An All Nighter!




This weekend Automotive Aspects had quite the job in store! I stayed up and worked through the night to do a complete engine overhaul on a Nissan Titan. It was an interesting job as the front clip of the truck including, the bumper, headlights and hood had to be completely removed. We were pretty much working within the frame of the truck’s front end. Start to finish, this job took about 25 hours. Even though your mechanic may charge you for a set amount of time that a job is recommended to take, what the customer usually doesn’t know is that the job can take much longer if you run into unexpected problems along the way. Rusted and stripped bolts, wrong parts, and additional parts and seals needed to make repairs are just a few of the unexpected problems we encounter on a regular basis. That’s just a risk of doing business so your shop or mechanic should not be charging you more labor time for the job unless more work or additional jobs are required to complete the original job. In this case, your mechanic should discuss those problems with you and obtain approval for the additional charges before moving on with the job. This particular job took about 8 more hours than expected, but the final result was rewarding. The front clip had to be disassembled, front differential had to be removed, engine parts needed to be disconnected from other components, the old engine had to be removed, the new engine had to be put in place along with the replacement of multiple gaskets, spark plugs, fluids and additional parts, all components needed to be connected back together, the front clip needed to be re-assembled and then it’s finally time to start the engine……the moment of truth! There is nothing more satisfying than starting a vehicle up and hearing it run like a champ after spending hours, tirelessly working on repairing it! Test drive results were fantastic! But seriously, time for a nap!!!!! Satisfied customer, re-energized mechanic….time for another week at the office!