Mechanics / Automotive = Scam Artists!?!

[Big Guy 1,400]

I could probably look it up but have trouble doing so, do any of you know what a basic hourly wage is for a mechanic?

My truck needs a new compressor / clutch.....I've looked up the new part and it's around $100 on line. O'Reilly's wanted to charge me almost $300 for it!  I was told by the guys at O'Reilly's that it should only take about an hour to replace. I just got an estimate from our regular Auto Shop of between $600-800  

I mean seriously!?!  $500-700 for an hours worth of work!?!  WTF?   Nice little scam these places have going

[Big Guy 1,400]

My other point being, Garages already have the tools, knowledge, etc......THEY if anyone can do it quickly & easily.

Much like the medical field, they rake people over the coals because the issues are valuable to the individual.

[Pimpadeaux 2,266]

10 minutes ago, Big Guy said:

I could probably look it up but have trouble doing so, do any of you know what a basic hourly wage is for a mechanic?

My truck needs a new compressor / clutch.....I've looked up the new part and it's around $100 on line. O'Reilly's wanted to charge me almost $300 for it!  I was told by the guys at O'Reilly's that it should only take about an hour to replace. I just got an estimate from our regular Auto Shop of between $600-800  

I mean seriously!?!  $500-700 for an hours worth of work!?!  WTF?   Nice little scam these places have going

If you can get a compressor AND a clutch replaced for $800 or less and have the work done in under an hour, that's a steal!!!!

[frank 2,145]

 

[Cloaca du jour 2,064]

Its all by the book.  They have a book that says how long it takes...they charge by that.  They also use the book to charge for all the parts they have to take off to get to the part they are replacing...yes its a scam.  Call some small garage..may get better prices.

[shorepatrol 1,737]

Ya, that's actually not a bad quote. I replace the accumulator and condenser plus a system flush if the compressor cannonballed.  

[MTSkiBum 1,594]

I don't think most people who own mechanic shops are filthy rich. They have alot of overhead; tools, training, building cost, insurance, etc. 

I also think 600-800 sounds dirt cheap for what you are wanting done.

[Fireballer 2,382]

The quality variations in auto parts is vast.  I paid $200 for an OEM O2 sensor for my 4runner.  Amazon has china crap for $25.  And, as said before, labor is by the book, just the hourly rate they charge changes shop to shop.  I hardly ever take my vehicles in for anything, but I imagine hourly rates are prob 100-125 nowadays. 

[fandandy 3,311]

Nikola Tesla visited Henry Ford at his factory, which was having some kind of difficulty. Ford asked Tesla if he could help identify the problem area. Tesla walked up to a wall of boilerplate and made a small X in chalk on one of the plates. Ford was thrilled and told him to send an invoice. The bill arrived, for $10,000. Ford asked for a breakdown. Tesla sent another invoice, indicating a $1 charge for marking the wall with an X, and $9,999 for knowing where to put it.

If you think it's too much, do it yourself.

[Big Guy 1,400]

I read and understand ALL of your thoughts above and I'll reply to you like this....

I'm NOT going to pay $500 for an hours worth of work!

also, I'm not a mechanic so I won't be doing it myself.

 

All I want is a reasonable quote lol

[fandandy 3,311]

Good luck then.

Sux would know but I would assume most legit mechanics rate the job based on book time plus materials.  

Eggs are cheap but when you order them at Denny's they cost a bit more.  That's life.

Make your own eggs or stop complaining.

[Big Guy 1,400]

2 hours ago, fandandy said:

Good luck then.

Sux would know but I would assume most legit mechanics rate the job based on book time plus materials.  

Eggs are cheap but when you order them at Denny's they cost a bit more.  That's life.

Make your own eggs or stop complaining.

I'm just looking for reasonable work done by reasonable people at a reasonable price

[fandandy 3,311]

2 minutes ago, Big Guy said:

I'm just looking for reasonable work done by reasonable people at a reasonable price

Then shop around.  You are 60?

You should have somebody by now, no offense.

What the fock have you been doing all these years, riding a bike?

[Big Guy 1,400]

4 minutes ago, fandandy said:

Then shop around.  You are 60?

You should have somebody by now, no offense.

What the fock have you been doing all these years, riding a bike?

we had a guy, then moved, then had another guy, and so on

The place I'm referring to used to be reasonable but recently got strange.......I'm searching for other options. 

[fandandy 3,311]

Fair enough.  I would pm Sux.  I think he is smart and straight up and can point you in the right direction.

