What You Need To Know About Car Repair Prices

By Author: Oliver Cawston
Total Articles: 60
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If you were handed an estimate to replace a water pump on your automobile, would you know if the price was fair? Could you trust the price? What about for a tie rod end, mass air flow sensor, or an evaporative emissions sensor?

Most of us have no idea what these are, don't worry about the price. Yet it is components such as these that are ordinarily used to over charge you, the automobile fix customer.

We no longer live in a period of trust, so how do we make sure that our auto 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 appear exorbitant for even simple repairs?

To illustrate just how "At Risk" the everyday auto repair client is to excessive car repair prices, here's a is a current real life example from a "reputable?" dealer.

A client brought her Audi to an authorized 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 repair shop level. ...
...

Yet the lady left the dealer with a bill for $2025.68.

What happened?

According to the fix order, there were no aberrant circumstances, no issues spotted by the technician such as rust or any other extenuating circumstances that would have perhaps increased the work, or added extra parts.

In short, it definitely was 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 very 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 does not know how much automobile parts cost. And who knows how much work time a fix should take? To what sources does one turn to find out this information? Who even has the time to investigate!

Upon investigation of this lady's fix order, it was found that she was charged a full four hours "more" than the standard work time. At $100 an hour, this added an additional $400. The remaining $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 girl didn't know. She just paid the bill and left.

How many times do people just settle up and leave? Pretty much that's all one can do given that there is no accessible information for the vehicle fix buyer to adequately query a repair bill. Additionally , extremely few even know what inquiries to ask!

The auto repair industry has been over-charging for decades-sometimes subtly, sometimes confidently, definitely frequently. The proof for this is overpowering ; yet, there are no easy solutions available for the auto fix customer.

Government agencies can't help. The Better Business Bureau cannot do anything. Even supposed "car fix gurus or advocates" lack the understanding of the breadth and insidiousness of the automobile correct business at all its levels.

A dealership operates differently than an independent repair shop, and a franchise, like Midas, is absolutely unique. Who truly knows what goes on in the underground of such a various and complicated industry?

The Solution?

First and foremost, auto correct patrons need access to information on car repair prices. Without this, they've got nothing tangible in which to determine fair charges. They also need to be able to navigate the maze of parts and work charges for automobile repairs and maintenance.

Like everything else, information is the key to guarantee fair treatment. Without it, the vehicle fix consumer will continue to "swim with the sharks" without any protection.
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