Cash For ClunkersFollow

The amount of labor hours charged per job is regulated and has two listing per job, warranty work usually falls under the lower labor scale. On top of that, some shops pay a lower commission for warranty work. The end result of this is a serious decrease in the mechanics average income.

Generally newer vehicles require less work than cars that are 5 or 6 years old. On top of that, warranty work is usually done at the dealership. This means less work overall and even less for shops like Firestone and Goodyear. So not only are mechanics and shops making less per repair, their is less work to be done.

Add in the fact that many of these "clunkers" are anything but, and you have even less work. When a dealership gets in a trade they usually do one of two things with it, make some necessary minor repairs and stick it back on the lot or send it off to auction where other dealerships purchase it, fix it up and sell it. This is where used dealerships get the majority of their inventory. Since the program requires the engine to be destroyed and the vehicle to be scrapped, this is going to create a huge shortage in the used car market and the subsequent work that goes along with it.

I just get the feeling this is going to slam the service part of the industry and the used car market while only providing a temporary boost to the new car market. Now with all these people purchasing new cars, what is it going to do in 2 or 3 years when everyone who wanted to buy new already has and those looking to buy used have a seriously diminished selection?



Keep in mind the things you're talking about have to do with the service writers and the management of the shop, not necessarily the mechanics. Yes, many mechanics/shops are crooks, but not all.

Having dealt with a lot of these things first hand I can say for a fact that a good portion of it comes from the consumer knowing more than the mechanic and ******** themselves over. I've run into more than a few customers who knew what their problem was and demanded that it be fixed by the mechanic only to have it not fix the problem.

Edited, Aug 4th 2009 7:16pm by Raolan

Depending on the vehicle and exactly what's being done, that's not too far off. The majority of that would have been labor though.

The reason for the 400 bucks was that they were defaulting to the high end products, and doing a rotor replacement rather than planarizing them.

Brake jobs take about 30 minutes and 50~ dollars in materials. People really should take the time to learn how handle the basic maintenance involved in owning a car.

How long it takes is irrelevant, it goes off of book hours, which are regulated nationally. If the book calls for an hour, you pay an hour. Should a good mechanic make less because he can do it faster? No. The same way the consumer shouldn't have to pay more if it takes a crappy mechanic longer. Again, a policy designed to protect the consumer that people constantly claim is "******** them over."

Not to mention a shop that just does pads is ******** you over. Not replacing the rotors when you do the pads causes uneven wear at the least, at the most it can cause complete brake failure.



Not to be a prick but this is exactly what I was talking about with the consumer knowing more than the mechanic. Customers screaming because shops refuse to turn rotors is probably the most common argument I would see. It's always the "well they turned the rotors on my old car, why won't you do it on this one."

In an effort to make vehicles lighter and more fuel efficient, they shave every ounce they can. Drums and rotors are manufactured so close to spec now that most of the time they will fall below spec before the next set of pads or shoes are needed. Almost every time you do your brakes you also have to do your rotors. This is for most vehicles made, starting back in the early 2000's, some earlier. Some vehicles have rotors or drums that can be turned, but it's rare, mainly heavy duty trucks and SUVs. The shops that do turn rotors are usually ******** the customer because the shop makes more off turning them than replacing them.

Shops make money on labor, not parts. If a shop is ******** you over, it's in the labor or unnecessary work. As to see the Chiltons or Mitchel guide (same thing) and look at the two listings for hours of labor, you're paying the higher amount of labor hours, the lower is for warranty work and other special circumstances. Multiply the amount of labor hours by the hourly labor rate, which should be posted on the wall in plain view, and you'll have your labor.

Yep, it was absurd no matter how you look at it. I got a quote just the other day for 89.99. Including turning of the rotors. Thats a great deal.

Joph supports illegal immigration.

I got rotors, pads, and one caliper just the other day for 30 dollars total (after returning everything for core charges/warranty, etc).

The only thing I don't like about brake work is dealing with the fluid :(

Oh... and I hate drum brakes. That's next on my list, since the adjustment spring snapped on the drivers side and it doesn't self adjust anymore.

Edited, Aug 5th 2009 7:00pm by TirithRR