mechanic prices

[Anonymous]

What are good mechanic prices here, for a basic car? Parts and labor combined

I paid $850 for front brake replacement

$300 for transmission fluid and oil change (and maybe some related "checks")

$350 for freon recharge

[Anonymous]

You paid too much for front brakes and freon, transmission plus engine oil are reasonable

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are good mechanic prices here, for a basic car? Parts and labor combined

I paid $850 for front brake replacement Depends on if replaced rotors also, and the quality of parts. OEM will be twice as high as China parts, though probably all are sourced from China now. Many rotors are made to be one use and never ground/resurfaced also, but higher quality ones will be thick enough to take at least one grind.

$300 for transmission fluid and oil change (and maybe some related "checks") Oil change = $40 to $60 in many places now. Trans change if involved dropping the pan is around $250.

$350 for freon recharge Freon? How old is this vehicle??

[Anonymous]

$850 for brakes is crazy, I did my own and only spent $40.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:$850 for brakes is crazy, I did my own and only spent $40.

$40? That is crazy! You should’ve just picked up a set of used pads from a junkyard for $2

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:$850 for brakes is crazy, I did my own and only spent $40.

Second hand made in Pakistan pads?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$850 for brakes is crazy, I did my own and only spent $40.

Second hand made in Pakistan pads?

Rockauto

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$850 for brakes is crazy, I did my own and only spent $40.

Second hand made in Pakistan pads?

Rockauto

Yep, Rock Auto is great. I was quoted about $800 from a garage for my front brakes on my Ford Explorer. I went online and purchased the front pads and rotors for $150.13 which included delivery. A friend of mine installed them for $40. It's insane how I managed to save over $600.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$850 for brakes is crazy, I did my own and only spent $40.

Second hand made in Pakistan pads?

Rockauto

That's a part supplier. Are you saying it was their "generic" inhouse brand? Where are they sourced from, or do they give out that info?

[Anonymous]

What is the markup on parts?

The repair shop rang and told me a part price and it was more that 400% higher than the retail price online. Presumably the repair shop buys at wholesale rates so what they were trying to charge me was maybe a 500% markup.

The other thing is the diagnostic fee which makes it hard to shop around for repair priced.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is the markup on parts?

The repair shop rang and told me a part price and it was more that 400% higher than the retail price online. Presumably the repair shop buys at wholesale rates so what they were trying to charge me was maybe a 500% markup.

The other thing is the diagnostic fee which makes it hard to shop around for repair priced.

I hate this. For this reason, if someone says that they will have to charge me a fee just to see what's wrong with my car, I decline any further dealings and go somewhere else. The only way I'll pay this diagnostic fee is if every single repair shop charges it or if it's a big repair that I prefer done by the dealership.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the markup on parts?

The repair shop rang and told me a part price and it was more that 400% higher than the retail price online. Presumably the repair shop buys at wholesale rates so what they were trying to charge me was maybe a 500% markup.

The other thing is the diagnostic fee which makes it hard to shop around for repair priced.

I hate this. For this reason, if someone says that they will have to charge me a fee just to see what's wrong with my car, I decline any further dealings and go somewhere else. The only way I'll pay this diagnostic fee is if every single repair shop charges it or if it's a big repair that I prefer done by the dealership.

exactly!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the markup on parts?

The repair shop rang and told me a part price and it was more that 400% higher than the retail price online. Presumably the repair shop buys at wholesale rates so what they were trying to charge me was maybe a 500% markup.

The other thing is the diagnostic fee which makes it hard to shop around for repair priced.

I hate this. For this reason, if someone says that they will have to charge me a fee just to see what's wrong with my car, I decline any further dealings and go somewhere else. The only way I'll pay this diagnostic fee is if every single repair shop charges it or if it's a big repair that I prefer done by the dealership.

You don’t ask a doctor to diagnose what is wrong with you for free, why should a mechanic do it for free?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the markup on parts?

The repair shop rang and told me a part price and it was more that 400% higher than the retail price online. Presumably the repair shop buys at wholesale rates so what they were trying to charge me was maybe a 500% markup.

The other thing is the diagnostic fee which makes it hard to shop around for repair priced.

I hate this. For this reason, if someone says that they will have to charge me a fee just to see what's wrong with my car, I decline any further dealings and go somewhere else. The only way I'll pay this diagnostic fee is if every single repair shop charges it or if it's a big repair that I prefer done by the dealership.

You don’t ask a doctor to diagnose what is wrong with you for free, why should a mechanic do it for free?

Me again. Like I said in my earlier comment which I've highlighted in bold, I'll pay the diagnostic fee if every single repair shop charges it. So as every doctor that I see charges a fee for diagnosing my problem, then I'll pay it. If there were doctors that didn't charge a diagnostic fee, then I would try to find one that didn't charge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the markup on parts?

The repair shop rang and told me a part price and it was more that 400% higher than the retail price online. Presumably the repair shop buys at wholesale rates so what they were trying to charge me was maybe a 500% markup.

The other thing is the diagnostic fee which makes it hard to shop around for repair priced.

I hate this. For this reason, if someone says that they will have to charge me a fee just to see what's wrong with my car, I decline any further dealings and go somewhere else. The only way I'll pay this diagnostic fee is if every single repair shop charges it or if it's a big repair that I prefer done by the dealership.

You don’t ask a doctor to diagnose what is wrong with you for free, why should a mechanic do it for free?

You've never heard of "free estimates". I wouldn't pay for someone to give me a price on how much to re-paint my house, or to do a plumbing repair. Why should I have to pay for someone to tell me how much a repair job on my car will be?