Found money! My driver-side car window mechanism failed the other day, and since I invariably have it down while driving, I needed to get it fixed. I took it to the local glass shop and they diagnosed the problem as a broken regulator within the door and estimated the cost for parts and labor at $236. I gulped, gave them a $100 deposit and waited till the part came in.
So yesterday they called to say they'd gotten the regulator, and I set up an appointment for today at 0830. I strolled in there, gave them the car and key, and sat down to wait. About an hour later the mechanic came back to me and said, "Nah, not the regulator. The regulator looks new. It's the bolts that hold it in place. We'll replace those."
Instead of $236, the cost was $105. How often does that happen?
Posted by Linkmeister at May 31, 2007 10:41 AM | TrackBackThat $105 was entirely for labor, wasn't it?
Posted by: Scott at May 31, 2007 04:06 PMOh, I think I got taken a little bit. They charged me $30 for new bolts, $70 for labor (the rest was tax). They already had my $100 on my credit card, so it would have been a struggle to get anything back.
Posted by: Linkmeister at May 31, 2007 07:33 PMI don't know, that (sadly) sounds about right. When I was doing roof repairs, we charged about $65 an hour for my labor and about $50 for any grunts working with me. Of course, out of that I made $30 and the boss got good marketing out of it - the remaining $35 going to insurance. Insurance for mechanics shops isn't much lower than that of roofers, who for obvious reasons have one of the highest insurance rates in the construction industry.
I have also paid as much as $17 per bolt, for a couple I had to replace on my truck, when I replaced the starter.
Posted by: DuWayne at June 2, 2007 05:18 AMEh. I didn't begrudge the labor; it did seem as though they instantly adjusted the cost of those bolts to get to the $100. S'alright; if that's the worst that happens to the car in the next year or so, I'll take it. It's a '97 Geo with 47K on it.
Posted by: Linkmeister at June 2, 2007 07:50 AM