is my mechanic overcharging?
I paid 550 to get my water pump replaced. And that was from a buddies shop with a discount on labor. The parts are cheap the labor is expensive. Especially on a car where everything is compacted in a tight place
Thread Starter
Banned
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
From: SC
Jack stands $25 a pair at Harbor Freight. You can get a basic jack for like $60. Socket wrench for 10 bucks & a set of deep sockets for another $10. Breaker bar for $10 and a pliers set for <10. Extension set for $5. Those are all the tools you'd really need for the job. Far from top of the line quality, but if you're just doing occasional wrenching, they'd suit your needs just fine. $150 in a few required tools.
Oil:
Mobil1 is usually about $7/quart, but you can find specials here & there for $25/jug (5-quart jug). Stay stocked up.
Labor:
Believe me, they didn't overcharge you. Nothing ever goes right when working on cars, and the number of hours in manuals are only a guide/estimate; it could go either way, depending on how stubborn the car decides to be.
The parts alone cost about $250 after tax. Leaving the labor cost of $300 with tax.
If they, in fact, charge only $60/hr (which is very cheap, by the way) that's really $65/hr after tax. That means they charged for 4.5 hours, which isn't that unreasonable when you think about how many hours the car was actually tying up that service bay getting fluids added, drained, parts properly removed, reinstalled, checked, etc.
To answer the title question: No, your mechanic is not overcharging.
Oil:
Mobil1 is usually about $7/quart, but you can find specials here & there for $25/jug (5-quart jug). Stay stocked up.
Labor:
Believe me, they didn't overcharge you. Nothing ever goes right when working on cars, and the number of hours in manuals are only a guide/estimate; it could go either way, depending on how stubborn the car decides to be.
The parts alone cost about $250 after tax. Leaving the labor cost of $300 with tax.
If they, in fact, charge only $60/hr (which is very cheap, by the way) that's really $65/hr after tax. That means they charged for 4.5 hours, which isn't that unreasonable when you think about how many hours the car was actually tying up that service bay getting fluids added, drained, parts properly removed, reinstalled, checked, etc.
To answer the title question: No, your mechanic is not overcharging.
How much should I expect to pay to have my rear main seal changed? realistically...considering most shops here in the southeast charge 60-80 an hour for labor
Thread Starter
Banned
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
From: SC
you really are a massive ******* ****** aren't you? Once upon a time before I joined this forum and just read it from time to time, I thought people on here were generally nice and helpful. Douchebag
you are being a jerk. someone obviously pissed in your cheerios and you're all butthurt over it or something. If all you know how to do is be an ***, leave the thread. I'm not asking you to post here. I'm actually doing the opposite. Please do not post in my thread anymore so I can get good info from other people. kthxbye.
Anyway. A little back story on the shop. It is owned by a few of the guys that ran the shop at the local pontiac dealership. When the dealership closed, they opened their own shop. That being said, they told me that they only charge $60 an hour labor. That is so contradictory to the price I paid b/c first of all, they should be quick with my car since they worked at the pontiac dealership. Since their labor is almost half the price of other shops that would charge less for the work I had done, does that just mean that the shop I went to took DOUBLE the time to complete the work? Holy crap they must be bad. I know I'm probably more fired up than I should be, but I don't like getting robbed. Like I said above, I have the ability, and would really really like to do the work myself, but I have no tools and no place to work on my car anymore. I had everything I needed when I lived with my parents b/c my grandfather was a mechanic that took all his tools with him when he retired (he even had a set of lifts in his shop), but I live waaaaaay to far away from them to have any access to that stuff =[
Anyway. A little back story on the shop. It is owned by a few of the guys that ran the shop at the local pontiac dealership. When the dealership closed, they opened their own shop. That being said, they told me that they only charge $60 an hour labor. That is so contradictory to the price I paid b/c first of all, they should be quick with my car since they worked at the pontiac dealership. Since their labor is almost half the price of other shops that would charge less for the work I had done, does that just mean that the shop I went to took DOUBLE the time to complete the work? Holy crap they must be bad. I know I'm probably more fired up than I should be, but I don't like getting robbed. Like I said above, I have the ability, and would really really like to do the work myself, but I have no tools and no place to work on my car anymore. I had everything I needed when I lived with my parents b/c my grandfather was a mechanic that took all his tools with him when he retired (he even had a set of lifts in his shop), but I live waaaaaay to far away from them to have any access to that stuff =[
Staging Lane
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 69
Likes: 0
From: Atlanta, GA
Yo adams... I know you're kinda pissed about how much they charge you, but there's nothing you can do about it unless you get some friends and ya'll do it yourselves... I just paid $500 in labor to drop and install my tranny... It's a pain in the *** to do tranny work without a lift, so it's up to you whether on not it's worth it... I personally don't want to have to pay that to get my clutch changed, but my car has been sitting for like 3 weeks bc I haven't had time do go out there and do it myself (plus it's cold as hell).
Me and two of my homeboys installed my engine and tranny last year. We did the all the gaskets and seals with the engine out the car and it was still time consuming. Trying to replace a rear main seal in your driveway without a lift is going to be a pain in the ***... I highly doubt you're going to want to try to do that, so you have no choice but to pay somebody else to do it... Call around, they can't charge you for asking questions... Tell them your car and find out how much it would be and how long it will take to change the rear main seal... go with whoever gives you the best answer or you feel the most comfortable with...
