Has my mechanic betrayed me?

mustangt562 · Oct 22, 2006

Ok I know how this sounds so let me explain.

My engine guy has done top notch work for me and I spread his name where ever I go. I am an evangelist for this guy for reals. Well needless to say I have sent a few jobs to him that put money in his pocket, but this is the twist. Now it seems to me that when I want work from him he attempts to rape me. Now I am looking for honest opinions here I am a big boy and can take it. Im not looking for free work but I send this guy buisiness. I expect to pay but I also expect some type of love also. I have personally gave him over $4000.00 worth of work from myself alone :Word:

I sent my homeboy over to him for a clutch job and he quotes him $300.00. which seems high to me and him. Is that a high price for that job (I have an aode and have no clue)? Also my same buddy goes to him and inquires about having a balancer changed from his 91 fox and he quotes him $200.00 for that!?!?

I myself go to him and ask him to relocate my battery to the trunk (i have the complete kit) http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=SUM%2DG1231%2DK&N=700+4294912629+115&autoview=sku and install the snowperformance water/meth kit for the natural aspirated car http://www.snowperformance.net/proddetail.asp?prod=auto025 and he quotes me a total of $500.00!!!!!

Now he verbalizes that he charges $50.00 per hour which means:
6 hours for clutch job
4 hours to change balancer
10 hours to relocate a battery and install water/meth kit.

What do you guys think? Is he a wolf in sheeps clothing?!?

S/CBlack95GT · Oct 22, 2006

Those prices are not out of whack by today's standards. Changing the clutch for $300 is a decent deal. You must removed the D/S, H/X pipe, tranny, bellhousing, etc. Labor now days is crazy. If cars are your hobby I suggest you buy some tools and do your own mods. You will save a TON of money.

bimmertech · Oct 22, 2006

mustangt562 said:
Now he verbalizes that he charges $50.00 per hour which means:
6 hours for clutch job
4 hours to change balancer
10 hours to relocate a battery and install water/meth kit.

What do you guys think? Is he a wolf in sheeps clothing?!?

i charge about 8hr for a clutch

radiator usually has to come out to do a balancer so 4hrs isn't that crazy

10hours for a battery kit seems fair to me--if he does it right and runs the wire under the carpet.

Bens95cobra8594 · Oct 22, 2006

I think you are experiencing a case of flat rate blues. The mechanic's prices don't seem that bad, especially the $50.00 per hr (I'd love to find that!). Some are a bit high.

But if he is an engine guy (as mentioned in first post) maybe he is quoting high to avoid work he doesn't want to do... especially the battery relocate and water/meth kit.

Crack the yellow pages and see what else is out there (with experience).

Good luck bro!

mo_dingo · Oct 22, 2006

is his work always good? Then don't worry about paying a little more. That is the one thing you may forget about. Mechanics (some) love to rape people, either by selling people parts they don't need, doing shoddy work, etc. If he is trustworthy, it's worth it.
Scott

AznStanger3v · Oct 22, 2006

ahhh, i remember my wrench turning days as a profession. when i worked under the dealer, those prices are about right, minus the batt relocation which wasnt an option. if you are trying to pursue your stang as a hobby, now is your time to get your hands dirty. tell your buddy to remove the fan, belt, and crank pulley and use a harmonic balancer puller and swap the balancer out. shouldnt take more than an hour or so your first time. a clutch is involved, but can be done in a driveway... i know. do some searching on stangnet, youll save tons of money. F that dude. greed has imprisoned him.

The Green GT · Oct 22, 2006

bimmertech said:
radiator usually has to come out to do a balancer so 4hrs isn't that crazy

Im not sure about Foxbodies, but in my '94 I just had to taek the fan and coolant resevoir out. The radiator wasnt in the way.

mustangt562 · Oct 22, 2006

Thanks Brothers

Thanks guys for all your honest opinions. I really appreciate it

69clark · Oct 22, 2006

Yeah, doesn't sound all that bad too me, especially if he is good and you can trust him.

Therian · Oct 22, 2006

The clutch sounds like a deal if it includes resurfacing the flywheel...I paid $500+ CAD for my swap...and I already had the DS + exhaust + transmission out of the car.

Blackened302 · Oct 22, 2006

$50/hour isn't bad--i've heard of worse.

zkillrr · Oct 22, 2006

Most of our mechanics here in memphis charge anywhere from 75 to 100 US dollars and act like they are doing you a favor! I learned real quick how to do minor and some major things to my car. I also know when I need to take it to a shop so it want cost me from my own scew up. If you have a mechanic that you can trust, I would keep him and learn from him to better myself. 1Ti 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: Not money but the love of it! Who can you Trust?

zZsKyZz · Oct 22, 2006

I work at an auto parts store and notice that when paying by the hour you basically get what you pay for. I've seen rates from $35/hr to $115/hr.. don't always think higher price = better job though. Your best bet is to ask around. go to a few parts stores/car shows and ask people who they suggest and what they think of their work. Some guys are good at doing transmissions, others for building engines, and some just rotate your tires.

Basically, do your homework.

S351R"Animal" · Oct 22, 2006

Prices are pretty fair if the guy does good work. Most shops around here get $85 an hour to do work and good ones are far and few between.

Car Nut · Oct 22, 2006

The shop that does work on my car always does the job right the first time. Their costs are way less than any dealer and frankly, most any other shop wouldn't install half of the stuff I've taken to them. 90% of their business is stang-related and has been for years.

On almost every job I've had my shop do, they've always agreed to do some "extra stuff" like replacing the rear main seal (for parts cost only) during a clutch replacement. For that reason, I only bring my car to the shop when I've got a few things to get done. Sometimes, the work is only for replacement of parts due to normal wear and tear, but they always do the work right the first time AND it is always stuff I couldn't do myself or couldn't wait on to do myself.

In fact, they saw the "less than stellar" job I did putting sealant on a couple new parts and asked me if they could fix those at no cost. They couldn't stand the sight of it!

I can't imagine not having my local shop available to me, so I don't mind throwing business their way. After reading and hearing about so many others who've had problems at various shops, I count myself lucky that I don't have to deal with it.

Good luck.

Bosko5.0 · Oct 22, 2006

the balancer they didnt remove anything but it and it took about 30 minutes if that cost me 97.50 and i provided the balancer if mine goes again i will save the mony and install myself.
they charged me $18 a qt for tranny fluid when i can go todiscount auto and pay $5 if that. you can trust noone but yourself and sometime not even yourself.

tlee_20 · Oct 22, 2006

i did my battery relocation in about 4 hours.. and its done RIGHT! if you lived closer to me we could do it in an evening. no big deal. i'd say 200 at the most to do the battery kit..

mustangt562 · Oct 23, 2006

tlee_20 said:
i did my battery relocation in about 4 hours.. and its done RIGHT! if you lived closer to me we could do it in an evening. no big deal. i'd say 200 at the most to do the battery kit..

Hey thanks for the offer brother!!

wytstang · Oct 24, 2006

50hr is pretty good

Has my mechanic betrayed me?

mustangt562

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S/CBlack95GT

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bimmertech

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Bens95cobra8594

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mo_dingo

AznStanger3v

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The Green GT

No 13 year olds are safe around me.

mustangt562

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69clark

Therian

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Blackened302

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zkillrr

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zZsKyZz

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S351R"Animal"

Car Nut

Bosko5.0

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tlee_20

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mustangt562

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wytstang

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