Auto repair shop estimate…where is the integrity?

[DannyW]

My wife’s car is leaking around the valve cover and I am tired of the mess and constantly adding oil. The internet cost “estimate” for the repair said I should expect to pay between $411 and $513 to replace the gasket and spark plug seals in my Lawrenceville area.

On a free day I got 2 estimates…$436 and $541. So today I let my wife drive my car to work and made arrangements for someone to pick me up at the shop and then dropped the car off to be repaired at the shop that gave me an estimate of $436.

No sooner had I got home, the repair shop called and said it was indeed the valve cover gasket and they had a “revised” estimate of $750…an additional $314. Their claim? They underestimated the cost of the gasket and the hours labor involved.

It’s perhaps understandable if this were a repair where additional underlying damage was found, but it’s a stinking gasket. Plus they only had the car for 10 minutes and had not even started the repair where they could find other damage. They would not honor the quote.

So I got the car and took it to the 2nd shop where they are currently replacing the gasket (plus spark plug seals and an oil change) for $541.

I had problems with this shop a couple of years ago when they tried to charge me $425 to replace a MAP sensor. Eventually I made the repair myself for the cost of $127 for the part and about 3 minutes of labor. (It required disconnecting a tube by hand and removing 1 bolt.) But I decided to give them another chance. After this fiasco I am done with them…never again.

Rant off…

 

[crackerdave]

Integrity still exists in Lagrange: G&D Automotive....small shop with low overhead and an honest and very good mechanic. Gary will treat you right.

 

[tgc]

Integrity still exists in Lagrange: G&D Automotive....small shop with low overhead and an honest and very good mechanic. Gary will treat you right.

That’s right. Overhead! Soc security, insurance, workers comp, etc. etc. etc. all of the people trying to make money off the sweat off your back while they sit on their lazy sorry butt. Plus some shops are like those country club doctors offices nowadays with live bands, dancing girls, wine and cheese. Arghhh.

 

[ol bob]

Not in Ga. but I took my truck to the local chev. dealer needed a sensor they said $1200-$1400. bought the sensor for $37. took less than 30 min to replace. But they have to make a profit.

 

[transfixer]

try to avoid dealerships and franchised automotive repair shops if you can, with those you've got the service writer/manger getting his cut, plus charges to cover the overhead of the shop, and then the mechanics cut. The service writer/manager is usually working on a percentage , so the more he sells you , the more he makes, try to find a local independent shop, preferably where the owner also works there, if they have good reviews or recommended by people you know you're much better off.

 

[westcobbdog]

My wife’s car is leaking around the valve cover and I am tired of the mess and constantly adding oil. The internet cost “estimate” for the repair said I should expect to pay between $411 and $513 to replace the gasket and spark plug seals in my Lawrenceville area.

On a free day I got 2 estimates…$436 and $541. So today I let my wife drive my car to work and made arrangements for someone to pick me up at the shop and then dropped the car off to be repaired at the shop that gave me an estimate of $436.

No sooner had I got home, the repair shop called and said it was indeed the valve cover gasket and they had a “revised” estimate of $750…an additional $314. Their claim? They underestimated the cost of the gasket and the hours labor involved.

It’s perhaps understandable if this were a repair where additional underlying damage was found, but it’s a stinking gasket. Plus they only had the car for 10 minutes and had not even started the repair where they could find other damage. They would not honor the quote.

So I got the car and took it to the 2nd shop where they are currently replacing the gasket (plus spark plug seals and an oil change) for $541.

I had problems with this shop a couple of years ago when they tried to charge me $425 to replace a MAP sensor. Eventually I made the repair myself for the cost of $127 for the part and about 3 minutes of labor. (It required disconnecting a tube by hand and removing 1 bolt.) But I decided to give them another chance. After this fiasco I am done with them…never again.

Rant off…

complain to the BBB for starters, also Gov Office of Consumer affairs.

 

[westcobbdog]

i like G&S Automotive in Kennesaw...a Mom and Pop shop, sure they make money but never feel like I get gouged.

 

[NE GA Pappy]

On my daughters Nissan 2.5, you have to buy the entire valve cover. They don't sell just the gasket. The part was around $150 and about 2 hours to change it and the sparkplug gasket seals

 

[Mr Bya Lungshot]

Working on my own vehicles I usually find out a quote then do it myself then realize I woulda charged that if it had been someone’s I didn’t know vehicle.
Often your blamed or wrapped up into repair that is not included.
A rusty bolt ain’t never fun or free.

