. Mechanics earn a lot more money than the old days, partly because now you need to know what you're doing, but mostly because there is a shortage of mechanics to fill positions. Not exactly a dime a dozen.
Bullshit attitudes like yours towards mechanics are among the reasons why I am no longer a mechanic myself. Yes, there are some weasels out there, but saying that mechanics are rednecks, is like saying that all programmers are pizza faced, mountain dew drinking, slobs who don't shower. Take a moment to step off your elite pedestal and try becoming informed.
> Let's say that out of the one's you've captured, 10 have your tags on them and 90 don't. From this you can extrapolate that you have 10 times the number of Rhinos in the wild than you originally tagged, or 1,000 Rhinos.
Nah.... That just means you have 10 rhinos are too damn slow to get away from you.
I think it's amazing that India has fewer fatalites than countries like the Unitied States and The Netherlands. I remember seeing TV pictures of Hundreds of people riding on the roof and hanging off the sides of trains there. I could not find any pictures to verify my claim, but I found this: little snippet at: http://www.ecomsquare.com/travel/Knowindia/Bus.cfm
> There are usually mounds of baggage in the aisles, chickens under seats, %gt and in some more remote places there will be people travelling 'upper class' (i.e. on the roof).
Is it possible that these statistics include cars hit by trains?
Yes I am replying to myself. I thought that Pro E had already been ported to Linux because of something I read on SDRC's chat board.
Although I'm not a regular Pro-E user, Its great news for Mechanical Engineers / Designers. In my opinion, the greatest advantage of running CAD software on a *NIX box is that I can more easily write scripts to do my work. PERL is right there at the command line, and makes it easy to dump a list of 3D point coordinates into a macro for creating or modifying parts. Yes, you can do the same stuff in windows, but I think we can all agree it's easier with Unix.
> I seriously doubt that it'll ever be built, but the Gibraltar Bridge [discovery.com] is a fascinating concept nonetheless. 9 *miles* long, with 3 towers, each almost twice the height of the CN Tower. Crazy!
If the Gibralter Bridge is ever built, I predict it to be an incredible boost to the economies of both Europe and Africa. Industry in Europe could gain by getting cheap labor in Africa, while nations in Africa will receive heavy investments - Improving their infrastructure. Surely it would be a Win-Win situation for both Africa and Europe.
Like the Tunnel connecting France and Great Brittain, I think it is likely bridges like these would only be feasible if high speed railways are used. High speed railways would allow more traffic and therefore higher revenues to help offset the costs. Unfortunately, I don't think Railways at the southern Regions of the Italian Mainland are currently up to the task. As Americans, we might fail to realize that railways are a primary mode of transportation in most of Europe. Although Expressways do exist, Many people choose to not drive at all because train rides are cheap yet convienient.
It is my belief that the Sicilian Bridge will require much greater investments than the bridge itself to become sucessful. Traffic is what pays for gigantic projects like this, and without high speed railways and expressways it may be difficult.
> and there is only so much wind and hydro power that can be effectively tapped.
And to top that off, Guess when Wind and Hydro energy is easiest to get? (Hint: Think of the weather patterns. ) The Spring and Fall - Unfortunately, most energy is needed in the Summer and Winter. It is too bad we don't have a cheap way to store energy in 3 month intervals!
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... A dual display Athelon laptop.
That's not gonna need crazy batteries!
> ...Especially in the current atmosphere of you must be patriotic or you are a terrorist
True, but I doubt the guy would have had the balls to do this back in late september. I still think he's pressing his luck.
> Note: I used to be a service advisor (aka service writer) at a BMW dealership in New York.
...wasting time waiting for the service advisor to get approval over the phone from a customer.
Note: I used to be a Ford Dealership tech/mechanic in Michigan. (Master ASE certification - I know what I'm talking about)
> Book rate is supposedly the average number of hours it takes to do a job, as benchmarked at the factory. If a service writer at a franchised dealership tried to charge more, the franchise could be revoked. Oh, and its horribly unethical.
I disagree.
