My local independent shops I use are $180 for the guy who I trust to work on my cars but not necessarily to do great diagnostic work... The other shop I go to when the issue requires them to diagnose it before fixing is $210. For instance, I needed a valve cover replaced: I take that to the cheaper guy... But when I was losing coolant but didn't know where, I took it the more expensive shop so they could figure out where the coolant was going. These are lower than local dealership rates.

What is the shop rate you pay in your area?

I usually do my own stunts.

A transmission will set me back a kit and a few days.

I can't rebuild a water pump. That sets me back about $600.

I took a week off and these are what I'm filling my spare time with.

quote:

Originally posted by .38supersig:
I usually do my own stunts.

A transmission will set me back a kit and a few days.

I can't rebuild a water pump. That sets me back about $600.

I took a week off and these are what I'm filling my spare time with.

I do what I can as time and skill allow... but I try to operate within my own swim lane as much as possible.

I only go to places I trust. $150-200 for labor sounds about right.

A diagnosis is $200. Fixing may be extra; diagnosis fee may or may not be applied to cost of repair.

Think my auto guy is at $160/hour. Independent that I'm very happy with. They generally have a 10 day waiting period on appointments.
Just had a MC guy recommended by the same guy who helped me find my auto guy. Talked to the MC guy about some service I'm considering and his rate is $100/ hour. Hoping he's as good as the auto guy.

Mrs. Lee's MB GLA250 has had about $12k worth of warranty work in the last year. IIRC, the dealer's labor rate was $280/hr. I went to do an oil change last weekend and saw the original rear main seal still leaking - this was one of their warranty repairs - and stopped, called the dealer to make an appt. They insisted they needed $350 for a diagnostic fee before they'd take the car back in.

I have an excellent independent mechanic that charges me $120 and hour. God Bless

$160 was the rate yesterday, European Specialist.

Suspension shop I just used to install Ohlins dampers and camber plates was $140 per hour. I then took it to get laser aligned and they charged $180 per hour. I don’t know what my motorcycle shop is costing now. I only use them for tire swaps (I bring the wheels in off the bikes) and valve adjustments. Last time it was $120 per hour. I’m scared to know what they are at now. Probably $160.

Lincoln Dealer - $210 an hour
Independent Toyota Shop - $75 an hour
Retired Toyota Mechanic has his own shop now - cheap by the job.

Based on yesterday's repair bill: $200/hour at the dealer.

I'm shocked by these numbers! I thought $100/hour was high.

I guess you have to pay a lot for a good mechanic. I have work that needs doing on the Tacoma. I'll have to just bite the bullet.

I took my Jeep to two shops for diagnosis, one had a rate of $150/hr or $200/hr with your parts. The other shop quoted by the job, the two quotes were within $50, hard to believe.

The employee turn over rate here has sky rocketed.
Three places that I contacted were in flux because
of few to no employees.

Two companies had been purchased, men were let go
Or quit.
A third company closed up partially early retirement
partially do to no one wanted to work.


I quit looking.

Independent shop in Elizabethton, TN (my former workplace): $110.

I'm not surprised there is a high turnover rate. Many get training but simply don't have the mental ability to actually do the work. To boot, it is hard work! How many people today want to work that hard?

A skilled mechanic is worth his weight in gold.

Independent shop- $110.00 an hour
Audi dealership- $250.00 an hour the last time I checked.

The high rates are due to:
Shop tools, training, utilities, and paying the wages of the technician is the reason for the high rates.

For the "no one wants to work":
Independent technicians do not make near as much as dealership techs.
Working most Saturdays.
Might break a nail/ oil and grease under their nails.
No one wants to work and feel they can be internet influencers.

I really have no idea...I'm sure it's well north of $100/hr. I do all my own work, so the cost isn't measured in dollars but rather in time, aggregation, physical pain, and the consequences of pissing of my wife due to all the profanity and comments about what I'd like to do to all the engineers who never considered that their retarded design might need to be worked on IN the car and not just on the assembly line.

The unreliable labor force is definitely a real thing. My FIL owned an independent shop in Florida, and it seemed like he had a new staff every time we went down there. He had to fire people all the time for theft, drugs (in customer's cars!), insubordination, and just plain not showing up to work. If he could find somebody who would just show up sober consistently he was happy, even if they weren't the most skilled with a wrench. But those people usually didn't stick around more than a year because they'd eventually find a job that could afford to pay them a lot more than he could, or move on to a different career.