[honda007]

Craig Clough, Staff writer
Posted: 2:45 pm EST February 26, 2009



The going average hourly rate for a mechanic ranges from $80 to $100 an hour. After analyzing a bill that could also include expensive parts, many auto repair shop customers are left scratching their heads and wondering if they are being ripped off.

The more you understand how a repair shop breaks down and calculates their labor charges, the better chance you have of making sure you are getting a fair shake.

Why does a mechanic cost $100 per hour? How much of that does the mechanic take home? How is that figure determined?

How Are Labor Charges Determined?

The rate of $80 to $100 an hour is based off of several national labor guides that are published annually. The guides survey mechanics all around the country to come up with figures and average times to do repairs.

click below for the rest of the article.

http://www.wsbtv.com/automotive/18803349/detail.html

 

[08BBPCoupe AZ]

mechanics get hosed. the shop makes all the money, the mechanic makes pennies....sucks, im the mechanic gettin hosed...

 

[sjlee]

Craig Clough, Staff writer
Posted: 2:45 pm EST February 26, 2009



The going average hourly rate for a mechanic ranges from $80 to $100 an hour. After analyzing a bill that could also include expensive parts, many auto repair shop customers are left scratching their heads and wondering if they are being ripped off.

The more you understand how a repair shop breaks down and calculates their labor charges, the better chance you have of making sure you are getting a fair shake.

Why does a mechanic cost $100 per hour? How much of that does the mechanic take home? How is that figure determined?

How Are Labor Charges Determined?

The rate of $80 to $100 an hour is based off of several national labor guides that are published annually. The guides survey mechanics all around the country to come up with figures and average times to do repairs.

click below for the rest of the article.

http://www.wsbtv.com/automotive/18803349/detail.html

These people get paid to do jobs that others don't want to do. Don't forget, the cost of labor also includes the training, equipment and tools being used as well as the building.

As the other person stated, it's the garage that's getting most of the money.

If the author of the article thinks that mechanics cost too much, he should work on his car himself.

 

[honda007]

one thing for sure is I can't do it or should I say I don't have the plans to do the work. Therefore I will continue to pay the cost or otherwise I will park my car.

 

[princess]

The techs see a quarter or so of the labor rate. In CA my prince made 32 dollars per hour & the shop's labor rate was/is 140 last I knew. When they'd raise the rate over the years they also lowered the flat rate time & never raised the pay at that time. :dunno:

Here, the labor rate is about 100 per hour. Those 50K alignment machines, 30K smog machines, training, etc. make a big difference. That's why independent shops can usually charge less. They don't send the techs out for training. They can't, all brands insist they only train techs from dealers. As the cars get more complicated....computers all over them.... the testing equipment gets pricier. Those little HDS (laptops) that can plug into your car cost between 3-6K each. Then they have to updated constantly.... I assume that means some sort of subscription.

We bought one of the 2 compatible brands of laptop. Bought the plug ins & "borrowed" the shops program (with permission). We only have a 3K investment. The hand tools, air tools, special tools in the toolbox at work is a value of about 50K. Luckily not all at once!

There's a shortage of quality techs so anytime y'all want to get some training.... go for it!!

 

[The Critic]

Tools are expensive, super expensive.

I purchased three Snap-On Dual 80 ratchets recently. One of them stickered for $75, the other two stickered for around $110. That's $300 for just three ratchets. Professional quality tools cost a lot of money, and is a major contributor to the cost of auto repair.

 

[cobra94563]

I do alot on my own, but I have no problem paying a fair rate for labor and parts. And shop has to make a profit. 80-100/hr seems fair if it requires special training or tools you don't have.

Posted rates I think help consumers to a degree. But shady shops can always soak you. Inflate the time, or what has to be done, parts markup. Best to go to someone you trust. Generally, I think you have a pretty good change of being ripped.

My son has in car in a repair shop now. $700 for a head gasket. Called 2 independents (later) and was quoted $375, $350. They started the work without approval. He was probably taken advantage of because of his youth and inexperience.

 

[sjlee]

My son has in car in a repair shop now. $700 for a head gasket. Called 2 independents (later) and was quoted $375, $350. They started the work without approval. He was probably taken advantage of because of his youth and inexperience.

Usually when you bring a car into a mechanic, they have you indicate if you want them to work on the car without receiving approval. In many cases, this involves getting written consent (signature or initials). If they do not have this, your son could speak to the manager and put up a stink about it. If he has written estimates from other shops for the same work, he could tell them that he will not pay any more than that.

Granted, it's possible that your son signed the paperwork without really knowing what he was consenting to (in other words, they just said, sign here and here so that they could start on the car).

It may or may not be worth your son's time to put up a fuss about it. At the very least, it'll be a learning experience for him.

