Does labor cost include diagnostic checks?

Question

I was wondering what determines labor time. Is it the removal and replacement only or does it include diagnosing the problem. I know I am going to sound stupid, but hey you live and learn. I had problems with my fuses blowing for the signal lights. I took the car to a shop and they determined that I needed a backup light switch. I did not know anything about this and I let them replace it. They charged me $95.00 for labor and it took them less than 15 minutes to put the car on a lift and actually change it out. I did not think that was fair. What do you all think? Yes, I know I will get a lot of I should not have been so stupid, but I did not know, please be a nice to me, thanks.

Answer 1

This is how repair shops work,
Technicians are paid by the vehicle not by the hour, We use a labor time guide that alots a specific time for every repair,

Example is a customer brings a car in to have the water pump replaced, the technician will look up the labor time in the guide that the shop uses. lets say the time guide says in takes 1.5 hours to replace the water pump, the technician would charge 1.5 hours to replace the water pump PLUS any addition time it took to determine the problem most of the time this is between 0.5 hours and 1 hour diagnostic time.

How this comes into play is if it takes the technician/mechanic 2-3 hours to replace the pump or just 15 minutes you get charged 1.5 hours labor plus about 30 minutes diagnostic time. This is prevent a technician from taking all day to complete a job to make more money, we get paid whats in the labor guide nothing more nothing less, Some times we can complete a job we have done several times very fast in say 15 minutes even though the guide says 1.2 hours

P.S. most shops charge a min. 1 hour diagnostic time for electrical problems even if they have seen the same problem several time before. The labor guide is used to protect customers from being overcharged by slow Mechanics. As a fellow Technician I know first hand it pays to work very fast, I typically work a 10 hour day and will get paid 13-15 hours for that 10 hour day because I work very fast. This is why you were charge 1.5 hours labor for a 15 minute repair

Answer 2

Where I go they charge like $80 an hour for labour, which is really shop time and use of tools diagnostic equipment and the mechanics time, everything except parts in other words. recent work was diagnosing an electrical problem and replacing a fuse. About 15 minutes also, but they took it for a short test run and stretched it to 20-25 minutes but at least they charged for a half hour total $40 + $1 for the fuse. I think you were overcharged.

Answer 3

Its not actually to bad of a price depending on how long it took them to figure the issue out. You do get charged in many shops for the diagnostics. I personally was charged 90 dollars by a shop who told me my engine was bad. When I drove my pick up to my favorite mechanic ( besides the one I married) he changed a timing chain guide and did a valve adjustment. The men at the first shop simply did what I had done at home lestened to the ticking and did a quick compression reading. I ended up getting my Money back after driving from california to Arkansas and back on the "bad engine". I suggest that you call and ask what they charge per hour for labor ( without telling them why) then do the math real quick yourself... did they really spend 2 hours looking for the problem and another 15 fixing it? if the math is not correct go back and request to talk to the owner/ manager about the unfair pricing, Mechanics loose costomers fast when one is dissappointed so The owner should help you out and Quickly at that.

Answer 4

Repair cost and diagnostic cost are 2 separate items.
Many shops are now using the "Menu" pricing method now. It is based on a "Flat Rate" manual and a labor rate.

Diagnostics can be varied from shop to shop. If they have well trained people, then the cost for diagnostics will be higher because of equipment and the Information systems that are used. It is not cheep.

Answer 5

Most of the time mechanics charge a separate diagnostic fee just for determining the problem.
My mechanic only charges a diagnostic fee if he cant se the problem and needs to use the diagnostic machine.
Then of course, they charge about 35 dollars an hour for labour. Then the cost of premium parts.

Answer 6

Prices for labor are determined by a standardized Flat Rate Manual. Each job is broken down into tenths of an hour. So labor is labor rate times the "flat rate" time.

Answer 7

Diagnostics is a seperate fee, so you get double the charge, diag. is about $80, than about $70 an hour for labor, so they put both together for about $150, without actually having to fix anything.

Answer 8

well the first thing you should have done is to get someone in your family or friends that might know what is wrong with the car because everyone knows that when you go to the mechanic your going to get a rip off from then for their labor work when its actually one little thing, so for the next time you need to fix something try to look it up on the internet so that you know what it is and try to see if its something you can do yourself.

Answer 9

Diagnosing intermittent electrical problems is time consuming, and difficult to re-create the problem.

I hate to say it, but that's a fair price........

How long would it have taken for YOU to find the problem?

ADDED:
Flate rate only refers to parts replacement of know problems. NOT diagnostic time. Especialy for electrical issues.

Answer 10

I worked at many dealerships and the labor normally is less than the parts.