Scubapro Regulator servicing

[Jim Lapenta]

Some shops near me charge labor by the stage. Anywhere from 30-45 per stage plus plus 10-15for the SPG.

I charge 45 per hour (one hour min) plus parts for ones I do. My ultrasonic can handle all the components for a complete reg set that can go into one plus another 2 1st stages. I also use a 50/50 vinegar/distilled water bath for parts that won't go in like hose ends. I agree with AWAP on the spg. That is part of the reg service and unless the thing is frozen in with corrosion it takes no more than 5 minutes to clean the spool and put new orings on it.

Spools with new orings retail for around $5 and extra orings I buy in lots of 100. $20 for that is outrageous. I do take my time and treat every reg like my kid was going to be the next one using it. Problem is I have had to turn down some queries as I cannot get parts for the regs that were inquired about. Others I have to go backdoor to other dealers who charge me retail for them and then I need to mark up on top of that. I have had friends get kits on line and then have me do the labor.

I service HOG/Edge and since they are on a two year recommended rebuild the cost for me to do a set (1st stage, both seconds, and SPG) ends up around 90 bucks (parts and labor) plus return shipping if applicable. ( a reg I can do in an hour) There is a suggested annual inspection that involves a thorough cleaning, checking pressures and adjusting if necessary, checking seats, and replacing any o rings that may need it. You'd be surprised at what someone can do to an oring just swapping hoses, but I do that for $25 plus return shipping and parts if needed. O rings are like 50 cents so no big deal to most.

Bottom line, even with return shipping a reg set will cost my customer around 150 max every two years including return shipping. Or if they choose to not have me do the annual suggested inspection about 105 max depending on shipping.

If a reg is so bad that it takes three hours to clean it then not only would there be the hourly rate but I might also suggest that person rent regs since they obviously are not responsible enough to own one.:shocked2:

I'm also personally getting away from any regs where the kits are more than $20 per stage.

 

[redacted]

per the details of the original servicing bid in question, agreed to by two consenting adults. apparently it's not 'integral'.

It is as integral to a professional regulator service as new spark plugs are to a tune-up or new pads to a brake service. Unfortunately, "professional" servicing in scuba may take a bit of shopping to find. What do you think you are paying for when you get your regs serviced? Do you think it includes the replacement and lubrication of all dynamic o-rings?

 

[halocline]

I recently serviced a 3 year old MK25 S600 R395 with around 50 dives on it for a customer, the reg was well used and corroded.

I charged him $60 per hour and it took me a good 3 hours to service the regulator. It needed an Ultrasonic clean and took a while to strip as it was corroded.

If you're doing this professionally, and you have an US cleaner, and you have the right tools for disassembly, a 3 year old reg should not be any special challenge to service. So what if it's corroded or dirty? That's the whole point; clean and reassemble, with new soft parts. The customer really should not have to pay extra because you're moving a little slower, and I don't understand why that is in this case, unless the damn thing was so corroded you couldn't get it apart. That might be expected with a 20 year old reg, not a 3 year old one. That said, I didn't see the reg so I really don't know what you were up against.

Anyhow, you probably should have done this for the standard cost, and just lived with the fact that it took more time. It's better business in the long run. If a mechanic started charging extra every time he found a frozen bolt or rusted stud, he'd run out of customers soon I bet.

I take forever to service my own regs, but a lot of that is because I do it in my kitchen without an US cleaner, and I spend an exorbitant amount of time cleaning and adjusting for ideal performance. I'd never be able to make any money at it, unless of course I could find people willing to pay me $60/hour while I'm working at my own pace.

 

[Mitchell Teeters]

Anyhow, you probably should have done this for the standard cost, and just lived with the fact that it took more time. It's better business in the long run. If a mechanic started charging extra every time he found a frozen bolt or rusted stud, he'd run out of customers soon I bet.

I agree with this. Sometimes it is about CS, though based on my local LDS attitudes its like they are doing us a favor conducting business with the customer. Good CS will get you more business. Go figure.

On a side note, something is going on for a regulator to be that corroded after only 3 years.

