Automotive Articles

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

Most of us do not know what these are, ignore the price. Yet it is components such as these that are commonly used to over charge you, the car repair customer.

We no longer live in an age of trust, so how will we ensure that our auto repair costs are legitimate.

How many times have you had a suspicion that you paid too much, but couldn’t prove it? How many times did the price appear exorbitant for even straightforward repairs?

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

A client brought her Audi to an authorized Audi dealership for the 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 fix shop level.

Yet the lady 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 such as rust or any other extenuating circumstances that would have perhaps increased the work, or added additional parts.

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

How’d they get away with it?

The answer is easy, and it’s a point that I don’t want any one to miss:

They get away with it because they can!

Think about it. The average person does not know how much automobile parts cost. And who knows how much labor time a fix 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 four hours “more” than the standard labor time. At $100 an hour, this added an additional $400. The remaining $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 woman didn’t know. She just paid the bill and left.

How many times do people just pay the bill and leave? Just about that is all one can do given that there is no accessible information for the car repair customer to adequately question a repair bill. Additionally , few even know what inquiries to ask!

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

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

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

The Solution?

First and foremost, car repair customers need access to information on auto fix costs. Without this, they’ve got nothing discernible in which to determine fair charges. They also need to be ready to navigate the maze of parts and labor charges for car 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.

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