Thats nuts! I did mine in less than an hour! I also had a lift.bmwkiller wrote:My labor guide lists 4.3 hours. Multiply that times the hourly rate, and add the cost of the alternator.
Raped is such a harsh word.......we prefer to say victimized!Q_SHIP wrote:JESUS!! You got raped!
I was over 800 miles away and my mother was driving the car when it broke down. I had no choice.Q_SHIP wrote:JESUS!! You got raped!
Big difference between what the labor guide calls for and what it can actually be done for. Thats how the shops (and the mechanics) make money.superuber wrote:Thats nuts! I did mine in less than an hour! I also had a lift.
on a Y33!Q_SHIP wrote:The job looks like it would take a half an hour with a play school tool kit.
It would be nice if shops would charge the labor hours it actually took!Thats what we do here. Yes you can still make money, honestly!mudpie wrote:
Big difference between what the labor guide calls for and what it can actually be done for. Thats how the shops (and the mechanics) make money.
Note that his invoice was in Canadian $$ not USD.Q_SHIP wrote:JESUS!! You got raped!
That would be nice, if you finish every job in less time than the guide book. If you go over, how are you going to justify that to a well informed customer? Or, even if the customer doesn't have a clue, the next time he/she is at another shop (or on some car forum) someone is gonna say "They charged you HOW MUCH!?" Of course the other option is to not charge more than the guide rate, and simply pay your mechanic for 8 hours of labor when he's only billing 6, just as an example. A car from the northeast with a few well placed rusted bolts in places you can't easily reach can be enough sometimes to put you behind. Personally, when I do side work I go by the book. If I go over, that's my problem. If I finish in less, then good for me. It's fair all around though. There are a few exceptions of course. The labor guide I use calls for something like 19 hours to do timing chain guides, but that includes removing the engine. Obviously thats not necessary.superuber wrote:It would be nice if shops would charge the labor hours it actually took! Thats what we do here. Yes you can still make money, honestly!
It's true, the more we do a job the faster or better we get.Q45tech wrote:It's all about how many Q alternators a tech replaces each and every month vs an entire shop which might not do 1 per year.
AMEN! G50s are a bit*h to do. I learned from a T3 mech that the easiest way is to remove the passenger side tension rod, drop the AC with lines still connected then contend with the hard to reach bolts on the alternator. I cussed a lot but I got it done!... OEM is the only way to go on this job if DIY'ing is your thing. Not something you want to repeat.elwesso wrote:
on a Y33!