Getting fvcked over at mechanics.

[UntilTheNDofTimE]

Whats your biggest ripoff.

I bought a older car after i was in a automobile collision 2 months ago.

The nuetral safety switch was going back and the other day it wouldnt start. I figured this to be the issue. I bought n replaced the part myself and my car wouldnt start still.

Today i got my car towed to a shop that quotted me $280 to change a starter( i dont have the tools to do it myself and my buddy cudnt do it until this werkend). Not a big deal i loose more money by not working. I bring it over here and they tell me i need a new battery too. Say the battery is $145. Paid $50 for the diagnostic.

Raping me for. $522 out the door. I have a coupon for $50 off. So $475.....

Need a car by tonight so i didnt really care what the price was.

All in all i put $700 into this car in last week between this, towing it and buying a new nuetral safety switch which i needed anyways. This POS better last me 2 years strong be4 i put more than a oil change into it.

 

[Saulty]

You can change the battery by yourself. Just buy a new one and use a wrench to loosen the terminals, take the old one out and put the new one on and tighten the terminals. It takes 5 minutes. And any parts shop can test your old battery for free and they can even install the new one for free.

 

[UntilTheNDofTimE]

I know how to change starter n battery myself pavy. They arnt charging any labor on the battery n there charging me $20 more for the battery than autozone does. Rather them just do it right away

 

[choo]

i avoid these situations by not owning a car and not leaving my bedroom

I once sent $90 to kazakhstan for a fake ID tho

 

[UntilTheNDofTimE]

I still dont get how ppl justify not owning a car and taking taxi's. Your talking minimum $40 bucks a day. Thats 1200 a month. For $1200 you can have a $700 car payment. $200 insurance and $300 gas

 

[Saulty]

I know how to change starter n battery myself pavy. They arnt charging any labor on the battery n there charging me $20 more for the battery than autozone does. Rather them just do it right away

Well $145 for a new battery and $50 for a diagnostics test is 3 times more than I pay for a new battery here in GA. Cali must be expensive.

 

[choo]

I still dont get how ppl justify not owning a car and taking taxi's. Your talking minimum $40 bucks a day. Thats 1200 a month. For $1200 you can have a $700 car payment. $200 insurance and $300 gas

some people ride bikes some people get rides some people take public transportation.......

 

[UntilTheNDofTimE]

Depends how cheap you want to go on batteries. You can get one anywhere grom 60-170. Diagnostic was for the car not starting not the battery.

 

[reno cool]

diagnostic should be taken off the price of service if you choose to have them fix it. $280 for starter sounds reasonable. No reason you should pay more than $70 for a new battery on an old car.

 

[senco78]

how do you think these shops stay in business?
it isnt on labor alone...
ALL businesses mark up materials/parts to help cover overhead.

if you want to own a business someday might want to look into how a profitable business works.

I mark up materials a minimum of 20% if I'm doing the figuring and arranging for materials to be on job at right time/ with everything I ordered... not to mention if I have to deliver them myself.


but you can always get a shade tree mechanic or tradesman to do work on the side ( will work for beer
but when shit hits the fan dont expect warrenty coverage, then you have to pay a pro which cost more in the long run

 

[UntilTheNDofTimE]

diagnostic should be taken off the price of service if you choose to have them fix it. $280 for starter sounds reasonable. No reason you should pay more than $70 for a new battery on an old car.

Reno thats usually the case with the diagnostic. However with this shop they charge $90 for the diagnostic and take $40 off if you do the repairs there. Sucks but i had limited options. I have AAA roadside service and i can tow 5 miles for free after that its $12 a mile. This was really the only auto shop in the area under 5 miles. And yea i prab overpaid for the battery by about 50 bucks. But hey my car is running.

I need to get about a year out of this car and it still easily pays itself off. Between low insurance and no car payment i save over $500 a month driving this vs my previous vehicle.( 91 sentra vs 2011 corolla)

 

[senco78]

diagnostic should be taken off the price of service if you choose to have them fix it. $280 for starter sounds reasonable. No reason you should pay more than $70 for a new battery on an old car.

agree with this.
I started charging certain customers for qoutes ( tirekickers or customers that always want a quote but never call back)
if I get hired then quote charge is deducted from bill

 

[UntilTheNDofTimE]

agree with this.
I started charging certain customers for qoutes ( tirekickers or customers that always want a quote but never call back)
if I get hired then quote charge is deducted from bill

wish this was the case at this shop but i basically did get the diagnostic for free. They had coupons at the front desk that gave you 10% off services of 100 or more up to $50. So i got $50 off and then they took $40 off the diagnostic charge so technically since i spent $500 the diagnostic was free hahah.

 

[FairWarning]

Reno thats usually the case with the diagnostic. However with this shop they charge $90 for the diagnostic and take $40 off if you do the repairs there. Sucks but i had limited options. I have AAA roadside service and i can tow 5 miles for free after that its $12 a mile. This was really the only auto shop in the area under 5 miles. And yea i prab overpaid for the battery by about 50 bucks. But hey my car is running.

I need to get about a year out of this car and it still easily pays itself off. Between low insurance and no car payment i save over $500 a month driving this vs my previous vehicle.( 91 sentra vs 2011 corolla)

I have AAA Roadside and can get a tow up to 100 miles. Not sure why you can only get 5 miles.

 

[senco78]

wish this was the case at this shop but i basically did get the diagnostic for free. They had coupons at the front desk that gave you 10% off services of 100 or more up to $50. So i got $50 off and then they took $40 off the diagnostic charge so technically since i spent $500 the diagnostic was free hahah.

those coupons are built into the charges

like clothing store that have sales...
reg $45.99
today $29.99

 

[UntilTheNDofTimE]

I have AAA Roadside and can get a tow up to 100 miles. Not sure why you can only get 5 miles.

They have regular gold and platinum membership. Ive had AAA for a few years now and i have it for peace of mind but i had never needed a tow so i didnt invest in the platinum. I think its like $80 more a year than the basic.

edit......here's the rates

Premier - $119*
200 Miles of FREE towing
Plus - $91*
100 Miles of FREE towing
Classic - $57*
5 Miles of FREE towing

 

[FairWarning]

They have regular gold and platinum membership. Ive had AAA for a few years now and i have it for peace of mind but i had never needed a tow so i didnt invest in the platinum. I think its like $80 more a year than the basic.

edit......here's the rates

Premier - $119*
200 Miles of FREE towing
Plus - $91*
100 Miles of FREE towing
Classic - $57*
5 Miles of FREE towing

I do have the platinum. You should upgrade, why gets a tow for only 5 miles?

 

[UntilTheNDofTimE]

I do have the platinum. You should upgrade, why gets a tow for only 5 miles?

like i said Ive had it for years and never used it other than using it on coworkers who lock their keys in their cars. Roadside service is not only for tows. I will look into upgrading now that i have a vehicle that's not quite as reliable as my previous ones.