Expensive Mechanical

[MAPLEMAN]

Went to pick ute up and got the Bill for replacement fuel pump and relay
$960 :C:~:((
Parts were around $200 the rest was labor
$700 odd bucks to pull a fuel tank out and put it back
Doesn't seem right to me :no:
One step forward....three steps backwards :doh:...MM

[nrb]

Just for interest did you get a quote?

[Yanis]

On a similar note I took our quad in for a service and to replace the starter relay. The little woman thought Aldinga Mowers too expensive so she took it to Dodgy Brothers Mechanical down near second valley. I specifically told the guy that the starter was not working and I suspected the relay. Got it back and talked to the guy on the phone. He assured me that the relay was replaced. A couple of weeks later - no starter. So I ordered a replacement relay for $12 and it took about 30 minutes to replace. The old relay was full of sand. These guys are a waste of space.

John

[MAPLEMAN]

Just for interest did you get a quote?:no:...not being such a small job :rolleyes:...MM

[Ubernoob]

What sort of vehicle?

[MAPLEMAN]

What sort of vehicle?Mitsubishi Triton...MM

[Gabriel]

I had a 2005 triton. Was a pain in the neck to work on!!! Had to near on take the engine apart to change the spark plugs! ! I'm not a mechanic, but from what I know of them, they were a nightmare to work on so (and I'm not saying it's a reasonable price - unless it took 2 guys a full day to do it) maybe it was a real pain to do?

[Gristle]

The fuel pump died on my old Rodeo flat tray ute some years ago - quote for the pump only from the Holden dealer was almost $450 + fitting :stars:.

I bought a pump from Bursons Automotive for $160 and fitted it at home.
Not all easy going however, I had to lift the tray almost a metre to get it in without dropping the tank (and no, it's not a tipper)!

[bench1holio]

unless it took 2 guys a full day to do it) maybe it was a real pain to do?


2 guys..a full day????..... How much do you think a mechanic charges?

[maggs]

My 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee had a fuel pump issue and the repairer quoted about $1200 to remove the fuel tank and replace the pump. The pump was about $200 and the labour about $1000. Being of poor health I dreaded the thought of removing the tank myself in the driveway but, I was not in a financial position to part with $1200. I took off the rear bumper and towbar then took the tank straps off and dropped it on the ground. Removed the pump and found the non return valve o-ring had split. I dug around my o-ring box and found a close match and replaced it. Put it all back together and away she went like a bought one. The whole job took me around 5 hours. A healthy person probably could have done it in 3 hours with a hoist.

I don't know why many modern cars have the pump inside the tank other than to create huge repair costs. In my mind the pump could be mounted externally with easy access or have a removable inspection plate in the boot to gain access.

Steve

[joe greiner]

Cars are designed to be built; repairs are an afterthought.

Many years ago, I had an Oldsmobile Cutlass which needed a new heater fan motor (about US$35 IIRC). It was mounted on the firewall uder the AC unit. To replace it, I removed the hood, front grillework, and the fender for access. This was a two-day affair. I later learned of a "standard" repair procedure which consisted of removing the wheel and cutting a hole in the inner fender; then patching the hole. Even had a template for cutting the hole and making the patch.

Some repair manuals (e.g. Chilton's) say "based on a complete teardown." Sometimes that's the only way that works.

Cheers,
Joe

[rustynail]

Cars have been around for a long time. Why is it that each time we take them to a mechanic it is like reinventing the wheel?
I am blessed with a mate who is an excellent mechanic. He will tell you how much a job will cost before he starts, unless of course, it is some new fangled thing with a trillion computers and heat seeking missile detection. Then he will tell you to call IT or a watch maker.
Surely a good mechanic could have set rates for most tasks rather than leaving the customer to pay for their incompetance.

[Christos]

This might be a little sidetracked but when you find a good mechanic stick with them.

[KBs PensNmore]

There is a book put out by MTA (I think it is) that tells the mechanic, what the charge should be to R&R (Remove and Replace) a fuel tank, and R&R the fuel pump, for example, and that is what they charge. If they are good and can do it in half the time, that's money for them. I think that sometimes they add the 2 together and that is what is charged, plus their mark up for parts.
My son manages/works in wrecking yards, they'll sell a motor to XYZ Mechanical Services for $250 including delivery, they then charge you $550, plus Pick up, also fitting 6 hrs labour @ $90 per hour. He has a Torana with a Commodore V8 and can change motors in 2.5 hrs drive in drive out!
If you find a good mechanic, treat them like Mortein, when you're on a Good thing, stick to it.
Kryn

[elanjacobs]

I had a good mechanic, he was pricey but around the corner from work so I put up with it for the convenience. Then one day my gearbox blew up and he reckoned his transmission specialist wanted to charge $3k just to have a look at it.

