What You Need To Know About Car Repair Prices
If you were handed an estimation to replace a water pump on your car, would you know if the price was fair? Could you trust the price? How about for a tie rod end, mass air flow sensor, or an evaporative emissions sensor?
Most of us don’t know what these are, don’t worry about the price. Yet it is elements like these that are ordinarily used to over charge you, the car repair customer.
We no longer live in a time of trust, so how will we make sure that our automobile repair costs are legitimate.
How many times have you suspected that you paid too much, but couldn’t prove it? How often did the price seem exorbitant for even easy repairs?
To illustrate just how “At Risk” the common-or-garden car repair customer is to OTT auto repair prices, here’s a recent real life example from a “reputable?” dealer.
A customer brought her Audi to a permitted Audi dealership for the standard timing belt upkeep service.
The price for this service averages $1575 at the dealership level, ( including pulleys, water pumpetc ) and about $1275 at the independent fix shop level.
Yet the girl left the dealer with a bill for $2025.68.
What happened?
According to the fix order, there were no abnormal circumstances, no issues spotted by the technician like rust or any other extenuating circumstances that would have perhaps increased the labor, or added additional parts.
In short, it seemed to be a straight forward service, but the bill was $450.68 higher than it should have been. There is simply no legitimate reason to have “that much” discrepancy.
How’d they get away with it?
The answer is extremely simple, and it’s a point that I don’t want anyone to miss:
They get away with it because they can!
Think about it. The average person doesn’t know how much automobile parts cost. And who knows how much work time a repair should take? To what sources does one turn to find out this information? Who even has the time to investigate!
Upon investigation into this lady’s fix order, it was discovered that she was charged a full four hours “more” than the standard work time. At $100 an hour, this added an additional $400. The leftover $50.68 came from the parts, which were billed higher than MSRP.
She was quoted $2,025 for a repair that tops out at $1575. The woman didn’t know. She just paid the bill and left.
How many times do people just pay the bill and leave? Just about that is all one can do given that there is no accessible information for the automobile fix consumer to adequately question a correct bill. Similarly , only a few even know what questions to ask!
The car repair industry has been over-charging for decades-sometimes subtly, sometimes boldly, definitely often. The proof for this is overpowering ; yet, there are no straightforward solutions available for the auto fix customer.
Government agencies can not help. The Better Business Bureau can not do anything. Even supposed “car repair experts or advocates” lack the appreciation of the breadth and insidiousness of the car repair business at all its levels.
A dealership operates differently than an independent correct shop, and a franchise, like Midas, is completely unique. Who really knows what goes on in the underground of such a various and complex industry?
The Solution?
First and foremost, auto correct patrons need access to information on car repair prices. Without this, they’ve got nothing real in which to figure out fair charges. They also have to be able to navigate the maze of parts and labor charges for automobile repairs and maintenance.
Like the rest, information is the key to ensure fair treatment. Without it, the vehicle fix consumer will continue to “swim with the sharks” without any protection.
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