Car repairs are inevitable if you drive an older car, or if you driven a car for several years. There are several things to consider when deciding how much it will be to fix:
—What is wrong with the vehicle?
—The mechanic you take it to, or if you try to fix it yourself
—Labor rates in your area
—The year, make and model of the vehicle - luxury imports are more pricey
—The availability of parts in your area
Most reputable shops should give you an estimate that lists which parts need to be replaced, the labor charge to replace those parts, any charges for diagnostic time, and any additional charges for miscellaneous items such as shop supplies, hazardous waste disposal fees, etc. Labor is usually the most expensive item on most auto repairs.
The longer it takes a technician to replace a part, the more you are going to pay. Time is money, and most shops charge $60 to $90 or more PER HOUR for labor (note: the technician usually receives less than HALF of the labor charge!).
Why are the hourly labor charges so high? Because auto repair is often hard, dirty, back-breaking work that requires a lot of training, skill and experience, and a lot of expensive tools and equipment.
The average technician has over $10,000 invested in his tools, and the shop where he works may own thousands of dollars of service equipment. Much of the hourly labor rate you pay goes to shop overhead (things like rent, utilities, equipment purchases and maintenance, employee benefits, etc.) and profit (which every business needs to stay in business).
Many shops also have a separate DIAGNOSTIC fee. This covers the time it takes to connect a scan tool to your vehicle and read out any fault codes that may be in the vehicle’s computer.
The diagnostic charge typically ranges from $75 to $100 or more. As a rule, aftermarket parts are usually less expensive than OEM parts but the quality may not be the same, so stick with brand name aftermarket parts.
In some instances, the aftermarket parts supplier is also the OEM parts supplier and the parts are virtually the same. As a rule, independent repair shops are generally less expensive than new car dealers.
Independent repair shops and specialty repair shops (those who only work on imports or specialize in alignments, brakes, transmissions, air conditioning, electrical, etc.) tend to be small family-owned and businesses. You’re usually on a more personal level with these people, and may even talk face-to-face with the technician who works on your car.
Prices may be more negotiable than at a large new car dealership where pricing is less flexible because of high overhead. If you have some auto repair experience and can learn easily and quickly, you will save lots of money doing it yourself.
The best thing to do is to get a diagnostic to find out what the actual problem is and then determine if you can fix it yourself.
Jack R. Landry has worked in auto repair for the last 10 years and written hundreds of articles about automobiles and Spanish Fork mechanic. He had his own body shop for 8 years.
Contact Info:
Jack R. Landry
JackRLandry@gmail.com
http://CleggAuto.com
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