thats it, i'm selling the PI's!

asthmaticZeater said:
those labor charges are rediculous. 20hrs of labor? come on now. when i replace dmy headgaskets (basicly teh same damn job as a headswap) it took me 12 hours. that includes plenty smoke breaks and bull****ting with my buddys when they stoppe dby. not to mention it was my 1st time taking the heads off of anything except a lawnmower.

the second time i removed them (from one of my headgaskets being bad) it took me a lil over 8hrs.

the job isnt that hard at all.

For many shops the issue is not necessarily how long the job actually takes that determines how much labor you are billed for. The figures often come from a manual that lists the average time jobs typically take. That way if the mechanic is a moron you don't get nailed for 12 hours labor to replace a fuel pump. Also, if the job requires two people you are paying for manhours... :nice:
 
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i know all how that works from being in the collision repair field. but thats still a very unresonable time allowance. if a very inexperienced backyard mechanic with a haynes manual and a decent set of tools can do it in 12 by himself. then seriously, a ford tech, or any other day in day out mechanic should be able to do it in that or less.

i know personally if i was ever asked to do it i wouldnt charge any more than a couple hundred bucks. but thats just me, and i understand that shops have insurance, employess, disposal fees, all that good stuff. but still, IMHO 20hrs is way too much for the job.

ryan, if you decide to get rid of them let me know. ill take them off your hands ;)
 
JonJon said:
I wish places would know WTF they're talking about before giving out quotes :rolleyes:

I'm sure many of them do, and that is precisly why they charge what the do...call it a "mediocre engineering tax" if you want to. Ford made the 3rd starter bolt nearly impossible to remove/install; the exhaust studs are no picnic either; and let's not forget the joy of trying to install the @$@#$@ dipstick tube... :fuss:

Did I forget anything??? :stick:

Seriously it isn't too bad when you get used to it, but the first time is a real @%#@##^@... :nice:
 
RysRed96GT said:
mother****er!!!! i got an estimate from a mechanic a month ago for doing the headswap for 500 bucks. i figured it was a great price so i didnt shop around. it's been a month because he kept putting me off, and also because there was a car there to which the owner hasnt come and picked it up, so i couldnt get mine in there. so i waited for a month. finally i call the guy and he says he talked to the mechanic and it and said its much more complex then he thought. he gave me a price for over 1000 bucks. i just hung up. i dont get it. he told me they swapped heads on similiar year mustangs all the time. how is this so different? only thing different is changing the heat transfer tube and drilling the tap. so now i gotta call around more places now and find a shop. if i had a damn garage i would do it myself right now. i got the heads really cheap and i really dont wanna sell them but im sick and tired of waiting and having people **** with me. what should i do? :mad:

PS. if anyone wants to come to baltimore and help me do this, i'll pay handsomely.

Yea good thing the D..K didn't start on your car. They are trying to bust out with a Ford. Damn dealer said 7000 for the engine swap and then 15,388.96 for a incomplete job.

Everything you do just get that crap in writing. I learned my lesson. If you end up in court show them the paper and its all over.