bomt697

i went to a guy that was recommended by some pplz i no to have a few things taken care of (ie: front brakes, pc valve, air filter, spark plugs, and fuel filter). he used some generic brand for fuel and air filters, also with the pc valve. the plugs he used are ngk laser plats(am sure these are good plugs, but i think he charge a bit much on them). the brakes where from some company called specific friction or friction specific.
he charge me $340 bucks for the whole job, my question is was i over charge in some way? or is it that i just dont trust him and think he over charged me?

buzpuck11

iTrader: (3)

Could have done PCV and air/fuel filter yourslef for under 50 bucks and an hour MAX if it was your first time or not much experience on cars. What was done to your brakes? How many hours did he work on it?

D-Bo

iTrader: (9)

why not diy?

urmab

iTrader: (7)

this a decent deal nothing bad spark plugs themselves are about $10-13 each depending where you buy. NGK Platinum are recommended on out cars so its good. pcv and all that other genetic stuff is ok. And breaks i guess are ok never really heard of them but they might be okey nothing special. and He charged you 340, he probably spend 120-160 on parts the rest is labor its decent deal. The best deal that you can probably get is doing all of that your self. Changing spark plugs is extremely easy, and that goes for everything that you got. I would say that all of this would of taken you about 3-5 hours to complete. Breaks would be most time consuming but that's about it. Now the mechanic charging you 340 or you spending 160 parts and doing it your self is cheaper and it gives you that pride feeling. That you did everything your self. But that's just my opinion.

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

New front brakes and a tune up for $340, you got a good deal.

2da mizzax

iTrader: (4)

You were ripped off. should have come to me. I get Hawk pads for $60, You should have used NGK Coppers for $12 for the set and the air and fuel filter sould have added another $25 give or take. PCV valve = $4.

$60 + $4 + $12 + $25 = $101 (high estimate). $239 labor? sounds like a ripoff to me.

shoot for that much i would have thrown in some wipers, a fluid check/change and a synthetic oil change. a proper TB cleaning too.

frisballs17

speaking of spark plugs, how hard are the three on the back of the engine...i havent really looked

2da mizzax

iTrader: (4)

as easy as teh front.

frisballs17

sweet

sky jumper

oh c'mon he didn't get ripped off. stop trying to make him feel bad. your 239 labor estimate assumes copper plugs -- he got laser plats. I'd bet the labor was only $175 - which for all that was done is fair - not great, but fair. yes he could've save a bunch by doing it himself, be he clearly doesn't know how and mechanics aren't cheap. I'm assuming the guy was an actual licensed mechanic and not some friend of a friend who "knows a lot about cars", otherwise an appropriate labor charge would've been a case of budweiser.

ethnic6

iTrader: (5)

honestly a lot of the things u could have done by urself... but I guess its an alrite price...

ssr123456

Buy a K&N air filter and change your own. It's around $50 and lasts you a lifetime, all you have to do is take it out and wash it on your own and you're set.

ethnic6

iTrader: (5)

honestly I don't really understand why people would post these threads, u already paid the money so why would u ask if u got ripped off just to find out, and end up feeling bad...

Nealoc187

iTrader: (23)

I agree with this for the most part except the last sentence - I guess that depends on how much the guy "knows about cars" though.

Anyhow, just because the dude could have done it himself for cheaper doesn't mean he got ripped. If someone lacks the ability, you are going to PAY someone to do the work for you. He would've paid probably $500 for this work at a shop, more at a dealer.

Bobo

I don't think he got ripped off, particulary given he went with the NGK OEM laser platinum plugs.

Anyone who would do the math on the labor, based on using NGK copper plugs instead should have his head examined, IMO!

bomt697

wow am glad to hear that most of you think that i didnt get ripped off. i might just ending going to him more often than, since hes so close to me. thx for the info guys

buzpuck11

iTrader: (3)

Do the stuff yourself in the future, or at least the stuff that you are capable of. It will save tons of money and be more gratifying.

