If you were handed an estimate to replace a water pump on your auto, would you know if the price was fair? Could you trust the price? What about for a tie rod end, mass air flow sensor, or an evaporative emissions sensor?

Most of us don’t know what these are, ignore the cost. Yet it is parts like these that are frequently used to over charge you, the car repair customer.

We no longer live in a time of trust, so how do we guarantee that our auto repair costs are legitimate.

How many times have you had a suspicion that you paid too much, but could not prove it? How many times did the price appear exorbitant for even easy repairs?

To illustrate just how “At Risk” the common-or-garden automobile repair client is to excessive car repair costs, here is a is a current real life example from a “reputable?” dealer.

A client brought her Audi to a permitted Audi dealership for a standard timing belt maintenance service.

The price for this service averages $1575 at the dealership level, (including pulleys, water pumpetc ) and about $1275 at the independent correct shop level.

Yet the girl left the dealer with a bill for $2025.68.

What happened?

According to the repair order, there were no aberrant circumstances, no problems noted by the technician like rust or any other extenuating circumstances that would have perhaps increased the work, or added further parts.

In short, it was a straight forward service, but the bill was $450.68 higher than it should have been. There is simply no legitimate reason to have “that much” discrepancy.

How’d they get away with it?

The answer is very simple, and it is a point that I don’t want anyone to miss:

They get away with it because they can!

Think about it. The average person doesn’t know how much vehicle parts cost. And who knows how much work time a correct should take? To what sources does one turn to find out this information? Who even has the time to investigate!

Upon investigation into this woman’s repair order, it was found that she was charged a full 4 hours “more” than the standard labor time. At $100 an hour, this added an additional $400. The leftover $50.68 came from the parts, which were billed higher than MSRP.

She was quoted $2,025 for a repair that tops out at $1575. The girl did not know. She just paid the bill and left.

How many times do folks just pay the bill and leave? Just about that is all one can do given that there is no accessible information for the automobile fix consumer to adequately query a repair bill. Similarly , only a few even know what inquiries to ask!

The automobile repair industry has been over-charging for decades-sometimes subtly, sometimes boldly, definitely often. The proof for this is overpowering ; yet, there are no straightforward solutions available for the car repair customer.

Government agencies can not help. The Better Business Bureau can’t do anything. Even supposed “car correct pros or advocates” lack the knowledge of the breadth and insidiousness of the automobile fix business at all its levels.

A dealership operates differently than an independent fix shop, and a franchise, like Midas, is completely unique. Who really knows what goes on in the underground of such a diverse and complicated industry?

The Solution?

First and foremost, vehicle fix consumers need access to information on car repair prices. Without this, they’ve got nothing discernible in which to determine fair charges. They also have to be able to navigate the maze of parts and work charges for automobile repairs and maintenance.

Like everything else, information is the key to ensure fair treatment. Without it, the automobile correct consumer will continue to “swim with the sharks” without any protection.

How fast can your car travel at top speed? Compare you car to some of the fastest cars in the world at www.thesupercars.org and also have a look at Audi A4 DTM.

No Comments »

No comments yet.

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL

Leave a comment