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08/18/2006 02:32:27 AM · #126 |
b/c you could go to Quick Lube and get the same work for under 50 bucks. But in order to keep a warrenty/lease/ etc.. u have to go to the dealer.
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08/18/2006 08:13:31 AM · #127 |
Originally posted by brimac:
b/c you could go to Quick Lube and get the same work for under 50 bucks. But in order to keep a warrenty/lease/ etc.. u have to go to the dealer. |
On both counts you dont have a clue, and obviously havent read the thread. He was quoted a higher price at an independant shop over the dealers price. And he also doesnt have to go back to the dealer in order to keep the warrenty/lease on his vehicle. And as far as being screwed at the dealer, thats just plain non-sense.
MattO
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08/18/2006 08:16:08 AM · #128 |
Originally posted by MQuinn:
Originally posted by Prof_Fate:
I think some diagnose by calling the most expensive part and if that doesn't fix it then they diagnose it! |
How big is Beaver PA? Cause I know a kick arse tech that owns a shop right in town there, his name is John Gillespie of Gillespie's Auto Service Sure hes not super cheap but the guys an awesome tech and would never rip anyone off. I can give you his number if you wish.. |
I'd definately second John shop as a recommended place.
MattO
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08/18/2006 08:26:07 AM · #129 |
Well I guess I have bit my tongue just about long enough. Finally having time to sit down and think alot of this out I have to tell you honestly that $450 for a 30k service is cheap. Our customers pay alot more then that for the 30K service on their Fords. Most spend about $750 for a complete 30k and they dont get plugs. But they do get
Oil Change
Tire Rotation
Coolant Service
Transmission Service
Brake Fluid Service
Safety Inspection
OBD II checkup
Multi-point safety inspection
Alignment
Differential service (if required)
Thats a standard 30K service its actually a little more then the factory service interval REQUIRES but its actually the same service I would and do on my own vehicles.
Now if you want to talk about a getting screwed by a profession just let me tell you the story of my son getting diagnosed sometime and some of the things the medical profession has done/charged us for since.
MattO
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08/18/2006 10:15:20 AM · #130 |
MattO,
Maybe I " don't have a clue", I am only going on my limited experience with "new cars", and "dealers". My mother bought a new Toyota two years ago, and at her 30K ( not sure the exact milage) the dealer told her it would cost about $800. To me that seems a bit expensive.
As I said, I always buy used cars, and I guess I am lucky to have a great mechanic who really doesn't charge that much for service on the car, and really looks out for his customers. When I had askd him about my mothers situation he simply told me that if he was doing the work it would be a fraction of the price, and that the dealership tends to charge a lot more on those routine services because hey can! Just my experience, and so I speak my opinion based on that, wasn't trying to step on any toes or insult someones profession.
You tell me, Do you think $800 dollars is a reasonable price for that basic service???? If so, just another reasone why I will never buy a new car and deal with a dealership. |
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08/18/2006 10:46:57 AM · #131 |
[quote=BradP]
Many A/Transmissions can go 250,000 miles with regular service. [/quote=BradP]
I know this is off topic....but I was always told (I think from my dad when I was young) that stick shifts last longer than automatics. I've always owned or bought stick shifts because of this (plus I feel like I have more control over the car/driving with a stick). Is it true? That sticks last longer than automatics? Just curious :)
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08/18/2006 11:15:42 AM · #132 |
Well, I'm not trying to start a war here. Sure there are crazy, no-good docs who are only in it for the money. I agree that every profession has their own bad apples, but you are deluding yourself if you think the "auto mechanic" profession has a reputation as a whole that is anything but below average. It may be completely untrue, but the impression resides deep in our society.
I think I'm gonna double check my warranty and if it would be voided (as I assume it would) I'm just gonna grit my teeth and bear it. I do think I need to find another mechanic though if his prices are the same as the dealer.
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08/18/2006 11:20:01 AM · #133 |
The other day i changed my Front breaks, and i did all the work my self (and my breaks still work. lol =) I spent like 40 bucks on the breaks when come to find out if i would have takin it somewhere eles it would have been close to $150 - $200 or so.
Well my breaks still work and i have now advanced to the name " Fix-it Man" yyyeeesss=) |
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08/18/2006 11:36:09 AM · #134 |
I found a Gallup Poll to back up what I'm saying...
