Getting Ripped off at the Mechanic shop

[Reef]

I'm wondering to what extent are car shops ripping off customers. Just recently I've had to do 2 small (<$250) repairs on my '87 Wrangler and both times I've been charged what seems like a ridiculous amount. Just today, my jeep was in the shop for 2 hours and I was charged for 1.5 hours of labor. There were about 5 cars in the shop with 2 mechanics at most. Also, I made it a point to watch my jeep for about the last hour and it didn't seem like my car was even touched. Any OOT mechanics wanna get something off their chests?

[TheMetetron]

Yeah, they are ripping you off... get used to it.

Another option is learning to do it yourself. Or at least get a mechanic friend.

[bwana devil]

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my jeep was in the shop for 2 hours and I was charged for 1.5 hours of labor... for about the last hour and it didn't seem like my car was even touched.

[/ QUOTE ]

why didnt you ask them to justify the charges? tell them you watched?

[fyodor]

They ususally get the hours out of a book. ie this job = this many hours. If they do it quicker or slower you still get charged book rate.

Pretty standard

[peritonlogon]

[ QUOTE ]
They ususally get the hours out of a book. ie this job = this many hours. If they do it quicker or slower you still get charged book rate.

Pretty standard

[/ QUOTE ]

The real rip off comes when you get that alternator (or substitute any part or service you can imagine) and whatever the problem you had you still have and you get ths beauty of a line

"You told me to fix replace the alternator, I'm just doing what you told me to do."

And it really doesn't matter that you just told them to fix the problem, not the alternator, because how the hell would you know if it's the alternator or anything else just that it doesn't work right, besides, who is the mechanic and who is the person who knows nothing about cars. And often, depending on just great your chain shop is, the MORE you know about your vehicle the Worse off you are. Because you talk to mechanic and tell him your problem, tell him the 3 possible things that could be wrong with it, and you can't figure it out because its twenty below outside but not in his garage. This will now give them licence to fix, not diagnose mind you, replace the part or perform the service, either the least likely candidate or the most expensive (really an EV qestion based on the circumstance) and send you home with the job all done....But with the problem still there. That is how garages really give you a new one.

[Ray Zee]

thats a good reason never to go to a big shop or the dealer. they mostly just change parts till they find the problem. if its an intermittent one you get to go home and be the tester and keep coming back for more changeouts.
a great mechanic will go through lots of small tests and find out the fault and fix it on the first try. he woint be working for 12 and hour at the big shop.

[youtalkfunny]

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a great mechanic will go through lots of small tests and find out the fault and fix it on the first try. he woint be working for 12 and hour at the big shop.

[/ QUOTE ]

One of the greatest assets you can possess in this life, is knowing an honest, competent mechanic.

[Reef]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
my jeep was in the shop for 2 hours and I was charged for 1.5 hours of labor... for about the last hour and it didn't seem like my car was even touched.

[/ QUOTE ]

why didnt you ask them to justify the charges? tell them you watched?

[/ QUOTE ]

meh, I know that the guy would've only gave me $5 off or something crappy like that.

[ohnonotthat]

or told you that the repair required two hours to complete even though there was only 30 minutes of actual "work" performed.

[ContactGSW]

According to Fric and Frak on NPR (CarTalk), each job is assigned a standard time cost to complete a specific task. If the mechanic can do the job in 1/2 or 1/4 of that time you are still charged that standard time cost.