I have a 1999 Audi A4 Quattro that needs the rear passenger side wheel bearing replaced. I got a quote of $275 for parts and labor. I have searched some and the part costs as little as $40 but up to about $90. Is $180 - $230 reasonable for labor? How long would it take to do the job?
The labor time for a rear wheel bearing on your car is 1.8 hours. The price for a O.E wheel bearing is about $122, don’t expect the shop to buy the bearing off of EBAY for $40.
Repair shops prefer to use quality parts from a reliable source (warranty) available the same day.
The price will vary based on locale too as some areas have much higher labor rates than others. The total price seems to be in line to me and the shop will also mark the price of the part up some.
There is nothing wrong with this practice and it’s no different than a plumber providing a piece of PVC pipe or an electrician providing a wall socket or breaker box.
Remember the shop is a retail business, not a discount warehouse or internet vendor. The fact that someone out there is willing to sell a part to you for a wholesale price doesn’t mean that the shop won’t still mark up that wholesale price to maintain profit. In other words, they’re not going to buy something and sell it for the same price. I’d expect the shop to double their money on a wheel bearing.
I show retail price for that bearing to be $128.
I show labor of 1.8 hours. I’d round that to 2.0 hours at $92/hour.
Sound like you’re getting a fair deal.
Thanks guys, so much. I need to get it done this week… don’t want to lose my axle, car, or my life this soon!
That price is fair, and trust me, you do not want to install a $40 wheel bearing in your car. When it comes to wheel bearings, you get what you pay for, and cheap wheel bearings are just that: cheap. It’ll be loose and/or noisy in a year.
I’ll just echo what mark9207 said.