 

[transfixer]

Rusted bolts or wrong size bolts that have been replaced at some point in the past can be a nightmare for someone trying to fix your car, making the job take a lot longer for the tech working on it,, and the customer seldom wants to pay extra for us fixing what someone in the past messed up, or for drilling out broken bolts and tapping the hole again, especially on cars from up north,,

 

[Batjack]

My buddy's shop at the end of my street was covered up with work so I called a fella in town about a tune up on my 2000 1 ton van...$725.00! He kept talking life time warranty this, and life time that...I was like "Dude, it's 20 years old with nearly 1/2 a million miles on it, how much life does it have left?" Waited 3 days till my buddy had time to do the job...$160.00 for the same "life time" parts.

 

[DAVE]

My buddy's shop at the end of my street was covered up with work so I called a fella in town about a tune up on my 2000 1 ton van...$725.00! He kept talking life time warranty this, and life time that...I was like "Dude, it's 20 years old with nearly 1/2 a million miles on it, how much life does it have left?" Waited 3 days till my buddy had time to do the job...$160.00 for the same "life time" parts.

Why would you do your "buddy" that way?

 

[Batjack]

Why would you do your "buddy" that way?

I tried to pay him more, he wouldn't take it... so I bought him a bottle of Crown.

 

[Crakajak]

Holden automotive in Snellville does good work.Not the cheapest,but honest and dependable.

 

[DannyW]

Now that my blood pressure has returned to normal, I should make two things clear.

One, I know that repair shops have to make money. There is back office staff, building rental, utilities and equipment cost in addition to the actual cost to employee repair techs. I get that.

Two, the reason for my displeasure is because they changed the quote, significantly, without even starting the repair. If, for example, after opening it up they found the valve cover itself was cracked I would not have been happy but I would have understood. They can't predict, or estimate, damage that's under the cover when giving a simple quote.

The whole thing just reeked of bait and switch.

In the end all is well...in the scheme of things it's hardly the most significant problem in my life. But it sure made me unhappy when it happened....

 

[transfixer]

Now that my blood pressure has returned to normal, I should make two things clear.

One, I know that repair shops have to make money. There is back office staff, building rental, utilities and equipment cost in addition to the actual cost to employee repair techs. I get that.

Two, the reason for my displeasure is because they changed the quote, significantly, without even starting the repair. If, for example, after opening it up they found the valve cover itself was cracked I would not have been happy but I would have understood. They can't predict, or estimate, damage that's under the cover when giving a simple quote.

The whole thing just reeked of bait and switch.

In the end all is well...in the scheme of things it's hardly the most significant problem in my life. But it sure made me unhappy when it happened....

There are a lot of shops that will quote estimates on the low side, just to get customers to bring the vehicle in,, 3/4 of the time if a vehicle is brought in the customer will go ahead a leave it there even if the price goes up a bit, rather than deal with the hassle of going back and getting it and trying to find another shop. They know this, it happens quite a lot with transmission shops especially ones like beep beep mco,,,,

There will be cases where once the repair is underway other things are found, which need to be addressed, depending on the repair you're having done, but the customer should be informed of that up front, some things can't be seen until you've got everything apart, but that doesn't come into play with most simple straightforward repairs like valvecover gaskets or normal tuneups.

 

[crackerdave]

I'd add a Chiltons repair manual.

 

[EAGLE EYE 444]

For any of you located in the Augusta area, here is a great place to do business with.

This is a 3rd Generation family owned business (since 1936) and they are GREAT IN EVERY ASPECT. They have some fantastic employees and they are honest about everything and they have treated me with great respect over the past 30 plus years now. These kinds of people are really hard to find in any type of business these days BUT they are truly, the BEST OF THE BEST without any doubt.

Owner Chuck Smith, his wife, Betty and their son, Chuck Jr are the finest of the finest in my opinion and they have helped me to get back on the road very quickly many times over these years. They will take the time to show you and tell you exactly what is wrong with your vehicle and can give you some excellent guidance about maintenance guidelines etc as well.

Smitty's Auto Service
1428 Gordon Highway
Augusta, Ga 30901

706-722-3565

 

[tree cutter 08]

I do most Everything myself. There's a couple of places local that I'll take it to if I don't want to do it. I don't ask what it's going to cost because I have always felt that I've been treated fair with a excellent job. With that said they are always covered up and sometimes could take a month to get to it but it's worth the wait.

 

[NE GA Pappy]

I do most Everything myself. There's a couple of places local that I'll take it to if I don't want to do it. I don't ask what it's going to cost because I have always felt that I've been treated fair with a excellent job. With that said they are always covered up and sometimes could take a month to get to it but it's worth the wait.

It seems the better the shop reputation, the longer the wait to get your car in the shop. There is a local shop here that I have do most of my work. Sometimes it is a 2 week wait to get an oil change, but when they are done, it is done right, the price is right, and they stand behind their work. Period