SO i brought my car for a quote on installing my Control arm bushings, strut mounts, springs, struts, tie rod ends, and ball joints and they quoted me 650$. Is that too high? Mind you i live in CT, and the labor costs are through the roof.
I know i was going to do it, but i got a new job with a lot more hours and school nights and i couldn't get into it. Also, my dad hurt his back really bad and couldn't help me out if i got stuck in a situation pulling the ball joints, cutting and pressing the bushings, or compressing the spring. And now that my suspension is totally shot, and it's now a safety hazard I need to get it done.
Any input would be highly appreciated.
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Thats not actually a bad price for all that..
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yea thats not too bad considering all teh stuff you are havign done
My car may run 18s, but I can do your taxes in 10 seconds flat.
JBO lube - they would never have enough in stock and we'd never see RodimusPrime again
That's a good price IMO.
Is that price including parts, or are you supplying your own? If that's just a labor charge, that seems a bit high...
What do they charge per hour for labor?
1983 Camaro Z28
obviously thats labor only, theres no way thats parts and labor.
I would assume thats for the alignment as well? Even without the alignment that is a deal.
Ok, lets figure this out here.. I don't have a labor book in front of me, so this is going to be purely guessing by my opinion..
Atleast an hour per strut, so there's 4 hours.
An hour for tie rod ends.
An hour per side for the ball joints.
And an hour per side for the control arm bushings.
That's 9 hours. We only charge $50 an hour at my shop.
That's $450. So, yeah.. no way parts could be included into that.
Say that shop charges $75 an hour, which equals $675. Seems my guesses might not be terribly far off.
I would say that's a pretty good deal for even just labor charges then.
1983 Camaro Z28
'04 Chevy Cavalier customer pay labor times per All Data
Tie rod ends - 1.0 for both sides
Control Arm bushings - 2.3 both sides
strut/springs/mounts - 2.2 for both front springs, 2.0 for both rear springs
Ball joints - 2.5 for both
Alignment - 1.5 for front
thats 11.5 hours assuming the mounts and struts are no extra cost over replacing the springs. Thats about $56 and change an hour fr the labor rate, thats not bad.
that amount of work at my shop would cost $1600+ ($140 an hour)
^^right there is why i hate mechanics....would it really take you 11 hours to do all that? lol
My car may run 18s, but I can do your taxes in 10 seconds flat.
JBO lube - they would never have enough in stock and we'd never see RodimusPrime again
NOPE!!!
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Machzel08 (Teh Jew) wrote:^^right there is why i hate mechanics....would it really take you 11 hours to do all that? lol
I will be honest, no it doesn't.
We have to make money somehow though. Take an 11 hour job, get it done in 5 hours.. bring the next one in and get it done quicker than book time.. a good mechanic should anyway.
That's why alot of people choose to do it themselves, but there are plenty of people who don't know how, and have the money to pay a mechanic so they choose that route.
And, it's not the mechanics fault, so don't blame it on them. We are just going by book time, the set standard for any job we do. So, say we have a 3 hour job, and run into major complications and the job turns into a 6 hour job. That's 3 hours lost, can't be gotten back.. and, it does happen. We just go by what the book recommends. Sure, we could charge for the exact amount of time we spent on it, but then we would either over charge, or we wouldn't charge enough and would lose money.
1983 Camaro Z28
thats not the "mechanics"
We get paid book time, warranty time is decieded by the manufauter, customer pay work is done a couple different ways, 1.5X the warranty time, or (like in our union) it goes off motors or all data time.
what makes you think we should take money out of our own pockets just because you don't want to pay. Why don't you pay to go to school, buy all the tools, buy a lift, buy a spring compressor, buy a press, buy an alignment machine, etc..
Its like doctors, you pay becasue you can't do itself. (not that any of that stuff is particularly difficult but the point is the same)
everyone wants something for free. We get people who come in all the time wanting there change oil light reset, we charge to do it and people complain about it. They take there car somewhere else to a Jiffy Lube kinda place to get the oil changed and they don't rest the light becasue they can't, they didn't spend the money for the the factory scan tool to be able to reset it, since I get paid off of what I do why would I stop making money to go work on somethign for free. And the funny thing is we are cheaper for maintenance then the quick lube places.
Right there is why I hate customers, they all want a break on prices, would you go to a place that does tax returns and say hey its not gonna take real long to do my taxes, why don't you just charge me half? They would tell you no, you gonna go to McDonalds and try to haggle them on prices for food? Or a department store on the cost of clothes? no... so why does everyone seem to think they deserve a discount on getting there car fixed.