 

[Brenzo]

Well it's like this, mechanics get paid so much for the same reason hookers do. They've got something the customer really wants and usual when you go to them they've got you by the balls.

 

[12153]

To All:

I hardly need point out that modern automobiles are extremely COMPLEX devices.

A competent technician needs not only an "ASE" certification, but a Helluva lot of hands-on experience to work on most anything nowadays.

The "techs" in my area typically go to a trade school...for some two-to-three years, all the while doing an apprenticeship with a local automobile dealer.

I used to "get by" (and still do) using a few simple handtools. A professional mechanic, working for a dealership, can easily have to invest some $100,000 in tools, to be properly equipped to work on your car. I have a "Bud" whose Snap-On roller chest costs THREE TIMES MORE than the first HOUSE I ever bought!

(I also have this other friend, who works on Volvos and BMWs. He has some $60,000 invested in diagnostical testers, ALONE! Holy Mother of Jesus!)

At my local Honda dealer, their (current) service department rate is $94.88 per hour. A very busy shop, most of the mechanics average between $80,000 and $100,000 per year. Working long, hard hours, with oil, grease, and BLOOD (from OTJ injuries) running down their hands, they EARN every dime of it, far as I am concerned. Add the fact they routinely have to put up with some extremely OBNOXIOUS customers!

Most Medical Doctors and Lawyers graduate from college owing over $100,000 in student loans. YOUR Math works just as good as mine as to WHY they have to charge what they charge. Ditto for an automobile technician!

Per what I read in this particular thread, aside from my own, personal experiences, I am WELL-AWARE that there are plenty of sorry-a$$ mechanics in this world. A TOP complaint that many Folks have, in any (reputable) poll, is poor automobile service. I deeply regret that, at a personal level. For what the customer is charged, they ought to be ashamed of themselves for doing any substandard work. :thumbsdow :furious:

However, there ARE a lot of mechanics who are quite competent, have a customer-oriented attitude, who go well out of their way to do the very best job possible. They are the "Unsung Heroes," who make the world WORK!

If all the college presidents DIED today, what would be the net result upon the aggregate economy? Essentially NOTHING. But if all the auto mechanics DIED today? The entire economy would grind...to a SCREECHING HALT! aranoid:

Show me a MAN with dirty hands and grease under his fingernails? I'll show you a MAN that WORKS for a living...and does GREAT THINGS! They command my sincerest admiration and RESPECT!!! :banana::thmsup::yes:

 

[GTFan712]

These people get paid to do jobs that others don't want to do. Don't forget, the cost of labor also includes the training, equipment and tools being used as well as the building.

As the other person stated, it's the garage that's getting most of the money.

If the author of the article thinks that mechanics cost too much, he should work on his car himself.

This is the exact reason. It's the same reason you can walk into an Apple Store with a dented iPhone, and you'll walk out five minutes later with a flashy new one. You're paying for the R&D behind the phone, which was spanned over years.

I guess if you're too lazy to learn how to install a part yourself, then your only option is to go to a mechanic, and the garages know that, so they'll empty your wallet for an easy service. Although you're paying the mechanic, though, he/she won't be getting much of the service charge, as the garage takes most of the cash.

-GT

 

[12153]

To All:

As (my favorite baseball player) George Herman "Babe" Ruth famously stated, "It ain't no brag if you can do it...or have done it." :yes:

Mechanical, electrical, body, paint, and interior, I've done it ALL.

My long (42+ year) experience with machines, and in this particular case, AUTOMOBILES, compels me to (wickedly) propose the following:

I wanna see some "mechanically-challenged" guy, in a suit and tie, else some lady, clad in "hose and heels" perform the following:

1) Change oil, change tranny fluid, then do a complete brake job. If I wanted to be mean and hateful, I'd have you yanking the engine/transmission!

2) In the case you need a body repair? Demonstrate your proficiency to me, to straighten out a fender/door/quarter panel, using a slide hammer-puller. Show me how well you can "wipe" polyster/fiberglass body filler. Next, get a DA sander. Then, grab that Devillbiss paint gun to spray it with primer. After wet-sanding the panel, then you dry it, sheet-paper it, and "fine-line" tape it. After you "chip" it and spray a few "test panels," then (perhaps) you'll be ready to spray "color," finishing with the "clear" topcoat. Piece of cake, right? :lmao:

As GTFan712 astutely points out, if YOU don't like dealer/garage repair costs, then learn to fix your vehicle YOURSELF! :yes:

I think this would give many people an "attitude adjustment" that is long OVERDUE. :banana:

 

[princess]

Robert, you sweet talker you!!

