Far price or a rip off?

Maintenance/Repairs
1

I called one of the repair shop for an estimate to replace a leaking clutch slave cylinder. They quoted me 183 dollars plus tax. (I know they have to make a living too but…)

I have access to Alldata the same what repairshops use and the oem part price is $ 62 and it takes about 0.5 hours to finish a job.(They charge about $ 85 an hour so the labor shoud be maybe $ 50?)

The vehicle make and model is not important, pretty straightforward job, release the pressure from the line, unhook the line from the cylinder, onbolt it from the transmission housing (placed outside with 2 bolts), put the replacement in, hook the line back again, and bleed the system.



So try to find an another shop or is this a fair price?



Thank you for your input.



Reason I am not doing the job because I do not have a garage and the tools to do it.

2

Check with your state…Some states the mechanics are allowed to round UP to the nearest hour.

3

sounds about right

4

Sounds like a fair price. Remember if something goes arry most decent shops are on the hook for the part/labor.

5

Not all shops use the ALLDATA time nor are they required to. Some use MOTOR or Chiltons flat rate books and there is also something missing here.

The shop may legitmately mark the part up. It takes their time (spelled money) to acquire this part and are within their rights to not lose money getting it.

A shop is under no obligation to go by that flat rate book time either.
If you read the foreword in those books you will find a statement something to the effect of “these times are to be used as a guideline only and allowances may be made for…” (any number of reasons.

You’re not being ripped off at all. They gave you a price up front. If you don’t like the price they gave, shop around and try to do better.

6

Half hour sounds a little light to me. Crank in moving the car to the lift, raising and lowering the car, verifying the problem, running to the parts counter and waiting your turn in line, R & R to parts, do any adjusting needed, writing up the ticket, possibly test drive it and an hour or more has easily gone by.