DealersEdge Professional Forums

I just read the Aug 15 newsletter and was confused. It states that variable diagnosis can be paid to a tech with a single set of punches. My take in reviewing this with an AVM is that a tech must have two sets of punches for ANY variable diagnosis payment. One for the component replace/repair, and one for the diagnosis. This scenario gives a clearer definition of repair vs diagnosis rather than just running the clock for both. The question is, how can you pay a "variable time" without punches to substaniate the actual variable time? Just wondering.

You can't only when push comes to shove and are left to prove what time was expended - but the P&P is fairly clear that variable time does not need to be time recorded and is up to the standard of service management being in charge to determine the proper time allowed.

More to the point of the article, what the tech writes as far as steps taken are more important than time records. He could show 2 hours time recorded but if there are no comments to support what was done in that time, who cares.

If your AVM disagrees, what can I say, it isn't the first time an AVM would be wrong. I am all for if you want to seperate time punches as a means of control and to possibly justify efficiency spent on the base time operation. It's good management if the control is needed, but not necessary or required.

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** Rob, Editor Dealersedge/WD&S **
Help is only a message post away!
robc@dealersedge.com

I agree with Rob that the tech comments should be the deciding factor as long as you are only claiming the standard .0 - .3 hr. of VDT. I also agree that the P&P is pretty vague about time recording of VDT, but bulletin 48-05-01C says a time record is required.

I disagree with your rep saying that a standard labor operation (one that has a labor op and assigned time) has to be time recorded. Ask him to show you in the P&P where that is so.

That being said, there are still enough labor ops without published times to almost require you to do it anyway, just to have the support for time requested.