THIS lady has replaced or helped replace engines & trannies. Changed fluids & all sorts of things on cars. I have to match from head to toe... the outfit makes all the difference! When I grew my nails long, the polish must also match! Hair do-dads, etc.

I can't do everything on a car. My brain finds some of it too tedious to learn. I don't like wiring. My prince finds it much more fun so why ruin it for him? I have helped with body work & paint. Neither one of us liked that. We stopped at 4 cars. Two were our own. Won't bother with that again. Too much like work!:yes:

Some people can learn pretty much anything.... others can't. We're too poor/cheap to pay for many services so we learned to done things ourselves. The tiling, wall texturing, roofing, etc. Plumbing & electrical stuff too. Not everyone can or wants to learn it.

I may not be able to grasp wring, but there's things I find easy that my prince looks at like it's an impossible challenge. Kinda cool the way it works out..we get to brag about each other!:yes:

Tools are an ongoing cost for techs, they break & need to be updated all the time. Test equipment changes. Cars change. What we find to be basic tools, others would consider special. One example is the things to remove interior panels. Those are as basic as a screw driver for him. You can't imagine how many times panels must be removed. Sometimes just to diagnose something that the owner would never dream an interior panel has to be removed!

The education is also ongoing. A good dealer will send their techs to school at every chance. It keeps them updated on the newer cars & the latest testing tools. My prince is often "teacher's pet". If the material used is wrong my prince is that guy that will prove it. It's fun for me to see that sparkle in his eyes.... but not always for the poor instructor. He NEVER puts the instructor down, but it's so much easier for them if no one asks too many questions!

Here's a pix from the past....@ school in French Camp, CA. At the end of the week, he was able to clip the tie of the instructor. He proved the material wrong.....

 

[b.c.]

If you think a good mechanic is expensive, imagine how much money a bad one will charge you before he figures out your problem.

Did you guys hear my cherry pop? :lmao:

 

[glen e]

amazing to me that someone will not think twice about getting their kitchen or roof done for 120 an hour by a contractor but thinks a auto tech should be half that..why? I want someone working on my stuff that is trained and knows his sh**. And I don't mind if that means paying, so the tech can live in a middle class lifestyle...

 

[bluestars80]

Service and parts is at a 50% markup pretty much across the board. That means if your Honda dealer charges $90 half of that goes to pay for department costs. When I worked as a GSM, the sales department was expected to pay the monthly "nut" for the dealership, because that meant parts and service were like free money to the dealer principal.........

In our case, the monthly nut was $200,000. We had some months where we did $400,000 in front end profit, usually the dealer would throw a little extra cash my way after those months........

 

[Osiris_x11]

^ confused here!

Can you clarify who/what pays bulk of the dealership's operating costs/bills: new-vehicle sales or dealer's service-dept'/parts-sales?

I always thought it was the latter (maint'/service/repairs/parts/etc') as they generate A LOT more revenue than new-vehicle sales. . .

 

[Strippers4Me]

Labor rate

I always love this, when I bill for my guys: $66 standard hourly, $75 design, $125 programing and $225 if I have to get my butt out of the chair and show up!

Why so much? Let's see, hourly labor, ok, that is only $25- 45hr to my guys, but we also have to match FICA, taxes, medicare/medicade, I pay 50% of their insurance (currently $315 per man [single]), electricity to run all the things in the office, building costs, gas (unless they want to be cold in the winter), fuel for the vehicles, liability insurance, phones, cell phones, bandwidth....etc etc etc

Why everyone finds it so offensive that the shop has to make money so the techs can have a job is beyond me. Funny I owned a service station AND my computer business at the same time so I got it from both ends. Why so much?

If you feel good about it, do it yourself, save the money! But also remember when you screw it up, it may cost more to fix it right the next time. Personally I'm happy to pay $30 to have someone change my oil, it's just not worth my time or getting oil all over. I will change my plugs, I change my own summer2winter tires, wiper blades and dumb stuff. When it comes to getting a brake job, I cringe and fork over the $250 and call it a day.

It's all in what you feel is worth it. My shop must make money so I can give jobs to the 11 people that work for me, sure I can lower my rate to $40hr but then I'll have to cut a few things out...maybe the free coffee, maybe buying lunch a few times a week, maybe the health insurance...maybe a couple of employees. Bad news, this isn't WalMart.

Profit for the dealer is NOT a dirty word!

 

[xJoeMama78]

Strippers4Me is right. Running a business with employees is expensive. I love when people bitch about how much a service costs but then expect to make $100k+ a year at work.

 

[princess]

I miss the 100K years we had in CA.... of course, the majority of it went to the over priced housing!!

We have a lot less expense here, but make a lot less.

My mom has wanted us to get our own shop going for years. We keep refusing. Too expensive & too many headaches!