I have been going to the same auto shop that is owned by a family for 6 years and take my car there for every oil change and whatever else it needs. Well when I got my progressive 24mm sway bar I took it there when I needed a oil change and told them to put it on as well but they couldnt because I didnt have the bolts. They told me just to bring the bolts next time and they will slap it right on no problem.. Today it was time for another routine maintenance so I went to the shop and had my RSB and the bolts with me and had them put it on. I payed the 200 dollar bill for everything I got done and as thinkin that was a little higher then usual so when I left I got out the reciept and seen that they charged me 100 DOLLARS TO PUT ON MY RSB!!!!! I went back in and told them this must be a mistake but they insisted that it was no mistake and that it took a " hour of labor for the RSB"! Needless to say no money got returned and I told them I would never return! I feel I got over charged and that if a customer returns to your shop repeatably for a long time that you should really appreciate that customer and maybe cut them breaks and not charge full price on stuff..That not the case though its that I felt I got way overcharged! What do you think??

 

How come your local auto shop doesn't give you the estimate/ summary of the parts/labor fees before work is done?

 

Should have asked the cost before the job was started, 1 hr isn't unreasonable and why should they discount the job after you complained as they said 1 hr @ $100 per hr. Businesses do appreciate repeat customers, but they don't offer different labor rates for just being one, so you should have sucked it up and not complained, especially after the explanation, but when you did, they probably thought good riddance and we don't need the aggravation.

Good, honest shops are difficult to come by, so hopefully you'll find one that suits your expectations in the future, although I don't think that to be possible.

 

+1 should have asked how much it would cost before you got it done. I've learned never to assume something will be done for free. Mom 'n Pop shops might be friendlier than big service places but they still need to make $$.

If I am correct, service facilities charge by the hour, not by fractional hours. So even if something takes 15 min to do they will still charge a full hour. I could be wrong..

 

Just talked to a buddy of mine and he said:

Rear stabilizer bar to replace is half an hour of labor.

Front stabilizer bar to replace is 3 hours of labor.

Your post doesn't state a front or rear.

and you said it came out to be 200 bucks for an oil change

and if im guessing right you paid 100 bucks for an oil change and 100 bucks for an install?

If you been paying 100 dollars every single time for an oil change then the labor is considered CHEAP and you got a good deal.

 

Labor at my shop is around $80-90 per hour, so $100 isn't too far off.

I understand where you're coming from BUT someone did have to go under the car and do the work for you. Shouldn't the mechanic and the company be compensated for the time and effort put into the install?

You've gotta pay to play and if you're freaking out about $100, you don't need to be playing

 

He clearly stated RSB. RSB = rear sway bar.

 

ah okay 3 hours for 100 dollas of labor....got a steal buddy.

 

okay nvm. its not a steal....30 mins for 100 bucks..they jacked you.

 

One hour of labor for an RSB is normal. It took the shop I went to an hour and a half cause I ruined my endlinks trying to take them off.

Even if you go to the shop all the time, you should find out how much labor a job is going to cost if it isnt a usual job. But I don't understand how an oil change can cost $100 lol, I'd be more upset about that.

 

1. He stated RSB
2. He stated it was Progress 24mm. Progress doesn't even make a front sway bar.
3. $100 every time for a oil change is pretty steep to me... but I guess it beats going to the dealership that charges close to $200. A jug of 5qt oil = ~$30. Oil filter ~$10. I spend no more than $50 for my oil changes, but than again I do it myself.

 

^^+1

 

As per vietxquangstah preference

1. Guiltyox clarified in his statement and I will give him a thumbs up
2. vietxquangstah doesn't bother reading.
3. 5 quarts of conventional oil and a filter should not be more than 20 bucks in my eyes if you do it yourself abit more for high mileage/synthetic oil.
4....
5......
6..........

Doesn't have Honda filters but Honda filters are made by Honeywell.

http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/oil...reference.html

You can make your own conclusion on which filters to purchase. I've known people loyal to the fram products. I personally am SuperTech/Puralator/Wix fan.

Filters I have personally used are SuperTech, STP, WIX, Fram, Puralotor, Mobil, K&N, OEM Subaru, OEM Ford, OEM Honda. OEM Toyota. Would I buy OEM...sure if i was in the neighborhood.

Have I had any engine related failures from using any of these filters....Nope. This is purely anecdotal evidence and truthfully, it's your money and your vehicle. Do as you wish with it.

 

Maybe there was a tire rotation and safety inspection done with the oil change....

Book time, not actual time is how most shops price. Want to see inflated labor charges ? Go to a BMW dealer...350 dollars for a valve cover gasket job.

 

Exactly. The vast majority of shops go by book time and you can almost always beat book time by a significant margin. It's usually rounded up to the nearest hour as well. 1hr for the RSB is ok.

 

I guess your right I should have asked the cost before the job was started but when someone tells me "bring it in next time and we will slap it on and it will be simple" that its not going to cost much...As far as the discount aspect, I don't want that to be taken the wrong way im not trying to say if ur a repeat customer you should have totally different prices because i know you shouldn't, im just saying maybe they should be treated a little differently. Im not going to suck up a Hundred dollars because I didnt grow up getting everything handed to me.. I actually know the value of a dollar and I should of done the damn thing myself!

I got a couple other things done beside oil change and RSB.. but it says on the reciept "remove and replace RSB -100.00"



I should of just done it myself like I said.. 100 dollars to replace a RSB is pricey if you ask me... Im not freaking out about it I just thought I would share this on the site and get others opinions.

 

The price is OK. That is why you DIY on everything minor, and bring your car to shops for only the major stuff. Saves you $$$.

 

That's the answer. You'll find that if you have the tools and space to do a job, and are knowledgeable, it will save you a lot of money over your lifetime, but some don't want to be bothered and would rather pay a shop to do the job. Some repairs, although one might consider them an easy task, become a hassle as rusted bolts won't come loose, break, etc and then a considerable amount of time is lost while correcting the situation. Not every job is just cut and dry.

 

start learning how to work on ur cars so u won't get overcharged again...