This article is how to choose an automotive technician. We used to call them mechanics and some were named Grubber with arms so long that their hands dragged on the ground. These guys could fix things and many times without the right part being available. These old time mechanics were the guys you took into the outback.

Today the automotive technician wears a sharp shop uniform and does his work with a $100,000.00 worth of shop equipment. This guy’s service charges range where from $70 to $120 dollars per hour in the Tri-City area. If you are going to pay some one as much to fix your car as you did your doctor a few years ago then you should spend some time in selecting an automotive technician.

Some of the things that should be considered important in selecting a technician;

honestyIntegrityTrainingAbility to readCuriosityDesire to do a good job.Has an honest boss.Works for an honest business.Constantly up dates his training.Works on many makes and models. In choosing a technician it is recommended to choose an independent shop for a number of reasons. The most important is that the technician in an independent shop has to work on everything. This gives him greater insight and a much large pool of experience to draw upon.

You should check with people that have taken their cars to this shop. Most shops will recommend a few of their good customers that you can call. Ask these folks tough questions.

Interview the shop owner.

Ask the owner if he still works on cars. Ask him how he writes his estimates.Ask him how he figures the markup on parts.Ask him what his warrantee policy is?Ask if he has a written pricing policy and warrantee policy.Ask what his credit policy is.Ask if you can pick the technician to work on your car. Interview the technicians in the shop if possible:

Ask how they are paid?Ask if they are expected to bill more than 120 hours per month. (If they are find another shop).Ask if the shop pays for education and seminars. This all comes down to basic honesty. Flat rate is a method to write estimates but in should not be the end bill. If the flat rate program is good then the bill should be close to the estimate. The rub comes from the technician that works 40 hours per week and bills 80 hours per week. This means that the customer is overcharged by 50%. We are am not a great proponents of flat rate billing. Rattlesnake Mountain Enterprises spent a lot of time choosing a good flat rate program for doing estimates and bills. This program is the fairest that we could find both for the shop and the customer. I have yet to bill more than 25 hours of my own work in a week. Yes, I would be told that I was not efficient enough for a dealership or large independent shop. I have read some shop business plans that were based upon all technicians billing 120% of their time.

If you get positive answers to most of these questions, then give the shop a try. As you can see it pays to choose your auto repair facility before you have a serious problem.

By: Charles Evans

About the Author:

Mechanics in Kissimmee

Worrying whether or not you were overcharged for your car repair is an awful feeling. There’s tons of advice on how to avoid getting ripped-off, but few discuss the actual car repair prices. We really need to look at the charges on a car repair estimate or auto repair invoice to determine if we’re paying too much.

The focus needs to shift from giving outdated and ineffective advice to addressing the “actual” and “specific” charges. Are they legitimate charges? Can they be justified by industry guidelines?

Now car repair estimates can be confusing. So let’s break it down to get a better idea if your auto repair shop is billing you appropriately.

First, a glossary of terms is in order, as the auto industry has a language of its own…

Aftermarket Parts: parts not made by the manufacturer.

MSRP: Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price

OEM: Original Equipment Manufacturer. Manufacturer approved parts designed specifically for your vehicle.

TSBs: Technical Service Bulletins. Notes and instructions provided by the manufacturer for known and specific concerns(they are not recalls).

Flat Fees: services such as alignments that don’t get broken down into parts, tax, labor

Miscellaneous Charges: these can include, but are not limited to shop supplies – rags, chemicals, hazardous waste disposal fees, waste oil …etc.

Labor Rate: a repair center’s hourly charge to service your vehicle

Labor Time: the amount of time or hours determined that it will take to fix your vehicle

Labor Description: the step-by-step written details of repairs and/or services

Ok, let’s look at the Anatomy of an Auto Repair Estimate:

There are six basic components to a car repair estimate

1) Customer/Vehicle Information

2) Parts

3) Labor

4) Miscellaneous Charges

5) Flat Fees

6) Summary of Charges

Customer and Vehicle Information

Using a generic “top down” style estimate, the top portion simply contains your personal information and your vehicle’s specifics: year, make, model, mileage…etc, as well as your request or concern.

We also want find the shop’s labor rate. The labor rate is critical in determining if you paid too much. Most repair centers don’t list the labor rate. We’ll discuss why shortly.

Auto Parts

Parts are listed usually with a brief description, as well as the quantity, and the price. There are three types of parts: OEM (parts made by or for a manufacturer). These are the parts installed by a dealer, although many local shops use OEM parts too.

Aftermarket parts are non OEM parts, and there are various degrees of quality, depending on the brand and where they’re made – China versus USA, for example.

Then there are Used parts purchased from a salvage yard.

To determine if you paid too much for parts, first find out what type of parts are being used. With OEM parts, you don’t want to pay more than MSRP, although most people do without realizing it. Premium aftermarket parts are similarly priced across brands, although beware not to pay more than MSRP, which again, many folks do. Used part prices are all over the place, so pick the price in the middle.

Auto Repair Labor

Labor is billed in tenths. So 1.0 equals 1 hour. 1.5 equals an hour and a half.