HONESTY AND ETHICS SURVEY
The percentage of respondents who rated a profession's honesty and ethical standards as "very high/high:"
79 percent: Nurses
73 percent: Grade school teachers
72 percent: Druggists, pharmacists
72 percent: Military officers
67 percent: Medical doctors
60 percent: Policemen
56 percent: Clergy
53 percent: Judges
49 percent: Day care providers
36 percent: Bankers
26 percent: Auto mechanics
26 percent: Local officeholders
24 percent: Nursing home operators
24 percent: State officeholders
23 percent: TV reporters
21 percent: Newspaper reporters
20 percent: Business executives
20 percent: Congressmen
18 percent: Lawyers
10 percent: Advertising practitioners
9 percent: Car salesmen
-The Gallup Organization
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08/18/2006 11:37:09 AM · #135 |
Originally posted by MattO:
... I have to tell you honestly that $450 for a 30k service is cheap. Our customers pay alot more then that for the 30K service on their Fords. Most spend about $750 for a complete 30k and they dont get plugs. ... |
Originally posted by BradP:
.... When comparing prices, geographic location and cost of living plays a huge influence. A shop labor rate could be $35/Hr to $150/Hr depending on where you live. |
I must be in a good geographic location (central VA) because I've had 30k service done on 2 different Ford Explorers, at 2 different Ford dealers (we live between 2 "cities") - and each time the cost was around $450. ;^) |
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08/18/2006 11:42:09 AM · #136 |
| I paid $3,500.00 for new struts and a rotor tuning on my 1999 Subaru |
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08/18/2006 11:43:00 AM · #137 |
Originally posted by DrAchoo:
I found a Gallup Poll to back up what I'm saying...
HONESTY AND ETHICS SURVEY
The percentage of respondents who rated a profession's honesty and ethical standards as "very high/high:"
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Ya so? Doctors kill more people per year than guns do |
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08/18/2006 12:13:57 PM · #138 |
Heh, that's a good one. I do hope mechanics don't kill more people than doctors...
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08/18/2006 12:20:34 PM · #139 |
Originally posted by TG73:
I paid $3,500.00 for new struts and a rotor tuning on my 1999 Subaru |
I think they saw you coming!
I know 'my costs' on rotor turning are $8.50 per, and struts are rarly morehtan $100 each, often half that. So $435, plus labor, and an alignment (needed if the struts are changed). $1000 at the most. I guess your mechanic need a new 30D ;P
Originally posted by BradP:
Many A/Transmissions can go 250,000 miles with regular service. |
Possible, but not here. Too many hills I suspect. my taurus - 128k, my three chrysler minivans (ok, I know, chrysler minivans) 80k average. Some folks stretch it to 175k but few.
brakes? Fronts here average 25k miles, that's it. I hear of people claiming 50-100k on brake pads. not here, not ever.
same for clutches - you can get 90k on them, but it's rare to get more and common to get less. and always the flywheel is burnt.
Originally posted by mquinn:
How big is Beaver PA? Cause I know a kick arse tech that owns a shop right in town there, his name is John Gillespie of Gillespie's Auto Service Sure hes not super cheap but the guys an awesome tech and would never rip anyone off. I can give you his number if you wish..
I'd definately second John shop as a recommended place.
MattO |
he must be famous or something? there was (is?) a tech in Coraopolis pa (20 miles up river) that was good. thorough. anal. but you paid for it. I know one should torque lug nuts, but by hand? and calibrate the torque wrench monthly? (sometimes more often) No air tools allowed, ever. I guess that's good, but his prices were at least 50% above anyone else. I can't afford to pay a premium on an already expensive product/service.
back when I started driving (late 70s) cars aroud here never hit 100k. by 40-50 they needed parts (starters, alternators, etc) and by 80k were $200 cars. In the past 10 years I've seen that change tremendously - until 5 years ago I never owned a car with over 100k on it. Now I own 3. From that and some time as a service writer at a nissan dealer it's my opinion/experience that most any car can go 125k with only maintenance. However, at 125k the big pieces start need replacing (calipers, struts, alternator, starter, water pump) and sometimes a biggie (rad or trans). So once you get past this money eating phase you can get to 200K with little problem. and you don't need to spend $450 every 30k to do it IMO. |
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08/18/2006 01:20:32 PM · #140 |
Thought that I would chip in here: my car was involved in an accident and the bodywork to the rear quarter had to be repaired (at the expense of the other guy's insurer). I paid extra for a full body respray.