I don't believe it's unethical to quote different labor rates for different vehicles. For instance, Owners of conversion vans are often charged more for tune-ups because it is often much more difficult to remove the "dog-house" cover from the interior with all the added non-standeard trimwork.
4x4 trucks with aftermarket skid plates - one more thing to remove (not in labor time book)
Custom wheel covers - more crap that needs to be taken off - often without the aid of the original wheel wrench tool. (not in labor time book)
Crap inside the car - I remember changing an entire vehicle wiring harness in an escort. I needed three stalls, One for the car, One for the parts removed, and the 3rd stall for all the stuff inside the car.
> No, customers are not quoted anything other than book rate. And occasionally, a generous technician will agree to do small work for free, essentially agreeing to NOT get paid for work performed.
The second sentence contradicts the first.
> Techs LOVE warranty work because it is automatically authorized by the factory, as opposed to a customer who doesn't want to agree to new valve gaskets because the car will still run for a few thousand more miles before its critical.
In this particular case, it would not be unethical for the shop to charge for the work performed. In this case a diagnosis fee for determining the problem was a "valve gasket" (as you call it) Usually they're called "valve cover gaskets".
> Here's a little dealership secret for you: technicians have an hourly wage. As many hours as they can book in a day, they get paid for, either warranty or customer pay work. The only reason they like warranty work better is because the repairs are always authorized, as opposed to wasting time waiting for the service advisor to get approval over the phone from a customer.
Technicians are usually paid via the "flat-rate" system - this means they are paid by book time - not clock time. Oil changers could be either flat-rate or hourly paid. Higher-end technicians can be paid via a salary system. They are usally the first people to be kept busy because they are getting paid whether or not a car comes through the oor. This option only works for high volume shops. I don't doubt that BMW techs would be paid on an hourly basis. Quality suffers (how much is arguable) under the "rush it out the door" flat-rate (book time) system. BMW dealerships would be willing to make this sacrifice because they'll be more likey to keep selling their $50,000 cars. Yes, you will likely be treated differently if you are a lifetime BMW customer.
>
often repairs are authorized to a certain amount before a repair is made. If authorization is needed, mechanics switch to another vehicle while the customer is contacted. No time is wasted as long as the mechanic has more than one car to work on.
> aftermarket parts. Independant shops tend to buy more aftermarket parts than OEM parts.
Which brings up an interesting point, which is that aftermarket parts tend to be poorly manufactured and need to be replaced sooner than the factory equivalent.
This is a common automotive flamewar. Neither side is right every time. Often OEM parts are better, but other times, SOME aftermarket parts are better. And in some cases, the parts are "vendor made" which means those lift gate struts you buy from the dealership are made by the same factory as the OEM parts. No Automakers use their own parts exclusively anymore.
Buyer Beware. Some vendor parts are better, some are worse. Don't believe somebody that says "ALL" OEM parts are better.
And don't believe people that say "ALL" aftermarket parts are "ALWAYS" equal to OEM - They're sometimes not.
If OEM parts cost $500 and aftermarket parts cost $250 for 90% of the quality, Sorry, but I'm gonna buy the aftermarket parts for my own car.
I think I agree with the rest of your comments.
> Is there a good way to find out about the best mechanics in the area?
Unfortunately, it is not easy.
A dealership will typically have a guy specialize in one area, so a shop might have a really good Transmission guy, but maybe not a very good engine guy.
The best way to find a good mechanic is probably to ask the local part stores.
They usually don't fix stuff there, so they don't have a conflict of interest, and they usually know the shops quite well. Try to find an employee you think has worked there longest; they probably know more horror stories, and will likely have a better idea where to send you.
Overall, dealerships have better repair records, because they have more repition than shops that work on everything. The comprimise is that they typically cost more. If it is something that you can't risk - try a a dealer. If you want to save some bucks, try a privately owned shop.
Two last bits of advice,
Privately owned shops are typically more willing to buy used parts from salvage yards. You may need to special request it, but you can save a lot of money.
