Greedy Mechanics

[droodles]

I've always thought that the general collective of mechanics are always in it for the money and nothing else; who cares about people's lives and their car?. Their specialty is exploiting the lack of knowledge of general car owners and making a living out of it. Dealer garages to franchises to independent ones, most of them are the same.

Just recently, I had a look at the service bill for my aunty's Alfa Romeo wagon from Zagame in Melbourne, they charged her $62 for an oil filter. You gotta be kidding me, that's daylight robbery right? Even if it's an exotic European car, that doesn't warrant the oil filter to be 3 times more than what they usually cost.

Today, I called up a reputable garage in the South-East Melbourne area to get a quote for my major service. I asked them how much I'd have to pay if I supplied them with:
Timing belt and tensioner kit Water pump and seal Fuel filter Thermostat

and they would supply the oil, oil filter, sump plug and spark plugs. Keep in mind that the parts I'll be supplying are from autovaux and cost $270 including postage. So how much do they give me as a figure?

$600-$700 - I was like "really? that much?" and the guy on the phone says "yeah because of the labour involved".

You gotta be kidding me right? CarService.com.au (http://www.carservice.com.au/car-service-servicing-guide-2.aspx?sid=9551) says $548-$700 and that's if they're supplying the parts. It also mentions that it should take around 4 hours. So effectively, if I have to pay them $600-700 for labour + parts, that would take me to $800-$900 for a major service!

Now before anyone mentions that I should have a crack at servicing my car:
I don't have the expertise and don't have the time to follow a Haynes Manual either Don't have the workshop tools I'm a student and don't have a lot of money. If anything stuffs up I don't want to give myself a heart attack



Thoughts?

[EAS51]

I got the 120000 service coming up. Which is a major service. I've been quoted $1000 for that. It's Ridiculous.

[hazrd]

the 120k service on my calibra was $1200. thankfully i didnt pay for it because the old owner had it done before i bought it off him

however, i had to pay for the major 60k service on my GTi and I was quoted $2100 at VW for it... $2100!?!?! :yikes: went to my local trusted mechanic and he did the whole lot for $1050 which imo is good value when it comes to a VW

[AfterBurner]

Like it or lump it...

DIY... Only way to save $$$

[guy 27]

Like it or lump it...

DIY... Only way to save $$$

+1

For the brisbane area labour on average is $100 per hour.
Some dealerships are now charging as much as $180 per hour.

[metry]

i go to my dads mate. he looks after me real well. its a shame though. the only way to get a good mechanic to look after you is to know them. that being said there are a few honest people out there.

[droodles]

I take everything mechanics say with a grain of salt. Especially crap like:

- "You can't check the timing belt for condition, it's all black and hard to see anything. So it's one of those things where you should just change it in case" So that you can make a quick $700 off me?
- "A common problem with this car is the alternator..." yeah, because you can get away with charging $1200, that's why.
- "NGK Iridium spark plugs are better than Bosch, they last longer" As far as I know, NGK Iridiums are only relevant if you're running high compression turbo stuff, Bosch should be fine for normal every day cars.

[guy 27]

I take everything mechanics say with a grain of salt. Especially crap like:

- "You can't check the timing belt for condition, it's all black and hard to see anything. So it's one of those things where you should just change it in case" So that you can make a quick $700 off me?
- "A common problem with this car is the alternator..." yeah, because you can get away with charging $1200, that's why.
- "NGK Iridium spark plugs are better than Bosch, they last longer" As far as I know, NGK Iridiums are only relevant if you're running high compression turbo stuff, Bosch should be fine for normal every day cars.

speaking as a mechanic here.

1) On some cars the process to just check the timing belt is about 75% of the work required to do a full change. Visually inspecting it is pointless as well as in most cases when they go, its the inside toothed side of the belt that goes. To check this correctly you would need to take the belt off completely.