£3750 for accident repair (insurance)
£1,500 for rest of car to be resprayed (my pocket)
= £5250 or nearly US$ 10,000
And they have done an *awful* job. Dust under the paint all over the place, cracks in the paint, boot does not close with clean shutlines, chips in the paintwork painted over without being prepped, area of rust under fuel filler cap not treated and half painted over. Accident damage still visible from the inside.
Plus, they "tuned" my engine and I have lost about 10mph off the top speed (which only used to be 85mph) making motorways very painful to drive upon.
Maybe this should be moved to "Rant" !! (all the other thread I post to are).
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08/18/2006 01:56:55 PM · #141 |
A perfect entry for the "Stupid" challenge would have been the first car I ever owned: a 1962 Citroen ID-19 station wagon -- a truly amazing piece of engineering, and I actually found a mechanic only 20 miles away who had a clue how they worked.
Amazing redundancy and safety systems for its era ... the "emergency brake" operates the front disc brakes by cable, and can actually stop the car. If you get a flat tire, it will balance on the remaining three until you can get to a safe place to stop.
One time the starter solenoid stopped working ... no problem: open the hood, and it has a handy button on the bottom to manually close the contacts and actuate the starter motor. Eventually, when the starter motor itself failed, I had to use the ... crank! |
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08/18/2006 02:03:41 PM · #142 |
Why is it that the (relatively inexpensive) brake pads on my Ford Focus have only needed replacing once, while the rotors warp and need replacing annually?
This has nothing to do with the technicians doing the work on my car, and everything to do with Ford's engineering of the car. |
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08/19/2006 02:06:44 AM · #143 |
Originally posted by MattO:
Well I guess I have bit my tongue just about long enough. Finally having time to sit down and think alot of this out I have to tell you honestly that $450 for a 30k service is cheap. Our customers pay alot more then that for the 30K service on their Fords. Most spend about $750 for a complete 30k and they dont get plugs. But they do get
Oil Change
Tire Rotation
Coolant Service
Transmission Service
Brake Fluid Service
Safety Inspection
OBD II checkup
Multi-point safety inspection
Alignment
Differential service (if required)
Thats a standard 30K service its actually a little more then the factory service interval REQUIRES but its actually the same service I would and do on my own vehicles.
Now if you want to talk about a getting screwed by a profession just let me tell you the story of my son getting diagnosed sometime and some of the things the medical profession has done/charged us for since.
MattO |
These ones have me intrigued:
Coolant Service
Transmission Service
Brake Fluid Service
Differential service (if required)
What exactly do you do for these items? Inspection? Change fluids? Somehow I don't imagine you strip them all down and recondition them @ 30k...
Must be alot of work to cost $650- my mechanic does all the rest except the alignment for $99. He includes inspection of all the above systems in the price.
A seperate issue - how can you justify charging for more work than the manufacturer recommends? They spent hundreds of millions of dollars engineering the vehicle, surely they are in the best position to know what is required to keep it in good shape...
$750 without plugs - bargain :P |
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08/19/2006 02:58:43 AM · #144 |
My husband was a professional mechanic (from passenger vehicles to heavy equipment, for the Park Service) for ten years, and for the past five has continued as a serious hobbyist; that, and this whole thread (and California's smog regulations, while I'm at it), explain why we drive nothing newer than his 1975 truck. I have a 1972 Dodge Dart Swinger, apple green, in fantastic condition, beautiful car with a ton of character. It's paid off, is appreciating in value every day that goes by, and gets compliments everywhere I go, and if it needs repairs or tune-ups, they happen in our driveway for the cost of parts. Which, I need to add, are cheap.
So the moral of this story, girls, is of course to marry a mechanic.
