The driver’s side window of my 2002 Oldsmobile Aurora was smashed by a burglar. The dealer is quoting me three hours of labor to replace it. Three hours? Is that reasonable? Sounds more like a 30 minute job to me.
30 minutes…I don’t think so. Depending on the vehicle this can be complicated. You have to remove the door panel which can be tricky. Remove all the trim…door handle…disconnect the power controls.
Instead of going to the dealer…take it to a local glass shop. It’ll be cheaper and as good or better. In fact I’ll bet the dealer farms this out to a local glass shop anyways. All the dealers around here do.
Well, perhaps you should try replacing the window yourself and see if you can do it in 30 minutes.
Three hours does not seem out of line to me.
You don’t have to pay the dealer for this. Any automotive glass shop in your area can do the job, and they may charge less than the dealer.
Things that get done for a 30min charge are along the lines of unlocking you radio or putting in new wiper inserts (you can do it yourself)
3hrs. is a very reasonable time for the window job.
“The dealer is quoting”
Why the dealer? They likely will just farm it out to a local glass company to do the work and charge you a huge markup. Of course then there is the bigger question: Why are you worried about it. Insurance should cover it.
All the dealers I worked at (GM,Honda,BMW,Kia)did our own window repairs(there was good money there) The things that did get farmed out was those flip out windows on extended cab pickups(those things were glued in) really, (regulator,motor,glass replacement work is good money) most of the dealers I worked at had a policy of “if we can do it here,no sublet”,(keeps your techs busy)
The dealer could easily do this and not call a sublet shop. Sublet glass is called for windows that are urethaned/glued in. 3 hours is probably to much. First remove the trim panel which normally books for .4 or .5 hours and the moving glass usually books for .5 hour. These times are typical so your vehicle might be different. Again, IMOO 3 hours is to much but 2 hours would be fair. No, my math is not off it’s just that book times sometimes are a bit lean.
I Agree With The “Try A Glass Shop Advice”. Also, Call A Body Shop. They Do Lots Of These (It’s “body work”) And Sometimes Have Lower Labor Prices. Shop By Phone, First.
Every dealer I know of in Southern NH farms our their window repairs. If I go to the Toyota dealer they’ll charge me $350 to replace the window…They call up Portland glass and he does it for them for $150. If I go directly to Portland glass it’ll cost me $200.
Are you sure the Body shop does their own glass? Again…most bodyshops I know of farm this out. It’s just easier and usually cheaper for them.
This is NOT the windshield. This is the side window in the door. A much harder job.
I Can’t Speak For All Body Shops. The One I Managed, Farmed Out Nothing …
except some mechanical repairs requiring a certified mechanic and that was taken care of at the other end of the car dealership in the service department…
Correct, it is a door glass just as the op stated. Some door glass can be difficult while others are a “piece of cake”. Today I looked up the times for a 99 Aurora (although the op car is an 02) and the trim panel books for 0.8 and the glass was 0.8 also. These times are not designed for novices. Just as I stated earlier 2 hours seems fair, 3 is kind of steep but it is not a 30 minute job.
We farm/sublet out all glass that is urethaned in. Any glass that is bolted in or moving glass we do in ourselves.