Example:
My Ford Escort needed a new camshaft and misc. parts
Dearercost for new cam - about $300.00
new roller lifters - eight @ $16.00 each
lifter guides - 4 sets @ about $6.00 each
Junkyard sold me the entire aluminum cylinder head with a warranty for $75 - parts sold separtely would easily cost over $1000.00
after removing the parts I needed, I bet I could still get my $75 back if I sold the rest of the parts on E-Bay.
Salvage yard parts work best for stuff like windshields, hard to find body panels, and non-moving parts. For obvious reasons, try to avoid using used brake parts, shocks, or other common wear items.
Lastly,
Don't be afraid to check out performance parts.
Another dirty secret in the industry is that the plain jane parts cost more money than hard-core racing parts.
Example:
My dodge Shadow had a snapped camshaft.
OEM replacement cost was about $300.00
but a Mopar (Chryslers racing brand) cam sold for about $130.00 at the same dearlership! In the end, I got a better than stock camshaft for less than half the cost!
Automakers make money by keeping this stuff secret. Why?
Dealerships do two types of repairs:
Customer Pay, and Warranty pay. As a way to protect consumers from questionable hourly billing, shops use a refrence book that tells them about how many hours a job will take. This book is how your estimate is determined (plus or minus whatever the service writer thinks they can get out of you)
What you're not told is that customer pay jobs
are often quoted TWICE the time alocated for warranty jobs. Very few mechanics like warranty jobs unless it's something that they have a really good shortcut around (i.e. A faster way to replace an engine than the shop manual shows)
Since automakers tell the dealerships how much they will pay for warranty jobs, Dealerships tend to make up for it by overcharging for customer pay jobs (via padding the quoted labor times)
So who gets screwed?
Not the automakers...
They sell more replacement parts when they can eliminate independant shops and
aftermarket parts. Independant shops tend to buy more aftermarket parts than OEM parts.
Not the Dealerships...
The dealership mechanics don't like to give up their "gravy" jobs like brakes & transmission services to Independant shops because those gravy jobs are what help them compensate for warranty work. Dearership owners feel the same way. For a given week, if mechanic 1 can replace 10 customer pay transmissions, and mechanic 2 can replace the same number of warranty transmissions, Mechanic 1 just earned the dealership twice as much and without all the BS warranty paperwork.
Independant shops get screwed.
Common sense. They can't compete because automakers are trying everything they can to get customers to come to them for all their needs. Independant shops must then rely on oil changes & mufflers to make their money, and there's too much competition there because it doesn't involve as much training. There isn't nearly as much money to be made changing oil as there can be for drivability & electrical stuff. The little shops must do a lot more little tests that the Non-OBD2 codes provide. How can a little shop compete?
Customers get screwed.
Mainly because competition is eliminated.
Don't expect to see any improvement either.
CNN headline news has been reporting that there will be a shortage of about 200,000 mechanics by the year 2010. Expect to see dealerships take advantage of that and watch labor rates and times skyrocket.
My first computer was a Gateway Destination PII 233
What made the enclosure unique was that it was a horizontal case with no CPU fan. Instead of having a fan on the processor, they used a Huge-Ass heat sink and a shroud that would redirect air from the Power Supply fan. When I say huge, I mean this heatsink was about 5 x 3 x 3 inches in size! When I switched that motherboard & Processor to a vertical case, I could not reuse the fan shroud/ducting so for a while I actually ran it without any fan! Yeah, it was probably risky, but apparently there was enough natural convection heat transfer over the huge heatsink to avoid problems.
It's a shame that nobody makes a power supply with special air ducting for processors and heatsinks. It would be sweet if somebody did that and added a tempature based fan controller.
... because now when the Superbowl or World Series is in town, Telephone companies can put these things up to help maintain reasonable wireless service. Maybe these could have even helped avoid the cell phone blockouts in NYC on 9/11
> I still think you can't beat a $50 CDR and 0.20 media costs.
That's debatable.
Hard Drives are approaching a dollar a gig.
