When do you refuse to work on something?

[Chuck Finneley]

Hey I’m a welder by trade but do alot of work with trucks, building and fixing equipment like plows and dump bodies. I also do mechanic service for the trucks themselves. I started expanding my mechanic services and doing more automotive stuff lately since I have the room and tools.

My Question is when do you feel it’s necessary or smart to decline to work on something because of the condition of the vehicle. In some instances I get people who have modified their vehicles in ways I feel is unsafe. I deal with alot of lifted trucks and I’ll get asked to repair something like bad ball joints or replace steering components, but the reason everything is worn is because it has a horrible lift on it with just huge springs or spacers and nothing to correct the camber or steering. Or a car that’s just rotted so bad it needs to be crushed but the guy wants me to replace a leaf spring hanger even though there’s barely any frame left without replacing half the rail which they refuse.

Do you just do what the customer wants or do you just say no? What’s the etiquette and liability in these situations? I love custom vehicles but I just do not like working on them when they haven’t been done properly and I’m asked to repair things directly related to the bad work. I also live in NJ so rust is a way of life and have no problem dealing with it, but sometimes you can’t just bolt a new part onto a rotten car. I feel like it’s often better to refuse these jobs than put my name and reputation on it.

What do you think?

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