So over the last year I have bought for my 10 inch lifted 07' 250;
190# injectors stock nozzle
MTW stage 2 turbo
AirdogII fuel kit
Trans overhaul kit
4.30 gears with rebuild kit front and rear
Detroit locker
A few weeks ago I put my truck in the shop to have the work done. We have a local shop where I live that does outstanding work (with a high price).
A buddy of mine owns a brake and muffler shop so I used his software before I put the truck in the shop to calculate what the labor would be so I knew what I was getting into. The book called for 25 hours and that included pulling the transmission but not rebuilding.
I asked the owner of the shop how much he would charge to do all of these things and the next day he called back and said it would cost around $2500 and he would have to pull the trans and send it off to another shop to rebuild and that price wasn't included in the quote. Well I just got a call from the shop saying my truck was ready and that I owed them $8,671.20!!!!
That's $1800 for the trans and $6871.20 for just labor!! I asked to speak to the owner and asked how he came up with that much labor and he said that to protect him he didnt go by the book but every time his mechanic would start on it he would clock in and clock out when he was through and that accumulated to 61 hours of labor and he told me that he gave me a discount on the labor rate at $112/hr.

I told the owner that it wasn't right what he was doing and that I refuse to pay him for 61 hours.
My question is.... Since he quoted me one price and the actual price ended up being WAY higher do I have a leg to stand on or an I going to be forced to pay him?? The labor book was created to be fair for both parties. the truck is in excellent condition with 95k miles and has never seen mud in its life so a skilled mechanic could finish each of the tasks quicker or on the quoted time that the book allotted.

I miss my truck and I'm at a loss

 

Skilled mechanics LOVE book rate jobs because typically they can beat it by quite a bit... sounds to me like their definitely trying to f*** you. I would show the owner a print out of what book time is and tell him you're willing to pay that as it is fair, if he doesn't go for that then escalate however need be.

I feel as though you do have a leg to stand on though, sounds like this guy is trying to rob you!

 

If you have an itemized quote that you signed than Here in NY that would be the final price as long as there was nothing else found or parts needed during the work. If they discover something than they would need to contact you and supply you with another written quote. I am not sure how it is in other states.

 

I hope you have a WRITTEN estimate not just an over the phone. They can't venture too far from a written unless the job cost additional parts/labor that both parties agreed on before the work was performed.
It's not your fault his mechanic is slow for whatever reason. He should be going by the book, period. Worse case scenario seek representation (attorney). Once the owner hears from the lawyer he will probably refigure.
Best of luck.

 

Unfortunately I don't have the quote in writing. I have nothing in writing. What I've decided I would do is tomorrow take him $1,800 plus 30 hours labor at $120/hr. And see if he'll accept it. $5,400 sure looks good If he does then I'll make sure to get a receipt and blow smoke on down the road!!
If not then I guess I'll have to have an attorney get in touch with him.
What I don't understand is that this guy has been in business for 30 years... He knows better than to do things like this to people!

www.priceautomotive.com

 

Pay with a credit card and then you can at least dispute the amount you think you are getting hosed.
As I have said in the past, there is nothing that will get the attention of a vendor quicker than a chargeback. Or, pay for a portion of the bill with a credit card.

 

There is a local Diesel shop near me... they do the same thing to people all the time, the stories I hear about them.... AND are considered by some as reputable!

Your plan sounds like a good one, but be prepared to fight them! 61 hours for a transmission pull... you should have came over to my place, we'd have pulled that thing in a few beers.

Exactly as Mike said, pay with a card and then dispute the claim if needed. The CC company doesn't care about how many hours it took and they have lots of big lawyers.

 

Same goes in Ca. They have to notify of any uncharges. Hope you have the original quote in writing.

 

I think you got ripped off for sure....

But,

If you asked them to install all of those parts you listed plus R&R the transmission, there is now feasible way it could be done for 2500.00, at least not in a reputable repair shop with employees.

I own and operate a repair shop myself and I wouldn't touch all that work for 2500.00 especially if you're bringing the parts. Now like I said 6800 is way too steep for sure.

Good luck, but with nothing in writing Id say your pretty much screwed.

Sarge

 

I would expect you'd have to have been given something as to fees, estimates, if to exceed $$ then call first work order when you dropped your truck off??

 

Well yesterday I called the owner and we discussed the labor. I told him again how upset I was that he didn't contact me when the price went from $2500 to over $8 grand and how his labor didn't make since. I told him that I would pay him $7,500 and not a penny more. He said that He had 3 options.
1) Take the money
2) have me bring him the title and him give it back when I pay the balance
3) go to court

I told him that I wasn't bringing him my title so he said he had to think about it.
He called me this morning and said that he would accept the money.
I want to be clear to anyone reading this... I'm not trying to cheat anyone. I understand that when you work you deserve to be paid but for example. He marked down 18 hours for rebuilding just my rearend... 10.5 hours for removing and re-installing my transmission.
They didn't build the trans, they sent it off to another company.
I've learned a valuable lesson here... Get a quote in writing! And ask questions! If I had known upfront that the mechanic would be charging clock labor instead of book labor then I never would have let him do the work.

 

A lot of shops use clock labor when owner supplies parts

They make money on parts they sell

Plus the fitment of SOME after market parts is a PIA the stock part becomes a faster install


You can throw out book time when you suppliy your own parts

 

So According to Mitchell this is what I get:

Fuel Injector Labor To Install All 8: 5.9 Hours
Turbo R&R Labor: 2.9 Hours
Rear Axle Over Haul w/LS: 9.1 Hours
Transmission R&R (Does Not Include Rebuild): 6.9 (W/2 PC DS and Skid Plate)

That right there is 24.8 hours, you said he did the front axle as well, installed the ADII, not sure what else is involved in the stage 2 turbo install. He did appear to over charge you on the labor times.

I guess shame on him for not doing his homework before telling you 2500. For all the work you asked for common sense would have told me that 2500 seems awfully cheap, especially when you start talking re-gearing tranny rebuilds and such.

Maybe the last CYA you need to ask is who is going to cover the labor cost in the event that 1 of the parts YOU provided fails. I know what I would tell you, but maybe you paid a little extra up front for a possible failure later. Just thinking out loud, but that situation looks like a no win for anybody.

Sarge

 

What Sarge just said is why I decided NOT to supply my own parts when getting my head gaskets done and I hate paying labor if I can do it myself. Decided I was better off paying the 2k more for a warranty. End up being cheaper in the long run.

 

Getting it in writing does a few things. Especially when you have a laundry list of stuff to be done.
First it gives a clear communication on a work order of what you want done.
The shop can determine a more accurate estimate with everything listed instead of "shooting from the hip".
It avoids disagreements of what was said, since it's written in front of you.
Of course it's not necessary for an oil change but a lot of work being done or complete overhaul brake job, headgasket job, ect., I'd request a written estimate.
Personally I like giving people a written itemized work order. They get to see ALL that goes into the work and what they pay for. I never had a dispute from anyone with work I've done.