Check Pricewatch.com sometime. $85 for 80 gigs or $136 for 120 gigs isn't too shaby even if it is a 5400 RPM drive. Besides, if you're doing backups, a 5400 RPM drive is going to be way faster than the fastest burners, and WAY easier to automate.
Last Thanksgiving I actually beat that price.
(60 gig Western Digital for $50 after rebate at bestbuy)
Yes, I do burn my ghost backups to CD, but lately, I'm wondering if it is even worth the effort at the cost of hard drive space.
....Like in this one movie, they needed a guys fingerprints for the fingerprint scanner, so they just cut off his fingers.
In my opinion this is an improvment, because if you're a spy you'll now be able to keep your hands intact.
Seriously though,
Anybody know if Lasik or Radial Keratonomy (sp?) surgery would cause any difficulties with these things?
> most of the tips and techniques tend to be of 'do it and see if it works' type of experimentation. I am interested in the simulation approach prior to actual experimentation to get a decent picture of what to expect during the experimentation phase, which IMHO should be safer and more cost effective.
:-)
I'm going to have to disagree with you on this one. In the early stages of vehicle modification, there is such a thing as "paralysis by analysis". In other words, get the basics out of the way first. better flowing Cylinder Heads, Exhaust, Induction, etc. Why spend exorbanant amounts of time & money on software, training, and engineering classes when you could just put the money towards parts?
On the other hand, let's say you're really hard core about this. You're already making....let's say 450 Horsepower in your "fast & the Furious" style Honda 4-banger. Adding 50 horsepower to a 450 horse engine is going to cost ya tons more than adding 50 horse to a 130 horse engine. Heck, a lot of the parts you buy can be right from a stock motor at a junkyard. Need a bigger throttle body? Grab one from a V6 motor. Need a bigger throttle body for your 450 horse motor? You're gonna have to shell out $300+ because you're not going to find one at the junkyard. My point here is, If you're hard-core, then it might be worth it to spend money on software. It can take years to become an expert on Finite Element Analysis, and even then, we still question our results. Finite Element analysis makes assumptions. Materials are assumed homogenous (same throughout), same grain structure (difficult to model forgings & some stampings), no casting flaws, bad welds, etc.
If anybody is interested, I plan on doing some FEA work on my own project vehicle before my school finds out that I've already graduated and kick me off the system
I'm hoping to create a finite element model of a Ford Ranger frame to find out what I should do to strengthen the frame on my own vehicle. My '88 Ranger has been upgraded to 89 Mustang 5.0 power but unfortunately the frame has been twisting so much under load that the spot welds on the bed have been breaking. I'll plan on putting a link on my current webpage for those of you that would like to follow along. After July 1st, my username will change so check Here
Sounds more like a thermodynamics problem
> Auto mechanics bill $30 to $50 an hour for their time
Sorry... This is also incorrect.
Auto Shops bill that much, not the mechanics. $30 sounds like the absolute low end, and even $50 sounds somewhat low to me. Due to overhead (shop equipment, office supplies, etc.), the mechanic will make about half of the flat-hourly rate. Most shops work on a flat-rate system which means labor times are calculated from a refrence book before the job is done. So if your 94 explorer has a leaky oil pan gasket, the job will be quoted about 6 hours (evacuate, A/C, remove engine, replace oilpan gasket, reinstall engine, charge A/C ). If your mechanic can do the job in 4 hours (not likely) he will still get paid for 6 hours. If he takes 12 hours, he still gets paid for only 6 hours (this is protection for the consumer). It's easy to see how the system encourages flat-rate mechanics to take shortcuts to earn more money.
I cannot verify hourly rates for Airplane mechanics, but I can almost certainly guarantee that they do not work on a flatrate system. From what I understand, Airplane mechanics/techs must use a torque wrench for every nut, bolt, and screw that gets tightened, and then log the value in a log book, leading to very time consuming work. In a car about the worst thing that can happen is to have an engine that quits. In an airplane that can be fatal. Shortcuts are not encouraged, so Flat-Rate payment is not encouraged.
