Chris44m

Most all have had the mis-fortune to have a car break down and had to pony up large amounts of cash for ****ttyy service.

My blog is about how far the industry has gotten out of hand. This may not be about my vette, but i think it is similar enough to rant about.
I took my truck over to a local muffler shop "Monroe", The bolts rusted off the pipe connected to the manifold, and the pipe dropped a 1/2 inch, to say the least its a noise better left un-heard.

Rather than drill them out and replace the studs, i figured since they have the equipment id pay a few hundred bucks to have it done. I mean a torch, a lift, and a few minutes..out goes the old ..and screw in a few bolts and nuts.

Welll...HELL NO...they give me a song and dance,,this and that..it wont work...we have to replace the manifold..take the exhaust down, replace all the hangers, and clamps..etc, etc, $800.00....WHAT!

THEY WANT ME TO PAY ALMOST A WEEKS WAGES FOR 2 HOURS WORK?
thats B.S.

I called the Ford Garage, Same quote!

Went to Sears, Bought two small C-clamps, pulled the two pipes together, tacked the two clamps in..done..10 minutes, $4.00 bucks.

No it isnt done right, No its not the way i wanted to do it, but lets re-cap here, I think it's deplorable, to charge that amount of money for a job we all know damn well would have cost less than 5 bucks for the two bolts to fix it. EVEN at $100.00 per hour they would have made money hand over fist.

It's ok to make a buck, It's ok to charge for your service, but this is borderline a crime, and should be treated as such!

ok..done Ranting

GIJoe

Sometimes its all about talking to the right person and explaining EXACTLY what you want... and mentioning "I don't care about this and that, I just want THIS SPECIFIC thing done".


Case in point.. .i went to my local body shop I've used for years... I walk in and point to the nose piece on my Vette that had trailer hitch damage on it (Don't ask). The quote is like $600. Whole bumper has to be removed, yadda yadda, etc.

I pointed out that I just want the crack filled from the top and reshot with paint, I don't care about the entire "perfect proper job". I asked if just that nose piece could be taped off and hit with new paint. The price came down to $300.

just depends how you word it.


BTW: it's not just the auto repair shops.... ever seen what it costs to "upgrade RAM" in a PC at most major retails stores? $60-90!!... wan't to know what it takes to upgrade RAM in a computer? Open side panel (5 secs). Stick in more ram (5 secs). Close side panel (5 secs) Turn on to make sure ram shows up (1 min). That will be $60-90 please for the labor. WTF? That is why I always try to be fair with my own customers when fixing computers. For the same job I just charge them a few bucks to buy myself a combo meal at burger king... or a bottle of booze for the liquor cabinet or a nice cigar or something.... just something to say "thanks" since I don't believe in charging people for doing 2 mins worth of work on their computer.

slicked25

I know how you feel. I hate it when you go to certain alignments shops (while you're in there waiting) they'll come in and say man have you seen your brakes? I say no but their fine. Then they'll come back in and say what about the rotors they look warped to me? Well I haven't noticed just need an alignment please. While I was in the store waiting they started hounding other customers saying the same BS. I guess there theory is if you ask/hound 10 people that they'll get 2 or 3 suckers and 2 would be women. I could see my mom or her sister my aunt fall for it.

Back in '95 while in college I'd go to this place for an oil change and every time and I mean every freaking time they'd say my Serpentine Belt needed replacing. Well my sister who's in college now has the same car with the same fking Serpentine Belt 12 year's later.

malc

Many places hire overly agressive "service writers" that pump up every bill, and give you the "right way to do it", and the "for your own safety" speaches.

Pep Boys did this to me with my minivan, which had squealing brakes while on vacation. I figured $150 bucks or so. Wrong, $950, with all of the calipers and wheel cylinders laying on a table when I came back. They were nice enough to offer a towing service if I did not want the work complete. Real nice!

