After my car battery died for second time in a month, I decided it was time to to replace it so I made an appointment at the Toyota dealership to have that done plus an overdue oil change. After pulling in, a gentleman cracked the hood and proceeded to use a syringe to extract fluids from various places.
"What's he doing?" said I to the service advisor.
"Be patient," she said "he's almost done." It turned out they match the colors of the fluids to what they should be and 'suggest' what need to be replaced. Luckily for me, everything but radiator fluid looked good. After signing for the jobs to be done, I went to enjoy my complimentary cup of coffee in the waiting area.
Not long after I sat down, the service advisor came to tell me that several lights were out on the back of the 10 year old but very faithful car. "Okay, fix 'em. Shouldn't there be a light on the gear shift box too?" "Yep," she said. "Fix that as well, please."
I can't recall if she estimated the cost of that procedure but when I was finally told the car was ready and presented with the bill, my jaw dropped -- the light bulb was a mere $1.70 but the labor was $114!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, labor on auto repairs is very expensive, but depending on what has to be done to reach particular repairs, it can be warranted. Inexpensive parts can be buried under so much other stuff, or require such choreography to replace, that the job can take a long time. Perhaps this is what happened in your case.
But I've been burned by a repair shop as well (Sears tried to put one over on me years ago. They ended up giving me a fifty dollar gift certificate in apology - and their scheme hadn't cost me anything but time.) I understand the frustration.
Karen E.
-- In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice they are not.
Always, repeat after me, always ask for an accurate estimate. I also tell them if they find anything then they must 'phone me, do not repair, replace or remove anything without consulting me first. Works very well lol
Next time go to an independent local repair shop to have those "Minor" repairs performed. They usually charge much less per hour for the same level of service. Only use the factory dealerships for warranty work and you will come out far ahead in the money game. I have worked at both dealerships and independent repair shops and can testify that the type of job you say was performed could have, and probably was, done by the lowest level of apprentice at the shop at a far cheaper cost to the dealership than they charged you; thereby maximizing their profits. There is nothing wrong with their making a profit but, $114 to change a few simple things does seem excessive. If you can establish a relationship with a local independent repair shop, you will most often come out ahead and sometines won't be charged for the work if it is a simple adjustment or change of bulb or something simple like that. At least that has been my experience when working in the industry in years gone by.
Several years ago a tail light on my Jeep Wrangler went out, and I called both a dealer and an independent shop for estimates. The dealer quoted $75, and the independent shop said it would be $5 plus the cost of the blub unless the actual wiring was a problem, at which time we would talk again. My secretary suggested I go to the independent auto parts store down the street, buy the bulb, and change it myself, and then if the light didn't work to go to an actual repair shop. (Her husband worked at a parts store out of town.) It took a couple of minutes at the shop, and the gentleman came outside with a screwdriver, removed the red plastic cover, changed the bulb, and replaced the cover. The total charge was $1.34. Since then I always change lights on my car by myself. I realize that it's more complex than a simple screwdriver job to change lights on some cars, and my sister reminded me about her experience with a headlight bulb on her Buick -- the dealer quoted a very high estimate, but the man at the gas station switched the bulb for her for just the price of the bulb.
I would have to agree with this information. I only use the dealership for recall work (i.e. notices they've sent for parts replacements) and ordering speciality items (i.e. console parts, etc.) and rarely have routine work performed there.
I have my regular oil changes, belt changes, batteries, tires, etc. done at a local shop or by ourselves or a neighbor. I've been going to the local shop long enough that we know each other and I don't feel as if I'm being cheated. They understand I sometimes put things off for monetary reasons and we can often work out "do this today and this repair can wait until next payday" scenarios.
It may also help that I've worked on most of the cars and trucks I've owned so I'm an informed consumer when shopping or dealing with repair shops. I still laugh about the argument regarding replacing the alternator in my '64 Mustang - I had to open the hood and show the mechanic the generator....which I had replaced and rebuilt myself. I also had clerks try to sell me wiper fluid for the same car - which didn't have washer capability in the wiper blades - they only went on or off :)
I have noticed some dealers are offering to perform regular maintenance for free if you buy a new car from them. Most offers are for five years but at least one offer was for as long as you own your car. These offers have been in addition to manufacturers' incentive programs. Obviously if you get in on a deal like this, you will want to go to the dealer for service.
Other reasons to choose service from the dealership: You have a great relationship with a mechanic on their staff, the local non-dealer shops aren't equipped to handle some of the computerized systems on a new car, non-dealer shop takes weeks to special order needed parts, the only local ASE certified techs are at the dealership, the work needed is covered under warranty, etc.
We bought a new car in June and receive coupons from the dealer every couple of months. The coupons make them equal to independent shops on the price of an oil change. I also know the dealer will reset the oil life computer for me whereas the independent guys usually don't even know about it. Same thing for lube, tires, and other common maintenance. The dealership will also let us have a loaner car or drive us to work/school and back if we need it; the independent guys don't offer that service. They also throw in a free car wash and vacuum which is *great* this time of year with all the salt and ick on/in the car. The local car wash charges $11 for this or I can do it myself for about $8 but that involves freezing my tuckus off!
I will agree that if you take your car in for service other than what is specified on a coupon or covered by warranty/recall, make sure you get a full quote from them before allowing them to start work. It doesn't hurt to pull the owner's manual out of the glove box before they look your car over. If they say they need to do something, you'll have the manufacturer's recommended maintenance chart in hand as well as the specifications (and sometimes instructions) for lights, fuses, etc. Double check what the mechanic is telling you against the manual to see if it really needs to be done immediately or if it is something that you can easily do yourself. Always keep a record of all maintenance performed on your car. Not only will it help you calculate when routine maintenance is due, but it can also boost the selling/trade-in price of your car because you can prove it has been cared for.
Yep, and don't forget that if you change headlight bulbs, the alignment needs to be checked afterwards. I would agree on asking around and getting firm quotes in advance, and checking to see if it's a DIY job, but there are some lights you don't really want to touch with a ten foot pole unless you have a very high frustration threshhold ;-)
That's very true if it'a a sealed beam. A lot of cars now come with lights that only the internal part needs replacing. Changing that doesn't affect your headlight alignment, though most I've had have involved being a contortionist to change.
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