Message edited by author 2006-08-19 02:59:06. |
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08/19/2006 11:16:10 PM · #145 |
Originally posted by rachelellen:
So the moral of this story, girls, is of course to marry a mechanic. |
And what is a male photographer supposed to do? |
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08/19/2006 11:32:44 PM · #146 |
Originally posted by Leok:
Originally posted by rachelellen:
So the moral of this story, girls, is of course to marry a mechanic. |
And what is a male photographer supposed to do? |
It may come as a surprise to some... but there are female mechanics out there, and quite competent ones too.
Ray
Message edited by author 2006-08-19 23:38:27. |
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08/19/2006 11:42:11 PM · #147 |
Originally posted by MQuinn:
...my shop labor rate is $96 an hour, so that $441.60 in labor |
This rate would seem quite reasonable when dealing with vehicles. Where I live small engine repair shops will charge you $85.00 per hour to work on your lawn tractor.
Considering the speeds I drive my lawn tractor compared to how I drive my car... I don't begrudge an anto mechanic his dues.
Ray |
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08/20/2006 08:56:22 AM · #148 |
Originally posted by RayEthier:
Originally posted by Leok:
Originally posted by rachelellen:
So the moral of this story, girls, is of course to marry a mechanic. |
And what is a male photographer supposed to do? |
It may come as a surprise to some... but there are female mechanics out there, and quite competent ones too.
Ray |
Sure, I wasn't thinking along those lines, then again I don't think I should get divorced and remarry just to get my car serviced ;-) |
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08/20/2006 09:24:00 AM · #149 |
| I have not read this entire thread yet. Going back to the original entry. $450.00 is ok. Wait till you get to the timing belt time of this subaru. The whinning will begin. Just so you know. To do a proper 90,000 service on a Isuzu and having not changed the timing belt yet. Expect $1500.00 or so. If it is less than that, something is not being done. I have been a service advisor for over 15 years and for certain vehicals 750.00 for a 30K is not unheard of. Go by what the manufacture recommends. Just remember this! It is only a machine! Maintain it if you expect to keep it. |
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08/20/2006 09:24:46 AM · #150 |
Originally posted by Leok:
Originally posted by MattO:
Well I guess I have bit my tongue just about long enough. Finally having time to sit down and think alot of this out I have to tell you honestly that $450 for a 30k service is cheap. Our customers pay alot more then that for the 30K service on their Fords. Most spend about $750 for a complete 30k and they dont get plugs. But they do get
Oil Change
Tire Rotation
Coolant Service
Transmission Service
Brake Fluid Service
Safety Inspection
OBD II checkup
Multi-point safety inspection
Alignment
Differential service (if required)
Thats a standard 30K service its actually a little more then the factory service interval REQUIRES but its actually the same service I would and do on my own vehicles.
Now if you want to talk about a getting screwed by a profession just let me tell you the story of my son getting diagnosed sometime and some of the things the medical profession has done/charged us for since.
MattO |
These ones have me intrigued:
Coolant Service
Transmission Service
Brake Fluid Service
Differential service (if required)
What exactly do you do for these items? Inspection? Change fluids? Somehow I don't imagine you strip them all down and recondition them @ 30k...
Must be alot of work to cost $650- my mechanic does all the rest except the alignment for $99. He includes inspection of all the above systems in the price.
A seperate issue - how can you justify charging for more work than the manufacturer recommends? They spent hundreds of millions of dollars engineering the vehicle, surely they are in the best position to know what is required to keep it in good shape...
$750 without plugs - bargain :P |
The services that I have up there are just that. All of the fluids are changed as well as any filters in the system.
Coolant service= Coolant flush and all new fluid added.
Transmission Service= Transmission fluid flush and if required filter.
Brake Fluid Service= Brake Fluid flushed.
Differential Service= Fluid exhange.
Not all of these services are done on each car @30k not all require them at that mileage. However even if they arent on my own car I do them anyway. Why you ask? THe manufacturer maint recommendations that are listed are the bare min you have to do in order to keep your warrenty good. That doesnt mean thats all you should do, just what you have to do. Fluids break down more depending on your driving habits. And I'd rather err on the side of making sure my car will last. Maybe thats why all of my cars have failed to break down and all except my motorhome have had a long life.
1996 WIndstar 129k miles and still driven daily.
1995 Explorer 203k miles and still driven daily.
1997 Escort 121k miles and used a few times a week.
2001 F53 Motorhome 36k miles.
MattO
Message edited by author 2006-08-20 09:25:18.
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