Not to mention the situation when my 84 yr old father brought his 2 yr old, 6,000 mile, Audi A4 to JiffyLube. They showed him some kind of service bullitin that said the car should have a tranny service. He paid them $400, and it took them 3 hours to figure out how to get the car back together. He then brought the car to Audi, and was told that his warrantee had been voided due to the work.

shadowman1

It's shops like those which give us in the industry a bad name. Sometimes it does cost a lot to do a job correctly. If you cut corners and do a patch job how long will it last? I fix problems the correct way and don't want my name on a halfa** job. As for the shop trying to sell calipers on a brake job...I've only changed three calipers in the last year and two of those were on mustangs which were locked up. A quality brake job on most cars with premium pads and machine work runs 200.00 per axle at our shop. We have a local shop at which every brake job is sold calipers and runs 900.00. You need to shop around and find an honest shop. We are out here.

imp65409

Its hard to find a honest shop. Thats why I do all my own work.

I agree with GIjoe.

I do some paint and mechanical work on the side and whatever the owner wants he gets. If he wants a hood painted for $1000.00 then he gets a $1000.00 job.( it will be done right and look nice) If he wants a $250.00 job thats what he gets.( not so nice as the $1000.00 job) I just talk to the owner and see what he wants done and how much he wants to pay then I go from there. I just cant see charging someone more then its worth.

zr1fred

That's why I do all my own work. What they tried to charge my kids..... $1000 for a motor mount on a FWD car; $35 and 30 minutes. $600 for a broken A-arm bolt (alignment extra): $10 and 20 minutes....Time INCLUDES going to get the part! Add the times they've done jobs incorrectly

All2kool

I have one that will blow your mind.

1987 300ZX, leaking coolant. Go to Firestone, shop manager says my radiator is 'split at the seam', walks off. Car is NOT on lift, he has merely peered under the front bumper. $1000 to repair (PITA on a 300ZX). I insist on seeing the 'split at the seam' radiator for myself. They lift the car, no split can be seen. As Repairman attempts to remove the plastic drain plug, it breaks off in his hand, leaving half of it still in the drain hole, coolant is leaking. Mind you, he didn't crank on it, a toddler could have broken it. Shop Manager is summoned by me, he still says radiator must come out. I am puzzled as it is clear that the leak I have come to their shop for was in fact the defective and now broken drain plug. Shop Manager still insisting radiator must be removed. After 20 minutes or so of me attempting to remove the remaining broken plastic stud from the drain hole, I demanded in no uncertain terms that they replace the $8 drain plug and fill the car with coolant, charge me $25 and I'll leave. They finally stuck a small bladed screwdriver into the drain hole, just as I had been asking them to do for 15 minutes, and removed the broken drain plug. Again, a toddler could have unscrewed the remaining broken plastic stud. They install the new $8 drain plug, fill with coolant. Car never leaked another drop of coolant. They charged me $24.
.
Now here's the rub - the last time that drain plug had been out is when they removed it 4 months prior when replacing the thermostat. It was their negligence upon re-installation of the plug that stressed and cracked it in the first place.

I've never been back to a Firestone since and I fired off a very heated letter to their HQ.
.
.

vettowner1994

Part of the problem is these repair shops having to pay high health insurance premiums to insurance companies for their employee's etc, so they have to recoupe it somewhere, somehow. But ripping people off is another thing. We need a national health insurance plan so at least this insurance ripoff stops. But, thats another subject...ha. I feel better now. LOL

redwing76

Health Insurance?
A national plan, like Canada or England, or Cuba?
All of doctors and dentists should be rounded up and imprisoned for cheating everyone.
Doctors have a strangle hold on health care, they are the problem.
They wont see you without it.

Back in the day before health care the doctors didn't drive M3's or Mercedes sl's, they drove Chevys. Now they own multi-million dollar homes and sailing crusing catamarans.

Any health care plan would end up bad.
Didja know that most of the really important life saving work is done by the nurses, docs on the golf course or in the Lear Jet.

Ronald Regan said, "The worst thing you'll ever hear is, hi were government and were here to help".

Ask the folks of the Gulf Coast about government help. 2 years later and New Orleans pretty much looks like a war zone.

RWD_tech

fix your own car, take it to the dealer, or shutup! lol

redwing76

Prices in my area for repairs.

01 E230 r&r window regulator,,,,,,,$500.00,,,,,,,r&r rear brake pads $240
$740.00

01 Dodge diesel new lift pump, which caused the injector pump to starve and fail.......$2300. The fix and all the Dodge folks now about is a $100. automotive inline fuel pump. (Not my truck)


Lexus ES 300 spare key from the dealer.......$700.00 not my car a customers.......he was shocked.