Had it towed to a Honda wrecker/mechanic and had it swapped out for a fully rebuilt/reconditioned 'box for under a grand. I now have a new mechanic.

[Ubernoob]

Quoting a job can still be tricky for mechanics, even though they work on the same model a number of times the job isn't always the same. It can be anything like a snapped head or exhaust stud or even spark plug thread inserts coming out.
I know a tank should be a pretty routine job but if there was a problem they should have told you why they took so long to do it, at ~$80+ an hour it's pretty easy to get a bill like that, still it would have made it a 10hr job. To change a pump on my old Falcon was half an hour.

I had to do some electrical work on oddly enough, a Triton, that was later sold to someone in QLD, I was going to look at something electrical that didn't work and ended up doing two full days work tidying wiring up on a car that was less than three years old. I had never seen such shoddy work and I had no instruction manuals for the million extra electrical items added to the vehicle. Luckily he had me look at it as it would have caught fire, there were about 5 unfused wires going in to the cab and the firewall grommet had been removed to make room for close to ten new wires.

[snowyskiesau]

I know what you mean about 'extra wiring'. I have a van that's ex-police and while some care may have been taken when putting all the lights, sirens etc in, it certainly wasn't when it came to removing them! I still have an alarm that I have no key for, that I'm unwilling to remove in case something stops working. It's a long tow to someone, with the necessary diagnostic equipment to fix it. Don't get me started on the price of parts let alone labour charges...

[Ubernoob]

I know what you mean about 'extra wiring'. I have a van that's ex-police and while some care may have been taken when putting all the lights, sirens etc in, it certainly wasn't when it came to removing them! I still have an alarm that I have no key for, that I'm unwilling to remove in case something stops working. It's a long tow to someone, with the necessary diagnostic equipment to fix it. Don't get me started on the price of parts let alone labour charges...

It's a good idea to put some lanolin or fish oil on the bonus holes as they don't do anything to rust proof when installing in Police vehicles or Taxis plus all the swarf drops down and starts rusting. Not sure how many holes would be in a Police van though.....?
A friend of mine runs a workshop and they are now charging $100 an hour for diagnostics on European cars because they have to spend a lot more on diagnostic equipment compared to Asian vehicles.

[Chris Parks]

A story from the mechanic's side. A customer booked his car in to have a motor he supplied put in it. Being cautious types we looked at the motor and refused as it had rusty bores so then he supplied another one and reckoned we should fit it no matter what so we did and he went away happy. A week later he came back whinging and moaning that we had wrecked the motor he supplied and we fitted at his insistance and he wanted us to fix the issues. That is an example of why I got out of the motor trade, customers like that are common and I had had enough.

[snowyskiesau]

It's a good idea to put some lanolin or fish oil on the bonus holes as they don't do anything to rust proof when installing in Police vehicles or Taxis plus all the swarf drops down and starts rusting. Not sure how many holes would be in a Police van though.....?'
Not too many in the cab but a heap in the back. There's a caravan style 240V inlet at the rear and the wires have just been cut off. From another forum, I understand that ex-ambulances are a nightmare electrically and the recommendation is to rip out the wiring and start from scratch


A friend of mine runs a workshop and they are now charging $100 an hour for diagnostics on European cars because they have to spend a lot more on diagnostic equipment compared to Asian vehicles.
My van is a Mercedes and even if you can get an OBD reader that will work with it, the meaning of the codes is a close kept secret. I believe that the official Mercedes STAR diagnostic tool is only made available to official Benz service centres of which Tassie only has one.:(
Fortunately, I haven't needed any mechanical work beyond new brakes.

[China]

Before you complain do you know exactly what was involved, mechanic's charge minimum $80 hr it would not take long to to clock that up
on A "by the book repair"

[MAPLEMAN]

Before you complain do you know exactly what was involved, mechanic's charge minimum $80 hr it would not take long to to clock that up
on A "by the book repair"There wont be a complaint by me China...i accept the verdict :C
Can't digest it though
11 hours work was spent on it...MM

[q9]

Spanner twirling is in my dna...probably literally...

I had a leaky fuel tank on a BMW, I never bothered to get a quote after I rang a wrecker in Melb and had a replacement tank delivered for $120. It took about an hour under the car with back wheels on blocks, and far fewer swears than I thought.

Quoted silly money to replace rear shocks on a Renault Clio - bought genuine shocks for about $180 (actually I think it was less, but anyway) from a dealer in Brisbane, drove home and decided it didn't look too difficult. Half an hour later, job done.

Quoted over $2000 for replacement (though upgraded) shocks on my old Golf. Ended up buying Bilsteins (what I wanted) from the good ol US of A, along with PROPER workshop manuals and a few other bits and pieces for about $800 including shipping.

A good mechanic is a good mechanic. But a good workshop manual and a set of spanners is money in my pocket.