My car dealer charges more per hour for labor than I do

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The kicker is that they go by "the book". Your car may need work that "the book" says takes 1.5 hours but it really only takes them 1 hour. You get charged the 1.5 hour.

Sometimes stuff breaks and it takes them 3 hours, you only pay for 1.5, would you rather pay for 3?

This doesn't happen very often.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:…and I’m a doctor.

You can afford it. Or fix your car yourself.

[Anonymous]

This seems like the kind of non-issue the physician protagonist of "Fleishman Is In Trouble" would ruminate about in his sad sack fashion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you and everyone else keep telling their kids that college is the only way they can get ahead in life, auto mechanics become scarcer and their labor more expensive.

Better question is whether the employee sees a return on that labor or whether the owner takes most of the pie. Granted there is a lot of overhead with tools, etc. and probably more downtime than a doctor typically has because if someone cancels a doctor appointment you can get someone else to fill it easier than a mechanic.

I doubt OP bills less per hour than a mechanic. But in answer you your question, employees tend to be poorly paid. Lots jump ship to places with guaranteed high wages like governmental fleet service jobs. Also mechanics but their own tools. Dealers supply space and lifts. But all tools are self purchased by the mechanics.

I work in governmental fleet services and have a kid and nephew who work(ed) as mechanics for dealers.

[Anonymous]

nuts!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:…and I’m a doctor.

So? Only a physician would be this arrogant.

This isn’t about IQ. It’s not arrogant to think that a grueling and highly selective admission process, 8+ years of post secondary education, another 3-7 years of training, and a post college education that costs $400K, requiring sacrifices most won’t make and doing something few can do, would earn a higher hourly wage than a high school graduate with on the job training.

Maybe next time you or your child is seriously ill, ask a mechanic?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Crazy, but also that labor charge covers more than one person, plus the associated overhead.

OP. So does mine.

Do they charge more per hour than is billed for you or more per hour per hour than you make?

+1. Most of my doctor visits are over $100 per visit including my copay and what insurance pays for about a 10 minute visit so figure $600 per hour. I know there is overhead but I doubt what OP is saying about a dealer mechanic having a higher hourly billing rate are true.

Nope. I see one new patient per hour or two follow-up patients per hour which is probably more than the number of cars my mechanic services per hour.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:…and I’m a doctor.

So? Only a physician would be this arrogant.

This isn’t about IQ. It’s not arrogant to think that a grueling and highly selective admission process, 8+ years of post secondary education, another 3-7 years of training, and a post college education that costs $400K, requiring sacrifices most won’t make and doing something few can do, would earn a higher hourly wage than a high school graduate with on the job training.

Maybe next time you or your child is seriously ill, ask a mechanic?

Well since it’s so easy to be a mechanic then OP can try to do their own repairs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:…and I’m a doctor.

So? Only a physician would be this arrogant.

This isn’t about IQ. It’s not arrogant to think that a grueling and highly selective admission process, 8+ years of post secondary education, another 3-7 years of training, and a post college education that costs $400K, requiring sacrifices most won’t make and doing something few can do, would earn a higher hourly wage than a high school graduate with on the job training.

Maybe next time you or your child is seriously ill, ask a mechanic?

Mechanics actually have a fair bit of sophisticated training these days...to diagnose and work with troubleshooting the issues with complex electrical components, to diagnose programming code related issues, and to work with the high voltage electricity of EVs. In some cases, surgeon-like dexterity is needed to repair components without causing additional damage (assembly and reassembly).

In any case, the service fees are not just compensating the technician. The dealerships make most of their money on service rather than on new car sales. Therefore the service business really has to fund the entire glittering showroom world where you select your choice of vehicles. This distorts the price of service from the cost to provide it. One thing you are definitely paying for in your service fees is the high cost of real estate and the showroom facility (or more broadly the cost of operating a full-service dealership near your expensive home).

It always seems to me that at the end, white collar people don't like when blue collar people earn more than them (or "more" than they think is appropriate). Even though we could have chosen that path. Isn't it rational to exploit labor market imperfections? Why is anyone owed or why does anyone deserve a certain hourly rate?

Mechanics are more useful than most of the management consultants I've been exposed to lately, LOL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you and everyone else keep telling their kids that college is the only way they can get ahead in life, auto mechanics become scarcer and their labor more expensive.

Better question is whether the employee sees a return on that labor or whether the owner takes most of the pie. Granted there is a lot of overhead with tools, etc. and probably more downtime than a doctor typically has because if someone cancels a doctor appointment you can get someone else to fill it easier than a mechanic.

I doubt OP bills less per hour than a mechanic. But in answer you your question, employees tend to be poorly paid. Lots jump ship to places with guaranteed high wages like governmental fleet service jobs. Also mechanics but their own tools. Dealers supply space and lifts. But all tools are self purchased by the mechanics.

I work in governmental fleet services and have a kid and nephew who work(ed) as mechanics for dealers.

PP here and that's what I figured regarding mechanic pay that they see little of what is billed by the dealership. Didn't realize they supply their own tools, that's a significant overhead cost for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Crazy, but also that labor charge covers more than one person, plus the associated overhead.

OP. So does mine.

Do they charge more per hour than is billed for you or more per hour per hour than you make?

+1. Most of my doctor visits are over $100 per visit including my copay and what insurance pays for about a 10 minute visit so figure $600 per hour. I know there is overhead but I doubt what OP is saying about a dealer mechanic having a higher hourly billing rate are true.

Nope. I see one new patient per hour or two follow-up patients per hour which is probably more than the number of cars my mechanic services per hour.

PP here and you would have a different treatment code than my 10 minute visit presumably with a higher reimbursement rate.

[Anonymous]

So? Plumbers are expensive, too. When you need an expert to fix something, including your health, your plumbing or your vehicle, you pay it. It is more shocking that you're shocked that car repairs are expensive...

[Anonymous]

So?

Do you know how to fix your own car? Didn't think so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:…and I’m a doctor.

So? Only a physician would be this arrogant.

This isn’t about IQ. It’s not arrogant to think that a grueling and highly selective admission process, 8+ years of post secondary education, another 3-7 years of training, and a post college education that costs $400K, requiring sacrifices most won’t make and doing something few can do, would earn a higher hourly wage than a high school graduate with on the job training.

Maybe next time you or your child is seriously ill, ask a mechanic?

The next time your car needs a repair, ask your Dr..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:…and I’m a doctor.

So? Only a physician would be this arrogant.

This isn’t about IQ. It’s not arrogant to think that a grueling and highly selective admission process, 8+ years of post secondary education, another 3-7 years of training, and a post college education that costs $400K, requiring sacrifices most won’t make and doing something few can do, would earn a higher hourly wage than a high school graduate with on the job training.

Maybe next time you or your child is seriously ill, ask a mechanic?

What a jackass. Arrogant and a god complex. Even physicians aren't this bad. You must be the spouse of a physician.

Basic science PhDs go to school longer than a physician with many sacrifices, yet they don't whine about automechanics getting a fair wage.

Maybe the next time you need your car repaired, ask a physician?