2) If they are saying you should change it when there is nothing wrong with it, then yes they are in the wrong. In most cases like this though they will just be giving you a warning so you can financially prepare yourself should it fail in the future.
Also you need to realize that although you can repair alternators should it fail, you will find that most mechanics these days would prefer to replace rather than repair. This is what is giving the industry a bad reputation. Anyone can remove and refit, but its the process of repair that's being lost and not taught to new apprentices.

3) Thats a yes and no answer. depends on application. In a 1.8L astra i wouldn't bother and would just stick to the standard twin electrode plugs.

[CNBLU]

Wait till you start to modify it!

Tune, fmic, turbo, manifold......

$1200 dont sound that bad now :lol:

[droodles]

speaking as a mechanic here.


awesome, wanna service my car for $150? :D

and that's another thing, paying $600 and having it serviced by an apprentice who's bound to stuff something up.

[Jerram]

have you got a quote from somewhere else? I would suggest finding a mechanic who predominantly services cars driven by respectable, yet generally "aware" people.

I get all my work done by a specialist Volvo mechanic (GLT at Capalaba). I pay $80/hour for competent work done by both apprentices and experienced mechanics and they allow me to supply any parts I want. They are also respectable people themselves and never give me the negative body language suggesting that they just don't care/don't want to do it (which I've noticed is VERY common amongst many mechanics and is one thing that sours the reputation of all independents (you'll notice that when you go to a dealer service center you usually deal with a well presented receptionist/salesperson rather than the mechanics themselves)). Personally I would recommend a swedish auto specialist because the people who tend to drive such cars are usually of the type that expects to be treated respectfully as they are respectful themselves, but also do not wish to pay exorbitant amounts for work to be done.

[JohnBu]

Who is this reputable garage in the South-East Melbourne?

Maybe give these guys a go.. http://www.opelaus.com/forums/showthread.php?28881-Mechanics-in-Melb

[lithium]

well a timing belt change is reasonably major work - i don't think $600 labour is really unreasonable? if you think it's expensive, as said above, get some other quotes and compare.
mate, in defense of mechanics - they aren't all there to rip you. they do have to make a living from their business.


I take everything mechanics say with a grain of salt. Especially crap like:

- "You can't check the timing belt for condition, it's all black and hard to see anything. So it's one of those things where you should just change it in case" So that you can make a quick $700 off me?
- "A common problem with this car is the alternator..." yeah, because you can get away with charging $1200, that's why.
- "NGK Iridium spark plugs are better than Bosch, they last longer" As far as I know, NGK Iridiums are only relevant if you're running high compression turbo stuff, Bosch should be fine for normal every day cars.

in this case Guy is actually correct. just to add

1) you *really* can't check the timing belt for condition by inspection. i mean apart from obvious things like it being covered in oil or coolant or frayed or teeth missing or something. unless you have x-ray vision and can see the structure of the fibres in the timing belt material, it can 'look like new' and still be structurally worn and snap tomorrow. this is why they are replaced by km/time.

2) i'm sure they are just warning you to budget for that in the future, from their experience with dealing with hundreds of Astras.

3) iridiums DO last longer than normal plugs. also curiously enough, i switched to NGK iridiums from the twin electrodes in my Barina and it noticeably smoothed out the idle. personally the real reason i run good plugs in these motors to try to prolong the life of the rubbish coil packs on them :arf:

[Wraith]

I've always thought that the general collective of mechanics are always in it for the money and nothing else; who cares about people's lives and their car?. Their specialty is exploiting the lack of knowledge of general car owners and making a living out of it. Dealer garages to franchises to independent ones, most of them are the same.



Thoughts?

What's new ??

It's always been the case...



Keep searching till you find or are recommended to someone/garage that satisfies what your looking for in this regard :)

[Red AH SRI T]

Mechanics and Garages will only charge what they know they can get away with, and obviously some people will pay a lot of money for not a lot of work

[droodles]

Mechanics and Garages will only charge what they know they can get away with, and obviously some people will pay a lot of money for not a lot of work

Exactly, $600-$700 for something that should only take 4 hours MAX with customer suppling the parts.


