WTH! Price On Toyota Corolla Service.

[zembonez]

Price sounds about right to me. People like to come down on dealerships for being expensive... but has anybody ever stopped and though about what it costs to open and run a dealership? The overhead is HUGE. I know a couple of people who own dealerships... They have to charge a lot to even think about making money.

Rather than rag on dealers, people should just do the simple stuff themselves. I know I do!

 

[M. Sage]

And bring everything else to guys like me!

 

[TexasRedneck]

And bring everything else to guys like me!

hmmmm......I prefer GOOD mechanics.....<evil grin>

 

[M. Sage]

hmmmm......I prefer GOOD mechanics.....<evil grin>

Then why do you work on your own stuff?

 

[TexasRedneck]

Then why do you work on your own stuff?

'Cuz if ah can't find a good one, I'll settle for the best one available...

heheheeee

 

[Rangerscott]

Just depends in what is all involved. I was gonna change the belt on my friends early 2000ish Grand Am until I read that you have to undo a HUGE side engine mount, jack the engine, and something else that needed a special tool. Didnt feel like doing that and I was visiting him so I didnt have any tools.

 

[shortround]

Ever tried to remove and replace the PCV valve on an '06 Chrysler T&C?

Had the part and hose clamp tool, but no way I could get my fat hands in position to release the clamp and pull the PCV.

Took it to a pro, and he did it for 1/2 hour labor rate, even though he did it in less than 15 minutes by my reckoning.

Not everyone needs to go to college to make a good living.

Money well spent.

Be well.

 

[ROGER4314]

OK, OK, I asked for opinions and got opinions. I took the heat and got pounded by some of the guys in the trade. I'm a big boy and can take it. I read it all and have a response.

Yes, there are some jobs that justify a "bitch of a job" price. The bastards who design these cars should be required to work on them. The root of problem is that the engine/transaxle assemblies are pre-assembled then dropped into the car bodies, plugged in like a toaster then sent off to the consumer. The operating machinery was never designed to be worked on while residing IN the car. It is for the experienced Tech to figure out HOW to do an impossible job and they should be paid for that expertise.

This ain't my first rodeo and I hold ASE certification in brakes, trained auto technicians for 15 years and have a two year degree in Automotive Technology with lots of experience. There is NOTHING (except greed) that can justify a $150 charge to replace the accessory drive belt on the 2006 Toyota Corolla. For a first timer, it took 20 minutes. Sorry....that just sucks! In applications where you must break the engine support free and jack the engine up, a higher charge is justified.....not here.

Dealerships have a piss poor reputation for good reason. Here is one of the reasons!

Flash

 

[TexasRedneck]

There is NOTHING (except greed) that can justify a $150 charge to replace the accessory drive belt on the 2006 Toyota Corolla. For a first timer, it took 20 minutes. Sorry....that just sucks! In applications where you must break the engine support free and jack the engine up, a higher charge is justified.....not here.

Dealerships have a piss poor reputation for good reason. Here is one of the reasons!

IOW......even though most folks said that they felt the charges were reasonable, you still want to say they ain't.

okay.

 

[Rangerscott]

I'll make sure to never own a car. They're just more of a pain to work on than pickups (including jeeps, samurais, etc).

 

[Glockster69]

P/U trucks are very close to a cars complexity ... just a little more room to work on them under the hood

 

[Dcav]

OK, OK, I asked for opinions and got opinions. I took the heat and got pounded by some of the guys in the trade. I'm a big boy and can take it. I read it all and have a response.

Yes, there are some jobs that justify a "bitch of a job" price. The bastards who design these cars should be required to work on them. The root of problem is that the engine/transaxle assemblies are pre-assembled then dropped into the car bodies, plugged in like a toaster then sent off to the consumer. The operating machinery was never designed to be worked on while residing IN the car. It is for the experienced Tech to figure out HOW to do an impossible job and they should be paid for that expertise.

This ain't my first rodeo and I hold ASE certification in brakes, trained auto technicians for 15 years and have a two year degree in Automotive Technology with lots of experience. There is NOTHING (except greed) that can justify a $150 charge to replace the accessory drive belt on the 2006 Toyota Corolla. For a first timer, it took 20 minutes. Sorry....that just sucks! In applications where you must break the engine support free and jack the engine up, a higher charge is justified.....not here.

Dealerships have a piss poor reputation for good reason. Here is one of the reasons!

Flash

Thats a little absurd IMO. But to each his own. And on a side note ASE dont mean squat.

 

[country_boy]

Thats a little absurd IMO. But to each his own. And on a side note ASE dont mean squat.

Dang Dan! You sound like my uncle at his shop. He says that all the time.

If I have a major problem, I just go to him. He changed the belts and the idle pulley recently for free. Didnt even ask him to do that.

