Shop Whoops!

[BoostedE21]

I guess this is more of a plea to do your work yourself...

Just got my 01 sport DD Beater back from a local Goodyear shop. I provided all of the parts for the repairs, i just didnt have the time to put them in myself. No major things...

1) Inner Tie Rods
2) Cruise Control Switches
3) Brake ROTORS (not pads)
4) Upper and lower radiator hoses.

If I was doing it myself, I'd allot 5 hours...and that's with a few beers.

Total Cost: $750 in labor!!

$50 each side in the back TO INSTALL A ROTOR!! I paid $25 each for the rotors themselves!! $75 each in the front!

Upper radiator hose install (coolant and hose provided): $75. Lower, $60.




They're quite proud of their work, I guess. May this be a lesson to all of you. Do your work yourself.

 

[Baddecision93]

I could be wrong but part of that is probably due to the fact that you provided the parts.

In my experience they like to make money off their parts as well as their labor. Since they couldn't do that there is a chance they padded their account and snagged a little extra labor money.

 

[sport97]

I could be wrong but part of that is probably due to the fact that you provided the parts.

In my experience they like to make money off their parts as well as their labor. Since they couldn't do that there is a chance they padded their account and snagged a little extra labor money.

Could be the case but my mechanic always asks if i'm getting the part, or if he is. He just runs down to autozone, or advance auto anyway, or if need be to one of the dealerships in the area. He almost every time will have a car fixed same day. He put 4 shocks on for me(i provided) for 40 bucks. I've got plugs and wires, he told me 40 bucks to install as long as the plugs come out. I avoid those chain places at all costs.

You are right, do your own work if possible. Like you said, sometimes you do not have time. In my case, 40 bucks for shocks, its not worth my time to mess with that when they will do it so cheap. I'd get quotes from local places next time you need to do take it in.

 

[jad2411]

My mechanic will buy the parts himself at a discount and just charge what he pays so the best idea is to find someone who'll do it for cheaper than your time is worth

 

[safn1949]

Just a note....it cost me $113 to put rotors and pads on the rear of my 2000 ex,they charged you the flat rate to replace the rotor.it probably paid 7/10 of an hour per side.

Look up the flat rate time online and then divide it buy their shop rate and you will see it is most likely correct,it ain't right but it is correct.

 

[Stic-o]

It takes longer to take the wheel and tire off then to replace the rotor on a 2nd gen ex in the rear

 

[Maniak]

My neighbor the mechanic will charge you what Oriely's/Autozone etc would have charged you But he gets the parts for you AND if the part is bad or the wrong one you don't get charged the extra labor time to fix the oops.

If you bring him the parts and its bad or the wrong parts, you get charged for his full time (or close to).

I'm guessing part of this is that he does get a discount at Oriely's/Autozone. I know at Oriely's his discount has to be 10% or greater as that is what my discount is (I have an account at Oriely's) and he does a bunch more business with them than I do.

~Mark

 

[stuart1a]

I guess this is more of a plea to do your work yourself...

Just got my 01 sport DD Beater back from a local Goodyear shop. I provided all of the parts for the repairs, i just didnt have the time to put them in myself. No major things...

1) Inner Tie Rods
2) Cruise Control Switches
3) Brake ROTORS (not pads)
4) Upper and lower radiator hoses.

If I was doing it myself, I'd allot 5 hours...and that's with a few beers.

Total Cost: $750 in labor!!

$50 each side in the back TO INSTALL A ROTOR!! I paid $25 each for the rotors themselves!! $75 each in the front!

Upper radiator hose install (coolant and hose provided): $75. Lower, $60.




They're quite proud of their work, I guess. May this be a lesson to all of you. Do your work yourself.

Who gets stuck if something fails?

You?

The parts you supplied?

The installer?

3 guesses and the first 2 don't count.

 

[Maniak]

Or, they charge extra IF there is an issue..

I have a neighbor who is a mechanic. If you supply the parts, and its not right, or has an issue you pay for the extra time that it took for him to do the job. If your part works fine then you pay his normal rate.

To me that is fair, But I can see how just charging "book time" for experienced mechanics can work to their advantage most days. Of course, charging book time when a bolt breaks usually works towards the customers benefit.