Lexus LS 400 timing belt change every 60k low end $1,200 high end $2,500.

Porsche major tune 911 low end $2,500.

All of that pales in comparison if you needed medical emergency care.
2 hour stay at the local hospital $7,550.
The ride in the old E350 ambulance $1,500.
The doc's words of wisdom......$400.00

This whole country is a ripoff.......buy a house for $110,000 pay back $330,000......what if they sold cars that way?

Whos running this country?

jaa1992

I try to do most of my own work, a shoddy brake job in the 70's swore me off EVER having a shop work on my brakes again. Fast forward to this June, the Rustang DD has a check engine light for "excessive vaccum leak in Evap system". Ok, no problem get the parts and find the canister and valve in the rear, replace with no problem. Have another valve thats supposed to go somewhere, no one on any of the Mustang sites will tell me where it goes. Take it to the dealer, $200 later the parts installed. They call me "it still has a small leak, have to replace the gasket where the filler pipe goes into the gas tank - $300 more". I tell them how much for the part $20, so they want almost 3 hours of labor to drop the gas tank (2 straps), and replace this gasket (pops out and back in). I tell them leave it alone I'll replace the damn thing myself. Bought the gasket, took it home, dropped the tank, replaced the gasket, put the tank back on all in about 45 min cause I was showing the boy how to do it. Few days later the light went off and passed emissions. No flippin way was I paying someone that kind of money to do such a simple job.

vettowner1994

I guess what I was saying is national health care would cover everyone. I have to pay for my own health insurance, all of it. It like a house payment every month. Yes, we need to stop the rip off doctors and hospitals as well. Lets do it all!

94 whezzer

It's not only the male car owner it's really bad for the opposite sex, my wife took her 92 dodge van to a national oil change franchise, the fellow came into the waiting room a little while later with a square filter that was all crudded up and said "lady this is one of the worse filters I've ever seen, you need a new filter, it will be $49.00 because it's so hard to get at [witch is the truth you have to take the cover off under the dash], My wife knows a lot about cars and said to him "buddy first of all the filter for that van is round not flat, my wife went to the manager and he apologized said he thought that she was the owner of the car that filter came out of, my wiffey looked there was no other cars there, when she brought the van home and told me this I went out and checked the van, it was two quarts low in oil, I changed it the last time and it still had the old filter on and about 16 or so grease fitting that weren't greased, went down the following day and well sort of lost my mind with this guy he apoligized again and said he will do all the work himself, Gee!

redwing76

wmupaprmkr

As far as the dealers...it all depends on how slow the shop is as to how much "extra" stuff that they find or make-up that needs repair.

BigTexas

Let me tell you my motorcycle story...

I went to the local honda motorcycle place to see about getting my left fork pipe fixed. The problem was this: my seal leaked oil and it ran down my fork. I took my honda shadow in so that the honda mechanic could look at it. They told me that I would need a new seal kit plus the labor to pull the fork. I believe it was around $200. I paid and went about my way, but a week later the stupid thing was leaking again! I went back and the stupid service manager told me that the problem was minute scratches on my fork pipe tube. He told me that rocks and flying beetles could hit the pipe or get stuck down around the seal and thus cause scratching. Once scratched, the fork pipe tube would cause a leak.
I didn't trust that shop anymore because it sounded fishy, but I heeded what he had told me. I bought a fork pipe tube (genuine new honda part) on the internet for a lot less. Then I took my bike to a good honest mechanic. He put the tube on, but asked me what I bought a fork pipe tube. I told him that honda told me that was the problem. Well, no, the problem turned out to be some bushings and on the inside and some springs. One I bought the parts the good mechanic told me to get, my leak was fixed and I got back my fork tube pipe (unable to return it though ) With motorcycle repairs, things are getting really UGLY too!

I FEEL BETTER NOW.

mdlfcrss

The real problem is this...most of these vultures work on commission! The more work they sell, the more money they make

shadowman1

That Lexus timing belt calls for only four hours labor . Belt is less than 60.00. Job should only run 400.00 or so. If you paid more you should have shopped around. If you charged that, shame on you.