(on a side note, we give people cupons for $XX off, or a certain percent off, hell if you buy a used car from us you get cupons in the mail for $5.99 oil changes and $1.99 tire rotations for 2 years)
Darkstars wrote:'04 Chevy Cavalier customer pay labor times per All Data
Tie rod ends - 1.0 for both sides
Control Arm bushings - 2.3 both sides
strut/springs/mounts - 2.2 for both front springs, 2.0 for both rear springs
Ball joints - 2.5 for both
Alignment - 1.5 for front
thats 11.5 hours assuming the mounts and struts are no extra cost over replacing the springs. Thats about $56 and change an hour fr the labor rate, thats not bad.
that amount of work at my shop would cost $1600+ ($140 an hour)
If you do it with basic tools in a froozen car cover on a rusted up 92 cavalier, it could take days, and 3 cans of the WD40. What a @!#$ty weekend that was.
Newer cars are quicker.
Plus you gotta remember all of the money you pay to get your car fixed in labor doesn't even go into the mechanics pockets. Most of it goes into the owners pockets. For instance the dealer I work at charges about 85-90 an hour for labor and I don't make anywhere near 85-90 an hour flat rate. But 650 for labor on all of that work is a hell of a deal.
Yeah, it is a hell of a deal, all the shops I worked for carge $75-$100 per hour labor, and the Technichans didn't get all that. Also, when you get discounts on your work, guess what gets cut, the labor, meaning the tech doesn't make as much money, meaning he does crapier work, because hes pissed that he ain't getting paid what he's supposed to.
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hey sorry, i have been away for some days.
I have provided all the parts, and it's just a matter of getting them on my car.
So im being ripped?
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Currently Driving: RSX Type-S.
My Cavalier Burnt up :-(
lol no, it sounds like you're getting a good deal on the labor charge.
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woah sorry ryan and other guy...i didnt mean to direct it at "mechanics" i actually meant the company/peopel who determine the time....my bad
My car may run 18s, but I can do your taxes in 10 seconds flat.
JBO lube - they would never have enough in stock and we'd never see RodimusPrime again
So i got the bill today, and everything is installed MINUS THE STRUT TOPS, so i still get that @!#$ annoying popping noise when i turn the wheel, but now it's worse. That's another 80 dollars, and i can have it fixed though. Ill do it myself and get it aligned again.
But, it came to $957.71, he said the bushings took 4 hours to do.
Also, the person who sold me the set of AGX's on ebay ended up giving me the wrong passenger side strut, COMPLETELY different part number and everything, so they went out and got an AGX for $275, which is only 150 shy of what i payed for the whole set, goddammit.
I feel penetrated.
I'm back from the dead.
Currently Driving: RSX Type-S.
My Cavalier Burnt up :-(
hehe quote vs real = owned...sorry for your luck...even more motivation to do your own worl from now on
My car may run 18s, but I can do your taxes in 10 seconds flat.
JBO lube - they would never have enough in stock and we'd never see RodimusPrime again
Yeah, all of the labor does not go to the mechanic. That goes to the shop..
Mechanics do make commission though, I get 5% of the labor, for each job. It doesn't even pay for my tool bill, NO WHERE NEAR my tool bill per month.
Of course, there is another mechanic there and I have to fight him for big jobs, considering I work in a small shop that specializes in tires, but we do it all, from tire patching to rebuilding/replacing engines.
And, that actual bill was WAY off from the quote. Did they even bother calling you? I mean, if you had the money that's fine and dandy if you didn't mind.. but say that you only had enough to cover the quote, they would be at fault if you never got a call. Should have talked to them about that. if the actual bill is that far off from the quote, sometimes my boss will just take the loss to keep a happy, returning customer.
Especially the ones who spend alot of money with us.
1983 Camaro Z28
ling427ttvette wrote:
And, that actual bill was WAY off from the quote. Did they even bother calling you? I mean, if you had the money that's fine and dandy if you didn't mind.. but say that you only had enough to cover the quote, they would be at fault if you never got a call. Should have talked to them about that. if the actual bill is that far off from the quote, sometimes my boss will just take the loss to keep a happy, returning customer.
Especially the ones who spend alot of money with us.
He DID NOT call me, and that is why i am pissed. I was left in the dark until he called me to tell me my car was done. and explained about the mismatched strut. @!#$ rediculous. I do have the money, but i am super cheap. and ANYONE would love to save $200.
I don't know if i am ever going there again.
And my wheel still pops when i turn it, the initial reason why I got it so urgently done.
I should have done all i could have done and then brought it in to get the rest done.
SIDE QUESTION:
Where can i buy a STRUT TOP?
I'm back from the dead.
Currently Driving: RSX Type-S.
My Cavalier Burnt up :-(
*$300**
I'm back from the dead.
Currently Driving: RSX Type-S.
My Cavalier Burnt up :-(
yeah thast nto right, they should have called. I'd go back and bitch and ask to talk to a manager etc.. see if you can get the mount installed and or the alignment free at least.
Yeah, they should install the mounts for free and align it for free. Go back and talk to them, get something out of it.
The mechanic, IMO, is supposed to call if there is ANYTHING different from the quote. I do, anyway.
1983 Camaro Z28
that is an exceptional price i was quoted around spokane wa shop rates are any where between $50-$75 /hr depending where you are shop rates are higher on the south hill cuz all the rich people live up there and are generly cheaper in hillard cus every one around there is poor
