3 hours to swap out pre assembled 5100s w/ 885s - not about the $

Well put.

 

I understand just fine. The flag hours system is flawed to begin with. It allows for large service departments to make a fortune off customers while not actually spending the time on a vehicle. I pay my diesel mechanic hourly for work performed and its a fair and honest way of doing things. Sorry but I refuse to pay for time that wasn’t actually spent working on a vehicle. If it takes less time you pay less, if it takes more then you pay more

 

Lol because that injector job he said took him 8 he probably did in 5

 

I trust him and he is very fair when it comes to his time. If something take awhile he always explains why and I don’t feel the need to question him. He maintains our fleet of diesels and trailers all based of time & materials and it’s a fair arrangement for both of us

 

I will admit it. I think $105/hr is an excessive rate (not that I have ever worked in automotive repair).

But not because mechanics don't deserve to get good pay, and not that the rate is more than typical... but because the mechanic is getting what, about 25% of that?
I know the shop is paying for down time, insurance, etc, but it just seems like the shop gets alot more money than it should for what they pay the mechanics.

(My feeling's of excessive shop profit stems probably from aerospace 'Job Shops', who I feel gets quite a significant profit for doing almost nothing except being a middle-man between engineers and mechanics and the companies who are utilizing the labor)

Of course if I feel its so profitable, I should start my own shop, right?, so I realize I am probably off the mark, but it is still hard to feel differently even when thinking logically.

(BTW, in the area if you need help.)

 

Very few get 25% of that

 

FWIW. I don’t work in the auto industry, but I’m a technician by trade. I have customers that scoff at the cost of my work and ask “how long does that take?” I say whatever it actually takes. If it takes 2 minutes and I’m done, everything is working, they’ll say “so you think it’s appropriate to charge me $255 for 2 minutes of work?”

The reality is, you called me. If you could fix it yourself, you would have. I’m here to do a job and that job costs $X.

Maybe guess in some industries. In mine (not automotive) I diagnose for $130. Flat rate.

If I install any parts, the labor is a minimum of $235. It may take me a minute to install it, or 2 hrs. Price is the same regardless, as is the end goal - fix the machine. If you want it fixed, it costs this much. My time is irrelevant as labor is coded by the job type/part type.

 

Sheesh! $235 minimum for any labor. Sounds like a HVAC guy to me...

And people think dealers are crooks

 

Now that you have all calmed down. A few bullet points:

- This was never about the money. Not shop hourly rates nor total cost. Sorry for poor original thread title

- This was the first shop I got a quote from. The 3 hour estimate threw a flag for me because all the threads I read (searched for BTW) and you tube videos i watched kept saying an ASSEMBLED coil over swap should take 30 minutes per side with hand tools.

- All I wanted to do was ask a question on the shops TIME, not the cost

- Two other shops I went to today quoted me almost 50% less hours for install

- I am now going to invest in the two tools I needed to do this myself: an impact wrench and a tourque wrench and do this myself. Which as always in the table. And for those that said my time is too important for this, yea it kinda is. I work 12 hours a day Monday-Friday. The weekends are for my kids.

Thank you for all the helpful comments and for the those who came out negative from the gate, without reading previous posts, not the edits I made: get a life

 

You don't need an impact or torque wrench. Just use your hand tools and tighten that shit until you make grunting noises and she's good to go.

 

Use a torque wrench. Impact isn’t necessary. Get some red thread locker for the lower ball joint bolts. Shouldn’t be too bad. If you’re swapping upper control arms and touching the UCA bolt prepare for a curse tornado.

 

Your an idiot and don't have an mechanic friends...

 

I really wish there was a dis-like button after reading thing this thread.

 

Thanks for the kind words

 

Mechanics are smarter than doctors. The human body doesn't change.

 

Uh huh

 

Sorry didn't use the search function. This place has helped me so much...

 

I feel like alot of people missed the point of this thread... 3 hours seems like a good time if the strut/coils were not already pre assembled. Probably closer to 1.5-2 otherwise. Personally I like doing the work myself. Gives me peace of mind knowing that I cared enough to want to do stuff right when I did it and it gives me a excuse to drink beer out in the garage.

 

He obviously isn’t smarter than a mechanic or a doctor or even a steaming pile of shit