I was getting some new tires put on the rear of my '96 Impala, and I noticed it was a fair amount of weight he was having to use. It was the stick on weights on the inside, which I like. When I asked about it, he said it was because he told the machine to calculate the amount with the weights behind the spokes! I didn't even know that was an option. He said he put an arm of the machine on two spokes, and it knew that it was a five spoke wheel, and then decided where to put the weights to be behind them.
Cool machine. It's the Hunter GSP9700 Roadforce Balancer, BTW.
It does other neat tricks, too. It will tell you if the wheel or tire is out of round, and where to mount the tire to offset each other. Same with the balance.

 

Most of the 'techs' using them don't know that either. The machine is only as smart as the guy using it. I went to a place that used it and they didn't line up the heavy part of the tire with the light part of the wheel, and loaded up the rim with weights.

 

Yea, the tech mentioned that the machine was smarter than him! On his side, he does know the machine, and likes doing a good job.

 

Here is a link to find one in your area. I have not had the chance to do mine yet...

http://www.gsp9700.com/pub/search/findgsp9700.cfm

 

Man I'd like to find a place where the Techs actually care like you encountered!

 

The Hunter GSP9700 has been around for at least 7 years now and is a tremedous piece of equipment.

I had a set of tires and wheels mounted and balanced at the local Community College Auto Shop Class as the instructors were looking for "real-'world" excercises for the students. I was there while 10 kids each got a chance to use the machine with my AFS wheels as their assignment. At that tme, the only 9700's around locally were at this school and one local GM dealership.

One 'problem' with the machine is that there is a lot of training needed to take full advantage of the machine's capabilities. Most tire shops don't have the money to send their employees to a class to learn everything about it. The turnover rate st some tire shops is high and that training would be lost.

Even if a shop has a couple of well-trained people to use the machine, the shop would most likely charge a higher cost to the customer simply because of the labor time that could go into solving a balance problem. Customers typically don't expect to pay a lot extra for balancing. You buy tires, and the quoted price usually includes balancing but only a basic balance job.

The cost of the machine is pretty steep so some shops just can't afford to get one in spite of the capabilities of the machine and its ability to solve balancing problems that other shops could not.

 

Great link, thanks! I just found many more and closer options than the tire store I've been using for this. They really gouged me the last time which pissed me off. They've never had to R&R the wheels from the car because I refuse to let anyone touch my lugnuts with an impact, even for removal. I'd always taken them the tires and wheels and often they wouldn't even have to dismount old tires. They'd generally been charging $50-60 to mount and balance four tires. Fair enough because they did a good job and also have good mounting equipment which doesn't touch the wheel face while rolling the tire on. But recently I had four brand new tires mounted on four brand new wheels and they charged almost $90! Screw me once, your fault, screw me twice, my fault. I'll not be darkening their doorway again.... Thanks again for saving me time finding a new store.

 

We do exist. My work has always had a very low "comeback" percentage wherever I've worked over the years. It's actually a good thing to be a little bit **** when you're a mechanic. And I assure you I am!

 

to ya!! That's the way it should be when your name is on the work! I like to be proud of any job I've done & point to it & say I did that!

What I find in my area is that if ya have a C5 or 6 you have it made....they are or seem to be easier to work on. C4's on the other hand seem to be a bit out of favor in terms of would you rather have a root canal done or do work on a C4!

I recently found a chevy store that has two vette techs that actually own C4's.......needless to say they are my new best friends! I just wish they were closer. It's a pia because they're 40 miles from me...ya know the song about gettin some one to follow you up & back & all.


Tom

 

Just curious, what chevy store would that be?

 

40 miles north would be, about where...Fishkill, Poughkeepsie? There was a Chevy dealer in Highland (on rte. 9W). Just curious.

 

I lived in the Mid-Hudson Valley for 8 years, that's why I'm asking.

 

Anyone in the bay area, this is where I went. They are in Hayward, and specialize in B-bodies, but they are a bunch of performance nuts that race and will work with anything.
http://www.speedinn.com/

 

If you are a mechanic and aren't ****; you are not a mechanic. Does that make sense?
Bernie

 

Tom, your in Andy's (Redrose) area. Maybe its the same set of guys, these are racers (sprint, etc)... If you haven't you should hook up with them... Andy is a great guy and wealth of info..
vinnie

 

 

The chevy store was a Curry store & they sold it last year to a new investor. Now it's called Taconic Chevrolet & they are in Yorktown(?) on route 202 about four miles west of the 202 exit on the Taconic State Parkway. If anyone wants the digits PM me as I don't know if I'm allowed to post that stuff....oh, TaconicChevrolet.com.....I can do that, right???

The man I trust mostly is a service advisor, he understands customer service(read that as he understands vette owners). He used to work at the local Curry Chevrolet store by my home & had a Tech that he trusted at that shop, long time guy...old school wrench. Anyway Curry shuffled the store by me & Tom (service advisor) ended up at Taconic Chevy & once he saw the operation & was satisfied he pulled out his book & started calling his non-warr customers w/vettes after about 9 months. I've been there for work & was very satisfied that between the two guys that own C4s & the LT5 guy they picked up that they have a good crew. The new owner is a very market/customer pulse type and he has a big shop & he wants to use it right. I hope these guys do well because they have a good attitude toward customer relations. The owner is a car guy to boot. When my Z showed up for work he was all over the car & we went for a ride & were bs'ing about the new zo6.


Tom
P.S. I wish I lived closer to Paul, aka c4c5specialist, he is the man! I wish I knew what he forgot....if I did I'd have no fear working on my Z!

 

I don’t mind when a shop charges journeyman’s wages as long as I get a journeyman working on my car. I hate paying an apprentice to learn what he’s doing on my car and paying journeyman's wages for it. I’m glad to know you (OP) found a shop with a journeyman.

 

Come to south Jersey, you'll find one here.

 

Mr Mojo that would be a nice ride!

I'm at a disadvantage because I left the hobby for 25 yrs & lost all my contacts on where to go & who to see. So now I'm starting all over again. I was spoiled in the mid 70's & early 80's as a friend had his own shop & that was an advantage. Then he became a ford tech so I bought t-birds & still had no worries. He used to hate my 72 LT-1...said that the car was a jig-saw puzzle & that it was 10 lbs of s%$# in a 5 lb bag! The C4 is worse, or just way different, IMHO. He retired so now I've gotta re-learn, sort of, all about working on a vette. The electronics make it a steep curve...to me anyway & then I had to have an LT5 thank god that the LT5 is the least of my concerns.

Truly for me it's just a question of finding the right places with people that care about the work they put out......this is NYC/Metro land so ya know the freight is gonna be a bit high for quality work, that's just the way it is.

What scares me more than paying a master's wages to an apprentice, 94zO7fx3, is when they get frustrated by the C4 & start the "this is good enough" attitude and send the job out with less than the optimal solution. I can't abide by that attitude. I guess that's why most of us would rather learn & do most of it ourselves...if we are able. I know I don't look forward to laying on a concrete floor under my car but sometimes I have no choice....I just haven't found the right place yet that's near me to make me stop doing my own preventative maintenance.


Tom