 

[Shftrdog]

Something I find that helps with servicing is taking pictures of the regs. If they are really corroded and need a lot of work then take some pictures of the inside so you can show the customer how bad it was. I have had a simalar experiance with servicing regs that were really bad and once I showed the customer the picutres of how bad it was they understood.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Servicing the SPG is an integral part of servicing a complete regulator.

I agree that servicing the SPG is normally a part of the service, at least as far as servicing the HP spool and changing the two 003 o-rings there. Polishing the face of the SPG is worth more, but that's a separate service.

If you're doing this professionally, and you have an US cleaner, and you have the right tools for disassembly, a 3 year old reg should not be any special challenge to service. So what if it's corroded or dirty? That's the whole point; clean and reassemble, with new soft parts. The customer really should not have to pay extra because you're moving a little slower, and I don't understand why that is in this case, unless the damn thing was so corroded you couldn't get it apart. That might be expected with a 20 year old reg, not a 3 year old one. That said, I didn't see the reg so I really don't know what you were up against.

Anyhow, you probably should have done this for the standard cost, and just lived with the fact that it took more time. It's better business in the long run. If a mechanic started charging extra every time he found a frozen bolt or rusted stud, he'd run out of customers soon I bet.

There is the normal dirt, salt and corrosion that comes with a heavily used, annually serviced reg, or with a infrequently used reg that is average poorly rinsed. That should be covered in the basic labor charge as it is "normal".

I think the above case is most similar to the mechanic example, as shop rates for labor are predicated on the normal occurence of rusted bolts, etc.

In contrast, there is the "I am an idiot who flooded the reg and left it in the bag for a month after getting home from the Bahamas" kind of "dirty". Where the reg is literally black inside with corrosion and can take a great deal of effort to clean.

That is more analogous to taking the car to the mechanic for an oil change after running the engine for 20,000 miles since the last oil change and noting it was probbaly time for a change as the oil light was on and it was running hot. In no way shape or form should the customer reasonably expect to get out of there with a $25-$30 bill.

When that happens, the first question to ask is whether it is worth the time to service the first stage when it might actually be cheaper to replace it. For example, it may take 3 hours and cost $50 in parts to service a first stage for a total cost of over $200, with no guarentee it will work or last very long if it does pass a flow test. In that case, it makes more sense to just replace it than it does to repair it, and showing the customer the inside of the first stage will normally get their agreement. If not, then you can negotiate the cleaning repair cost, and emphasize that there is no guarentee it will work when cleaned and/or may need more parts costing $X.xx.


Some where in the middle is the "needs extra cleaning" reg where there is no doubt it can be restored to service but where you deserve to get paid for the extra effort required. In my experience, most shops do not charge enough to cover the tech's actual time for the extra cleaning since an extra hour of cleaning time means the tech could have serviced another entire regulator, and as such the extra cleaning surcharge should be 100% of the basic labor cost, or at a minimum equal to the techs cut of the labor charge given to the tech.

 

[ajduplessis]

What a rip-off. I pay $30 at Scubapro to service my set (mk25, r395,s600 and gauges) and this includes parts. I also get some kind of marketing material (Scubapro t-shirt, cap, beanie pullover or sweater)

 

[Moonglow]

You charge whever you want, but you do not cheat the customer. If we quote "$100.00, that's the maximum we get for that service. We charge a flat fee for each specific service which is advertised on the website, in mailers, and posted in our service area. If we determine after initial examination that there is going to be extra work or parts we offer the customer bid before any work is started.

 

[gmanstan]

As a self employed person I can see your point of charging more because it cost you more but, thats the short sighted view as it probably cost you several potential customers. The smart thing to do would have been to eat the $50 ,keeping your customer happy while only lowering your Hourly from $60 hr. to $44 hr.(still not bad) .Then you chalk up the"loss" to promotion. Good word of mouth promotion can go a long way,and is worth every penny.

 

[Mitchell Teeters]

I guess people charge what they charge because they can. One thing I've noticed (In this business and others), is if you keep the customer ignorant you can charge whatever you want. I for one don't subscribe to this. Part of this is on the customer to possibly asking the right questions, or being knowledgeable about the costs of maintenance. I know calling around locally and checking prices as compared to sending my stuff off has lost business locally. They just charge too much.