Me and two of my homeboys installed my engine and tranny last year. We did the all the gaskets and seals with the engine out the car and it was still time consuming. Trying to replace a rear main seal in your driveway without a lift is going to be a pain in the ***... I highly doubt you're going to want to try to do that, so you have no choice but to pay somebody else to do it... Call around, they can't charge you for asking questions... Tell them your car and find out how much it would be and how long it will take to change the rear main seal... go with whoever gives you the best answer or you feel the most comfortable with...
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 24,241
Likes: 89
From: Turnin' Wrenches Infractions: 005
Find a new forum then is all I can suggest. Hey maybe this would go over better on Facebook eh?
Thread Starter
Banned
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
From: SC
aww whats wrong? bullied too much back in grade school? having a hard time at work? not working at all and feeling useless? girlfriend leave you? have no girlfriend to leave you? etc. if you get joy out of trying to make a new guy on a forum feel unwelcome, then you live a very very sad life. that being said, I learned a few things while helping my wife study in grad school. behavior typical to what you are displaying is usually due to repressed childhood events. did uncle jim touch you too much as a young boy? did your daddy beat you? was your mommy working the streets? i know that remembering those things causes great pain, but we are here to help you...and we care about you.
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On The Tree
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 126
Likes: 0
From: Tax free DE
The water pump seems a tiny bit high but you should have asked for a breakdown sheet. I always supply my own parts before having anybody work on my vehicles ( If i cannot do it myself for some strange reason) because most auto shops will try to make money on the parts. The next thing I get in a quote is their price per hour and the time the book states so I can get an estimate by multiplying the 2 together. Ive always been told that Whatever the book states for time, a good mechanic can do in about half. By getting their price per hour and time the book states you really cant get screwed. The only exception would be the time they tell you the book calls for but anybody who has worked on vehicles can usually have a pretty good idea of the time it would take. My suggestion would be to buy a nice set of tools and do it yourself if you do not like the price. It may cost you now but you'll have the tools forever and will always be able to use them when need be.
You're on a public forum and you asked for opinions. Stop expecting everyone in the world to agree with you. You are making it obviously clear you do not wish for honest opinions but rather for us to have sympathy for you. Sorry, this place is more suited to give opinions
Jack stands $25 a pair at Harbor Freight. You can get a basic jack for like $60. Socket wrench for 10 bucks & a set of deep sockets for another $10. Breaker bar for $10 and a pliers set for <10. Extension set for $5. Those are all the tools you'd really need for the job. Far from top of the line quality, but if you're just doing occasional wrenching, they'd suit your needs just fine. $150 in a few required tools.
Oil:
Mobil1 is usually about $7/quart, but you can find specials here & there for $25/jug (5-quart jug). Stay stocked up.
Labor:
Believe me, they didn't overcharge you. Nothing ever goes right when working on cars, and the number of hours in manuals are only a guide/estimate; it could go either way, depending on how stubborn the car decides to be.
The parts alone cost about $250 after tax. Leaving the labor cost of $300 with tax.
If they, in fact, charge only $60/hr (which is very cheap, by the way) that's really $65/hr after tax. That means they charged for 4.5 hours, which isn't that unreasonable when you think about how many hours the car was actually tying up that service bay getting fluids added, drained, parts properly removed, reinstalled, checked, etc.
To answer the title question: No, your mechanic is not overcharging.
Oil:
Mobil1 is usually about $7/quart, but you can find specials here & there for $25/jug (5-quart jug). Stay stocked up.
Labor:
Believe me, they didn't overcharge you. Nothing ever goes right when working on cars, and the number of hours in manuals are only a guide/estimate; it could go either way, depending on how stubborn the car decides to be.
The parts alone cost about $250 after tax. Leaving the labor cost of $300 with tax.
If they, in fact, charge only $60/hr (which is very cheap, by the way) that's really $65/hr after tax. That means they charged for 4.5 hours, which isn't that unreasonable when you think about how many hours the car was actually tying up that service bay getting fluids added, drained, parts properly removed, reinstalled, checked, etc.
To answer the title question: No, your mechanic is not overcharging.
Yo adams... I know you're kinda pissed about how much they charge you, but there's nothing you can do about it unless you get some friends and ya'll do it yourselves
Last edited by BOBS99SS; Feb 11, 2012 at 03:26 PM. Reason: ;p;error
aww whats wrong? bullied too much back in grade school? having a hard time at work? not working at all and feeling useless? girlfriend leave you? have no girlfriend to leave you? etc. if you get joy out of trying to make a new guy on a forum feel unwelcome, then you live a very very sad life. that being said, I learned a few things while helping my wife study in grad school. behavior typical to what you are displaying is usually due to repressed childhood events. did uncle jim touch you too much as a young boy? did your daddy beat you? was your mommy working the streets? i know that remembering those things causes great pain, but we are here to help you...and we care about you.
Actively cussing and and insinuating childhood molestation to one of the most helpful moderators on this forum.
You ROCK!
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