2da mizzax

iTrader: (4)

Save yourself some money and have me do it instead.

Neo Raven456

iTrader: (5)

Yeah really, I mean if you find out you got ripped off it'd suck because you'd know not to let the same thing happen again

Now he knows to go DIY

abustiffy

iTrader: (1)

Not everyone can or for that matter is willing to work on their own car. Without knowing someone's ability. it is silly to tell them to do work themself. For some, nothing is a big deal. For most brakes, tune ups, oil changes are cake. Some people are not given that ability. Some have no tools. Some even live in places that prohibit automotive work (I live in such a place, but I work at a shop, so it isnt bad). To just tell these people it is easy isnt helping them. Offer help or make suggestions so they can find a shop that is fair and trustworthy. If everyone were DIY I wouldnt have a job. I do my damdest to make sure all of our customers recieve a great deal and service that makes them feel like a valued customer(not a victim of sodomy).

natty99

iTrader: (6)

some of you guys need to learn how to read.....he also got his front brakes done, NOT just the tune-up. Knowing that, $340 is a good deal. Nealoc is right; it's irrelevant whether the OP can perform the job himself.

mokura

lol i agree.. save yourself the aggrevation!

TurTLe*

iTrader: (11)

completely agree. i never did a PCV on the max but $340 for everything including parts is a great deal reguardless of who it is done by as long as it is done right. Would you let a fellow .org work on your car ? most likely even if he isn't ASE or anything. He just knows a lot and yea.

when doing brakes your normally expected to be charged $100 to do fronts or rears. Thats with either cutting or replacing rotors and new pads installed. maybe a bleed pending on what you want.

Neo Raven456

iTrader: (5)

106,xxx . Check sig for system, I just got into a college up in Collegeville PA

maximized98

iTrader: (16)

why is some people saying that he got a good deal because of his brakes. Hell, it don't take much time at all. I changed my front in 25 min. That included lifting the car with a damn bumper jack. There is no way i would want to pay someone do something so easy, also considering that most shops charged min of 50 an hour labor.

phenryiv1

iTrader: (19)

I thought the same thing.

phenryiv1

iTrader: (19)

He got a good deal, considering the fact that someone else did the work. If he had bought parts and DIY, he would have paid less. Given the fact that he was not out in the cold getting dirty, he made out okay. The plugs alone are an hour of work (with the back 3 being real pains), plus you have to have the right tools.

laylow1988

iTrader: (2)

you could of done the sparks yourself but i dont think u wanna risk practicing on ya brakes if u really dont know what u doing . next time just let him do the harder stuff for ya .

JacksMax

Agreed! Sign me up!

PhillyDonut

iTrader: (3)

Fair price for a tune up. You should have asked before you get yourself into a situation like this.

blazed SE-L

sounds like you payed alittle much on the parts or the labor if you got the parts yourself and did it would have been 75-100 and take and hour to an hour/half. i cant take my car in to the shop they hike the price up and up on everything

HM_Motorsports

iTrader: (1)

Now not to infuriate anyone, nor to make waves, I know just as well as the next guy that alot of shops will and do rip people off. But some people are being rather picky. You have to figure who paid for all the equipment in the shop? The lease or land, supplies, legal bills, taxes, etc etc. People have to make a living. I'm well aware that most shops in my area at least have around a $70 per hour labor rate, dealers maybe even 80-90+. If you can do it yourself great. If you can't, don't be miffed at why there are such high labor rates, try to open your own shop, then see what you HAVE to charge to make a living. After all, they're paying for alot more than you see, as well as the experience to know how to do the job correctly and safely. You don't know how many times I've seen people put compression fittings on brake lines and call that a "fix" and then wonder why your local mechanic wants the labor to replace the whole line or a section of it. Because they get sued if it fails even if you told him or her to do it. By all means be smart and do some research so you can protect yourself, ask the mechanic to keep the old parts even, but be careful that you don't start to expect something for nothing.
ok, I'm off now.