Who is this reputable garage in the South-East Melbourne?
Don't want to say at risk of them finding out, but PM me if you really want to know.


well a timing belt change is reasonably major work - i don't think $600 labour is really unreasonable? if you think it's expensive, as said above, get some other quotes and compare.
mate, in defense of mechanics - they aren't all there to rip you. they do have to make a living from their business.


$600 for 95% labour is ridiculous, I'm supplying the major parts for them. There's a difference between making a living out of honest money and lying and exploitation for money.

[lithium]

look if you think the price is ridiculous, shop around! free market ftw :yesnod:

for what it's worth i paid just over $300 in labour for the last timing belt change, which didn't include an oil change, fuel filter change or thermostat change. you can get a better price than $600 but it isn't unrealistic IMO.

[droodles]

Called a couple of places yesterday, all quoting around 500-700 mark. Some brave son of a...gave me $1000 LOL.

[hazrd]

Sometimes the price depends on wether they have the time to do it (not that they would admit it). I was quoted $10 grand to have my Calibra motor reconditioned.. :crazy:

[JohnBu]

how much is a Calibra with a reconditioned motor worth?

[hazrd]

how much is a Calibra with a reconditioned motor worth?

5k tops :lol:

[poita]

carton of crownies tops :lol:

[gman]

For any Calibra, you have to pay someone to take it and also the towing costs as those things never run, reconditioned or not!!

And I second Gav's comments. Wait till you start modifying things!! You can add a couple of zero's to those bills. :)

[glider]

For any Calibra, you have to pay someone to take it and also the towing costs as those things never run, reconditioned or not!!

We'll see about that ;)

[droodles]

Yeah well anyway, my package from Autovaux is severely delayed so it won't be here within the week even though DHL quoted 3-4 days postage. It must be the shit weather over there in the UK. So that means my scheduled service on the 24th won't happen due to not only my parts not arriving but also because most businesses are closed by then and don't re open until the 10 of January.

Which means I'll be two weeks overdue on my major service :eek6:

[Shay]

Yeah well anyway, my package from Autovaux is severely delayed so it won't be here within the week even though DHL quoted 3-4 days postage. It must be the shit weather over there in the UK. So that means my scheduled service on the 24th won't happen due to not only my parts not arriving but also because most businesses are closed by then and don't re open until the 10 of January.

Which means I'll be two weeks overdue on my major service :eek6:

lol, 2 weeks, OMFG BETTER NOT DRIVE THE CAR A METER!!!!
i know people that have gone 6 months + past the time they should have had a major with no issues.

put it this way, first time i replaced my WP and TB it took me about 10-12 hrs.

[guy 27]

Which means I'll be two weeks overdue on my major service :eek6:

i would love to be able to service my car by time rather than km's. Would be much nicer on the wallet servicing every 6 months instead of 6 weeks.

[droodles]

http://localhostr.com/files/Q5IgzsB/DSC02598.jpg
Parts arrived :D new water pump, timing belt, fuel filter and thermostat goodness


lol, 2 weeks, OMFG BETTER NOT DRIVE THE CAR A METER!!!!
i know people that have gone 6 months + past the time they should have had a major with no issues.

Well currently I'm going by time, the KMs to service are when it's at 108,000 KMs and I'm only at 103,167 :) made me feel a lot better


i would love to be able to service my car by time rather than km's. Would be much nicer on the wallet servicing every 6 months instead of 6 weeks.

6 weeks? How hard do you ECOTEC it?

[guy 27]

6 weeks? How hard do you ECOTEC it?

I service it every 5000km. so every 6 - 12 weeks depending how much i drive.

And seriously dude, I think you gotta give up this ecotec bullshit.

[glider]

wtf is the big who ha about ecotec, i mean seriously the ****ing v6 commodore engine is/was an ecotec... get over it... has nothing to do with variable timing or increased power output, just because it shares 3 letters with vtec it clearly must be competition for said item... no.

[droodles]

alright take it easy. i was just playing around.

[nigelh]

I thought autovaux supplied gates timing belts not dayco.

[droodles]

I thought autovaux supplied gates timing belts not dayco.

Well that's what came in the order. They probably also distribute Dayco products.