~Mark

 

[kert0307]

Maybe your rear rotors were rusted to the axle hub. They can be a bear to get off if they have been on there for awhile in the rust belt...

 

[blueoval9erlifer]

Id look for another mechanic. When i have to go to one i have an old mom and pop shop i go to. They charge actual time to do job will do estimate on book time but never takes that long. They may not have all the fancy gadgets the other shops have but they have something none of them do and that is true mechanic knowledge, which is worth way more than the gadgets they sell.

 

[jdmeaux]

ALWAYS get a price in writing BEFORE you let them fix it. I had a shop give me a written quote for $125 labor, and then the cashier tried to charge me $325 after they did the work. When I asked why the difference, they couldn't explain. The owner stuck to the ORIGINAL quote. The cashier was charging full rates for individual installation.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

the last shop i took my truck to (and it was a simple oil change) lifted it like this

after pointing it out to the guy who did it, his response was "everyone's a mechanic" then asked me it i wanted to do my own oil change/ my response "sure, its not that hard" then he got pissy with me.
long story short, they said said theres nothing wrong with lifting it like that, and nothing wrong with my truck.

this is what my wheel looks like now. it was aligned 3 weeks before this.

not only did the guy screw my truck up, but they are 27 hours away from me now so i will have to find out what else he damaged on it, and pay for it out of my own pocket. to add to this, the mechanic started to call my truck a pile of ****, then started insulting my nationality (im canadian) all while his boss watched. yes i was majorly close to knocking him cold.

 

[Varsity]

not only did the guy screw my truck up, but they are 27 hours away from me now so i will have to find out what else he damaged on it, and pay for it out of my own pocket. to add to this, the mechanic started to call my truck a pile of ****, then started insulting my nationality (im canadian) all while his boss watched. yes i was majorly close to knocking him cold.

I don't know what to say after reading that. I know you're really far away from them, but is there anything you're gonna/can do about that? That's way past unacceptable... It's one thing to call someone a name, but to insult AND damage the vehicle considerably is uncalled for. I would have a hard time just walking away from that... But then again, I dunno if there's anything you can do.

Either way, I've read your registry and love the attention and care you've given your truck, I guess that's why reading stuff like this rubs me the wrong way.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

after talking to one of my friends in the u.s., he has told me a few things i can do. the said thing is, it most likely wont solve anything, and fall on deaf ears.
what the shop doesnt know is if i do come back down next year, i will make them priority one to visit.

 

[Varsity]

Sorry to hear that man. If anything does happen, shoot an update. You know everyone here is on your side.

 

[safn1949]

I am speechless......

 

[XLT]

Yikes! Im sorry to hear about the poor luck some of you guys have with shops. Im just a poor college student and found that i have more time then money so i do almost all the work on my truck if possible. I have an old high school buddy that does everything else that i cant but he has only touched my truck once in four years when you put my tires on the rims and gave me an alignment.

 

[jdmeaux]

after talking to one of my friends in the u.s., he has told me a few things i can do. the said thing is, it most likely wont solve anything, and fall on deaf ears.
what the shop doesnt know is if i do come back down next year, i will make them priority one to visit.

There is more than one thing you can do. If you still have the receipts, contact the shop and ask them for information about their insurance company. Simply tell them you are filing a claim for the damages to your truck. If they are part of a National chain, go directly to the chain and file a complaint and request information on filing a claim for damages. Locate their name in their local city directory online, and file complaints about them.

And lastly,unfortunately, file a claim for damages in their local court system. IF you have the mechanics' name and the boss's name, file them in the suit. Then after a court date is filed, request a continuance of court date (change the date) a couple of times to get them ready for court and then change the date. Once they have been forced to change the work schedule for the court dates a couple of times, they will pay up. I've been forced to do this over a couple of years, and ended up settled for more than I requested.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

well, some problems with that are,

1. they are not a chain, just a corner garage type thing
2. when i told the mechanic to put it in writing that there wont be any damages to my truck, he ripped up the paper that i handed him, and threw it in my face. that also was the receipt. when i told his boss that, he would only get me a photocopy, and nothing more.
and lastly, his boss is also the owner. if i called there, and ask for there insurance info i am pretty sure i would be greeted with either laughter, or the dial tone. if they didnt want to help before, they wont want to help now.