[Big Guy 1,400]

6 minutes ago, fandandy said:

Fair enough.  I would pm Sux.  I think he is smart and straight up and can point you in the right direction.

Thanks Mr. Dandy!

[fandandy 3,311]

You guys are gonna need to vote.  I hope that one doesn't win.

Sidenote.  If you ever cover No one is to blame, I would love to hear it.  

[Fireballer 2,382]

6 hours ago, Big Guy said:

 

I'm NOT going to pay $500 for an hours worth of work!

 

Im betting that it's not just 1 hour. That was just an anecdotal estimate by a parts guy, right?  Labor times vary from vehicle to vehicle. For example, putting a starter on a mid 2000s Silverado is a breeze.  Putting one on a Honda CRV is a nightmare where you have to loosen the intake plenum and pry up the valve cover.  I would call the shop and ask if maybe you could buy the part yourself and they install and ask about how many labor hours the manual says the job is. 

[LOD01 191]

I got a great mechanic. One time back in the early 90s, my cavalier was making noises turning. Mechanic said rack &pinion needs replaced, $2000 or so. I asked about options. He asked if I wanted a workout. Yeah sure. Ok I'll cut this cable and you won't have power steering. The car was old and I didn't want to put $ into it. Power steering I found out, really isn't needed.

[Alias Detective 1,179]

10 hours ago, Big Guy said:

I could probably look it up but have trouble doing so, do any of you know what a basic hourly wage is for a mechanic?

My truck needs a new compressor / clutch.....I've looked up the new part and it's around $100 on line. O'Reilly's wanted to charge me almost $300 for it!  I was told by the guys at O'Reilly's that it should only take about an hour to replace. I just got an estimate from our regular Auto Shop of between $600-800  

I mean seriously!?!  $500-700 for an hours worth of work!?!  WTF?   Nice little scam these places have going

Roll your windows down ya cheap bastaturd.

[supermike80 1,285]

Had a 96 Honda accord that somehow got a hole in the exhaust under the car.  We took it to a local garage and the mechanic says stupid Honda made the exhaust system one piece and we might have to replace the whole thing.  

He said hang on and went to the back and pulled out a little metal sleeve and said we can at least try this.  Welded it on charged us $50 and it never was an issue again.  I sent everyone I knew to him after that.

[RLLD 3,455]

Modern vehicle complexity is giving rise to higher wages due to the cost and rarity of the skills.

Not enough people have been moving into that field over the years due to the associated stigma.  Hopefully that will change.

[Alias Detective 1,179]

23 minutes ago, supermike80 said:

Had a 96 Honda accord that somehow got a hole in the exhaust under the car.  We took it to a local garage and the mechanic says stupid Honda made the exhaust system one piece and we might have to replace the whole thing.  

He said hang on and went to the back and pulled out a little metal sleeve and said we can at least try this.  Welded it on charged us $50 and it never was an issue again.  I sent everyone I knew to him after that.

That metal sleeve can be a glass pack.  Did the same thing on my son’s truck.  Passed inspection with a $50 fix.

[Cloaca du jour 2,064]

Sounds like your hung up on that hour from some autozone computer clicker that has no clue how long it takes.

[Hawkeye21 1,853]

I seriously doubt that work will only take an hour.  There's a lot more that goes into service than the average person thinks.

[frank 2,145]

Any place should let you provide the part, but then they won’t guarantee it. You can look up labor times online. 

[porkbutt 861]

OP been under a rock his whole life?

[Big Guy 1,400]

51 minutes ago, porkbutt said:

OP been under a rock his whole life?

funny but no, just not up to paying a ridiculous price

[porkbutt 861]

2 minutes ago, Big Guy said:

funny but no, just not up to paying a ridiculous price

you lost me at "o'reilly's"

[Big Guy 1,400]

1 hour ago, Cloaca du jour said:

Sounds like your hung up on that hour from some autozone computer clicker that has no clue how long it takes.

I've heard the same from three different people, that computer clicker has the same truck as mine. 

[wiffleball 4,640]

Service Managers are the worst. 

[Mephisto 15]

You have to find a great mechanic and keep them.  I have a great mechanic "up in the hills" that I used to live 5 minutes from.  Take all my cars there for over 15 years.  And even when I relocated 35 minutes away, I still go to them.

I source all my parts, bring it all to them, and I just pay their labor rate.  All the time.

A couple years ago, including my parts purchase, I paid maybe $300-$400 to have the AC replaced on my Magnum.  They also have a sick low labor rate, I think $65/$75 an hour.