Know Your Information Before Getting Your Car Repair

Posted by admin

July 9, 2009

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 do not know what these are, ignore the price. Yet it is parts 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 do we ensure that our automobile repair costs are legitimate.

How many times have you had a suspicion that you paid too much, but could not prove it? How many times did the price seem exorbitant for even straightforward repairs?

To illustrate just how "At Risk" the common-or-garden car repair customer is to excessive car repair costs, here is a recent real life example from a "reputable?" dealer.

A customer brought her Audi to an authorized Audi dealership for a 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 correct shop level.

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

What happened?

According to the fix order, there were no abnormal circumstances, no problems noted by the technician like rust or any other extenuating circumstances that would have perhaps increased the work, 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's 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 any one 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 labor 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 of this girl's correct order, it was found that she was charged a full 4 hours "more" than the standard work time. At $100 per hour, this added an extra $400. The remaining $50.68 came from the parts, which were billed higher than MSRP.

She was quoted $2,025 for a fix that tops out at $1575. The girl didn't know. She just paid the bill and left.

How many times do folks just settle up and leave? Just about that is all one can do given that there's no accessible information for the vehicle fix buyer to adequately question a repair bill. Similarly , only a few even know what questions to ask!

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

Government agencies can't help. The Better Business Bureau can not do anything. Even supposed "car fix professionals or advocates" lack the experience of the breadth and insidiousness of the car repair business at all its levels.

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

The Solution?

First and foremost, car repair customers need access to information on automobile correct costs. Without this, they've got nothing real in which to figure out fair charges. They also have to be ready to navigate the maze of parts and labor charges for car repairs and maintenance.

Like everything else, 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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