 

[Texastransplant]

Plus Coffee, Water, Doughnuts and cable with comfortable chairs in the waiting area.

Flash, I hear ya....but look at it another way.

You check your car in with a Service Advisor who has to write the repair order...say it takes him 20 minutes all told...
Porter takes the car to a holding area....20 minutes
Mechanic has the car brought in to him....10 minutes
Get the belt from their parts department....another ticket....20 minutes
Install the belt, clean up and put tools back away....30 minutes
Take car back out to hold area...10 minutes
Deliver the car to you, do the paperwork....15 minutes

That simple repair job added up to 165 minutes - over 2.5 hours. At just $50/hour, that means they've got $125 worth of labor in it.

Still sound expensive?<G>

Bear in mind - I do service work almost every day. I may drive 1.5 hours to do a 30-minute repair. If I charged 'em $70/hour only for my time on site, I'd be out of business quickly. 80 miles one-way in a Ford F450 that averages 11 mpg of diesel means about 14 gallons of fuel (@$4/gal), not to mention wear and tear.

It's the stuff that goes on behind the scene that we so often overlook!

 

[ROGER4314]

even though most folks said that they felt the charges were reasonable, you still want to say they ain't.

I listened to all of the comments and I appreciate all who weighed in. I am my own man and do my own thinking so I went out and actually experienced the job myself. That's a VERY responsible way to handle a disagreement and now I can speak with authority. My actual hands on experience of that task says the charge for the 2006 Toyota Corolla belt replacement is out of line. There is not enough time involved to justify the charge. It is a gouge at $150.


And on a side note ASE dont mean squat.

Most guys who criticize ASE as being "worthless" have not actually EARNED the certification. I earned mine and can say it was a bitch to get. The test is damned difficult and if you think you have enough technical experience to just waltz into the test unprepared, you will go home a failure.

If you HAVE ASE certification and still blast it, I'll respect that. Any others....I dare you to get certified and report back. Any takers?

Flash

 

[M. Sage]

Thats a little absurd IMO. But to each his own. And on a side note ASE dont mean squat.

In my experience, neither does a 2 year degree in Auto Tech.

And on a side note ASE dont mean squat.

Most guys who criticize ASE as being "worthless" have not actually EARNED the certification. I earned mine and can say it was a bitch to get. The test is damned difficult and if you think you have enough technical experience to just waltz into the test unprepared, you will go home a failure.

If you HAVE ASE certification and still blast it, I'll respect that. Any others....I dare you to get certified and report back. Any takers?

Flash

I had ASE certification. The 8 to make me an ASE Master, plus an L1. I've let them expire twice now, only get them if an employer demands it. Otherwise, they're a waste of time.

The tests are laughably easy. When I was job hunting, I took all 8 re-cert tests at in one sitting.

I have a very low opinion of someone showing me a piece of paper that "proves" they know what they're talking about. If someone tells me that they know their stuff, they can come on out to a car and show me.

 

[TheDan]

Anything that's listed as routine maintenance in your owners manual can be done at home and it's not economical to have a mechanic do it. Save the money that would be spent on a mechanic for when you really need it. Like Sage hinted at earlier in the thread, its only economical to pay a mechanic to do every little thing if your time is worth more than what they would charge you.

Mechanics are expensive because you're paying a premium for experience, but you definitively need to shop around to find a good one.

I have a very low opinion of someone showing me a piece of paper that "proves" they know what they're talking about.

Yeah, I call folks like that "paper techs". I see that all the time in my industry. Someone has a certification (or worse, an ITT degree) and all they did was study for the tests. They typically don't even have the ability to apply the little knowledge that they do have.

 

[M. Sage]

Yeah, I call folks like that "paper techs". I see that all the time in my industry. Someone has a certification (or worse, an ITT degree) and all they did was study for the tests. They typically don't even have the ability to apply the little knowledge that they do have.

The funny part is when they get an attitude, tell you that they know what they're doing and refuse to learn how to do something the right way.

Ok, you can do it that way, but when the office wonders why it's taking you 20 minutes to put the wheels back on a car, don't come crying to me...

 

[Dcav]

Have had multiple ASE's and let them expire, the tests while a PITA are not all that difficult. I have no interest in getting them again. And FYI brakes is probably the easiest test along with steering and suspension.

 

[shortround]

Quote:

"The bastards who design these cars should be required to work on them. The root of problem is that the engine/transaxle assemblies are pre-assembled then dropped into the car bodies, plugged in like a toaster then sent off to the consumer. The operating machinery was never designed to be worked on while residing IN the car. It is for the experienced Tech to figure out HOW to do an impossible job and they should be paid for that expertise."

+1 x 1,000 busted knuckles!

Be well.