Labor rates range from $60 to $100 per hour at local repair shops and $80 to $140 per hour at the dealer level. Labor times are based off established industry guidelines, which are frequently abused.

If you don’t see the shop’s labor rate posted on the car repair invoice, ask your service center for the rate. Repair shops can manipulate the labor rate (among other things) with a labor matrix. Matrix pricing is a complicated and ethically questionable practice discussed at length in RepairTrust literature. What you need to know is that you can pay as high as $150 per hour rather than the posted labor rate of $105 per hour.

To ensure that you’re being charged properly, you’ll want to multiply the number of hours billed (which is also often not posted) by the shop’s labor rate.

Most labor descriptions are poorly written and difficult to understand. So ask questions.

Here’s a “clear” labor description for a 30,000 mile service on a Toyota Camry.

Performed 30,000 mile service per customer request, and in accordance with manufacturer guidelines. Changed oil and filter, installed new air filter, cabin filter and performed all necessary tests, checks, and procedures, including road test (miles 30,123 – 30,125). Performed lubrication services and confirmed proper vehicle operation. Set tire pressures, and checked fluids, belts and hoses. Note: vehicle is pulling slightly left. Needs alignment

Miscellaneous Charges

The bulk of your car repair invoice will be parts and labor, but we can’t forget about Miscellaneous Charges. These charges can include, but are not limited to, shop supplies – rags, chemicals, hazardous waste, disposal fees, waste oil …etc. The latter of these may be billed out separately in a summary at the bottom of your repair invoice.

Very few of these “extras” are actually used during regular repairs. Miscellaneous charges are calculated off the amount of labor hours billed, not the amount of miscellaneous items used.

Flat Fees

Flat fees can be another very tricky area. Flat fees are services, such as an alignment, which don’t get broken down into parts, tax and labor. This makes it difficult to determine the real and fair price. On the plus side, most flat fees are competitively priced.

Be warned however, another term for Flat Fee is called Menu Selling. In other words, you might see Tune Up: $99.99 or Transmission Flush: $89.99. Follow your manufacturer’s recommendations only, not a dealer’s or repair shop’s menu.

Summary of Charges

The last part of an auto repair estimate is the summary of charges. It’s usually found in the bottom right hand corner of the invoice. Check it against the charges above to ensure that it all adds up mathematically, as well as logically.

This basic estimate outline may differ from your particular invoice, which may have other categories such as “Sublet” or “HazMat.”

A sublet charge is added when your auto repair shop uses another vender to fix or repair your car, such as a glass company that replaces your windshield.

A HazMat charge may include waste oil or other disposal fees. Just make sure that the charges are warranted, as again, they too are often calculated off the labor time rather than actual need.

In sum, understanding the “actual” charges, asking the right questions, and breaking down your auto repair costs is the best way to avoid paying excessive car repair prices.



By: Theodore Olson

About the Author:

auto car mechanics

Have you ever seen a person get suckered into paying more than they should have for an imaginary auto repair? Well, it happened to me. I won’t use the name of the place here. All I’m going to say is that I was taking my vehicle in for a standard oil change and left this particular place about $1,000 later. I had been led to believe that there was more wrong with my car than there really was. Truth be told, my car was brand new and there was nothing wrong with it. Shame on me, I guess- but shame on those people for trying (and successfully) fooling another customer.

It is not unusual for car owners to end up paying a lot of money to have repairs made on their vehicles. Cars require a lot of maintenance and if this maintenance is overlooked the resulting repairs can be an extreme drain on finances. While many expensive car charges are perfectly legitimate and expected there are a few auto mechanics that will attempt to take advantage of the fact that many consumers expect to spend a lot of money on car repairs. Each year car owners are over charged thousands of dollars for vehicle repairs. In order to avoid being taken advantage of there are a few tricks that consumers must be aware of.

Be wary of “specials” on oil changes, tune-ups, and other regular maintenance services. Many unscrupulous auto repair shops will use these advertised prices to attract new customers looking for a deal. Once the customer shows up to the shop the mechanic will try to separate the car owner from their vehicle and then later tell the car owner that there are many things wrong with the vehicle in order to charge more for repairs. Usually, when a scam is under way the auto repair shop will attempt to frighten the car owner into having the repairs done immediately by claiming that they will face dire consequences if they attempt to leave before having the repairs made. Don’t fall for this trap, however. If you are inexperienced when it comes to your knowledge of vehicles, don’t allow someone else to take advantage. Bring someone with you who knows a thing or two about cars, this way they catch the employee in a lie and/or give you advice. If you can’t bring someone, have your phone handy and simply tell the employee that you don’t feel comfortable with making a decision until you speak to someone more knowledgeable about car repairs.

Another way to spot repair fraud in the making is auto repair shops being unwilling to put estimates in writing. Most legitimate auto mechanics have no problem with providing written estimates prior to beginning the work. On the other hand, repair shops that are hoping to use fraud to get more money out of customer than necessary will only provide a verbal quote. This will allow the auto mechanic to complete any work they wish (or charge for parts and work not completed) without the customers consent. When this happens most customers have no choice but to pay for the repairs they did not want.

By: Brenda Williams

About the Author:

Mechanic in Kissimmee