> now mechanics are a dime a dozen, and near the bottom rung of the social ladder, in most places.
This is not true.
One of my best friends in college made $50k right out of school, and was making a six figure salary at age 22
Though this is not the norm, it isn't bad for a two year degree. Mechanics earn a lot more money than the old days, partly because now you need to know what you're doing, but mostly because there is a shortage of mechanics to fill positions. Not exactly a dime a dozen.
Bullshit attitudes like yours towards mechanics are among the reasons why I am no longer a mechanic myself. Yes, there are some weasels out there, but saying that mechanics are rednecks, is like saying that all programmers are pizza faced, mountain dew drinking, slobs who don't shower. Take a moment to step off your elite pedestal and try becoming informed.
> Let's say that out of the one's you've captured, 10 have your tags on them and 90 don't. From this you can extrapolate that you have 10 times the number of Rhinos in the wild than you originally tagged, or 1,000 Rhinos.
Nah.... That just means you have 10 rhinos are too damn slow to get away from you.
;-)
I think it's amazing that India has fewer fatalites than countries like the Unitied States and The Netherlands. I remember seeing TV pictures of Hundreds of people riding on the roof and hanging off the sides of trains there. I could not find any pictures to verify my claim, but I found this: little snippet at :m
http://www.ecomsquare.com/travel/Knowindia/Bus.cf
> There are usually mounds of baggage in the aisles, chickens under seats,
%gt and in some more remote places there will be people travelling 'upper class' (i.e. on the roof).
Is it possible that these statistics include cars hit by trains?
....Hold on while I pull over and wind up my phone.
Yes I am replying to myself.
I thought that Pro E had already been ported to Linux because of something I read on SDRC's chat board.
Although I'm not a regular Pro-E user, Its great news for Mechanical Engineers / Designers. In my opinion, the greatest advantage of running CAD software on a *NIX box is that I can more easily write scripts to do my work. PERL is right there at the command line, and makes it easy to dump a list of 3D point coordinates into a macro for creating or modifying parts. Yes, you can do the same stuff in windows, but I think we can all agree it's easier with Unix.
Congrats Parametric Technology!
As Far as I know, Pro E has already been ported to Linux.
Now if only SDRC I-DEAS was available for Linux
:)
< evil grin >
This could mean the end of Lance Bass and the Back Street Boys.
MUh ha ha ha ha!!
> I seriously doubt that it'll ever be built, but the Gibraltar Bridge [discovery.com] is a fascinating concept nonetheless.
9 *miles* long, with 3 towers, each almost twice the height of the CN Tower. Crazy!
If the Gibralter Bridge is ever built, I predict it to be an incredible boost to the economies of both Europe and Africa. Industry in Europe could gain by getting cheap labor in Africa, while nations in Africa will receive heavy investments - Improving their infrastructure. Surely it would be a Win-Win situation for both Africa and Europe.
Like the Tunnel connecting France and Great Brittain, I think it is likely bridges like these would only be feasible if high speed railways are used. High speed railways would allow more traffic and therefore higher revenues to help offset the costs. Unfortunately, I don't think Railways at the southern Regions of the Italian Mainland are currently up to the task. As Americans, we might fail to realize that railways are a primary mode of transportation in most of Europe. Although Expressways do exist, Many people choose to not drive at all because train rides are cheap yet convienient.
It is my belief that the Sicilian Bridge will require much greater investments than the bridge itself to become sucessful. Traffic is what pays for gigantic projects like this, and without high speed railways and expressways it may be difficult.
Security Through Adolescence
Does that quarter on a string trick actually work?
If so, what type of machines accept it?
Laundry machines only?
Does this imply that tools like SuSE's YAST will also be compatible?
> and there is only so much wind and hydro power that can be effectively tapped.
And to top that off, Guess when Wind and Hydro energy is easiest to get?
(Hint: Think of the weather patterns. )
The Spring and Fall - Unfortunately, most energy is needed in the Summer and Winter.
It is too bad we don't have a cheap way to store energy in 3 month intervals!