This is why you should learn to do your own car work:

Maintenance/Repairs
21

Y’know, this thread really wasn’t meant to start a debate, and I think some of you guys are taking things a bit far. Yes, there are always exceptions to any statement. No, the 5 year old or the mechanically-inept should not work on cars. Yes, sometimes mechanics do things for free. Yes, sometimes mechanics charge you a fair price.

But also yes, in general if you do your own work you will pay less than you will pay if you pay someone else to do your work for you, even if that someone charges you a reasonable price. Had this shop charged me a reasonable price, I still would have paid around $250 for the job. That would have made them a very tidy profit, and cost me a whole lot more than I should really be paying to get the car fixed, but I do, opinions in this thread to the contrary, understand that people deserve to be fairly compensated for their work. The operative term is “fairly.”

In the specific case I discuss, I really do understand that some parts cost more than others. I found a range of prices on master cylinders myself. I’m not trying to say that this mechanic went to the same place I bought my MC from, paid $40 for it, and then tried to charge me $300. I’m saying that the mechanic told me the $300 part was the cheapest he could possibly get hold of, whereas I was able to find a much cheaper part with a Google search that took less than 2 minutes - a search which turned up a maximum price of $140. Full disclosure: No, I did not continue searching after I found the $40 part, and so it is certainly possible that there is a $300 part listed somewhere online, but it’s obviously harder to find than the $40 part.

You can draw all sorts of conclusions from this: The one I draw - and by the way, I’m right - is that the mechanic is selling overpriced parts.

Now, whether that means the mechanic is buying a $40 part and making a $260 profit on it, or it means that the mechanic has never heard of the internet, or it means that the mechanic is required to use a specific parts warehouse that charges him $280, and he’s only making $20 on it, I don’t know.

And I don’t care. The part is still overpriced.

I can get the part myself for much cheaper, and then I don’t have to pay myself $300 to take the 20 minutes it will require to install it. For those doing the math, that works out to $900 an hour for labor. Mechanics deserve their money, but that’s more than many high-powered corporate attorneys bill for.

Conclusion: If you feel it is worth it to you to pay a lot more than you have to in order to get your car fixed, that’s fine by me. Go nuts. I don’t, and I do think that there are many out there who would agree with me that it makes sense to learn to do basic car repair so that you don’t have to.

22

I also don’t think that for most peoepl it’s a financial issue either. Many people living paycheck-to-paycheck don’t do their own work and yet many people with plenty of money do all their own work,

But maybe that’s the reason they are where they are, because they made certain choices early on. One comedian said, you won’t find many rich people doing their grocery shopping at 7-11. His point was they know it’s not a good financial decision to do so, yet the people who can least afford it are often the ones doing it. Similar to playing the lottery…

Certainly, there are people who lack the skills. Some people outright cannot do the work. For the rest, it’s a matter of exposure and desire. There is also having a place to do the work that comes into play but I’ve known some fairly resourceful people who did major work under the most unusual circumstances. So I really think it’s really a matter of motivation for the vast majority of people.

23

No debate? Have you forgotten where you are?

Seriously, I understand your point. You were simply making a point and letting off a bit of steam to folks who have faced the same challanges.

My point was that IMHO it’s erroneous to think that anyone can or should learn to fix their own cars in order to save money. Mechanical aptitude is a gift. A small portion of us happen to be blessed with it. We should be grateful that we have it and not believe others that do not should learn to work on their own vehicles.

There are those that are gifted with the ability to help others heal. I’m not. I’d be a rotten therapist, no matter how many years I studied. There are those who will head straight into extreme danger to save others. I simply don’t have that innate courage. There are those who love the earth and what it can produce. Personally, I’m thrilled not to have to dig earth or tend animals.

And it’s a mistake to look at it all in terms of saving money. One either has the aptitude to fix their own stuff or they don’t.

It’s just important that we appreciate what we enjoy without thinking everyne else should or can do it.

24

I agreed with the original premise of the thread but this part cost thing needs some clarification.

That mechanic, if he’s any good at all, isn’t quoting you the raw part cost. He’s already added in all of the overhead necessary to procure the part. Your labor is essentially free. However, even if he’s a one man show, he has to use his labor time to look up the part, order it, pay the bill later on and so on. If it’s like most smaller shops, they probably have a parts guy and a bookkeeper who get paid for the jobs they do. And those people have benefits etc above and beyond their base pay. There is no way that shop will ever sell you a part for the same price you can find it for. Any shop that does won’t be in business long.

There are a whole range of parts quality as well. Go to Autozone and see they have the cheapest Chinese special, the mid range and the OEM quality replacement in a brake rotor. Good shops won’t consider the cheaper parts because it isn’t worth the risk. The cost of a callback in terms of expense and reputation far outweigh the extra cost for the best parts. Case in point; a chinese brake rotor may be $20. The OEM quality version is $120. Typical markup by a shop may be 100% to cover costs. Their spread increases to $40 versus $240. You look at it as $20 versus $240 and it looks pretty severe. Just sayin’

I agree that when you’re used to doing your own repairs, it would be very hard to swallow the markup on parts costs. Especially at some places where it appears to be outright gouging.

25

I will do research on this thread tommorrow at the shop, but any part can probably be had cheaper if you have enough time to do the legwork.

I absolutely refuse to install a cheap part, because I don’t want to do the job twice, and ruin my reputation.Parts suppliers seldom re-imburse a shop for labor on a defective part.Paying a tow bill and mechanics labor drains a shops finances big time.Especially if the car breaks down two states away.

Was the shop quoting you a genuine toyota part?

You can always call different shops for different quotes. Many times on certain parts ,I urge the owner to find the part if it is hard to find locally. I can’t spend more than 15 minutes aquiring parts for any particuliar car in the shop.I have way too many things going on to call around for a part on a twenty year old vehicle.

If you have a deck installed on your house for $1600 ,only $400 went into materials.Only a saw and nails were used in the work. How much labor per hour did that job cost you? How much overhead does a carpenter need compaired to a full service shop?

26

Oldwrench,

What did you find out?

27

shadowfax…This thread is right up my alley. I have always been good with my hands and do all my plumbing, electrical work and some carpentry. I have been a mechanic since I was a young teenager. You don’t have to be a genius if you are really good with your hands. I believe in schools so I always get the education that I need at the local Community College or Vocational schools. Most of the classes were free. Since the advent of the internet…finding anything is possible if you know where to look. I have never paid for plumbing, electrical, mechanical (except for one 700R4 transmission rebuild) or carpentry work. If I can do it…so can you! I am of Scotch descent so I always pinch a nickle until Jefferson screams.

28

If you don’t believe you get what you pay for, and you like using cheap parts in your vehicle, that’s fine by me. Go nuts.

Maybe your mechanic doesn’t want to assume the inherent risks involved in purchasing merchandise online. Maybe he evaluates his parts suppliers on quality, and not just cost. Maybe he chose his parts supplier for some other reason, like agreeable terms for paying the monthly bill or great customer service. There is a lot more to doing good business than the price, and your narrow focus on price only could bite you in the butt later. It also makes you an undesirable customer for most businesses that focus on quality, customer service, and added value. Price is important to most consumers, but very few consider it the only factor in their purchasing decisions.

29

First time I was offered medical benifits while working as a mechanic here in the States was 1997 (never at an independant)Now I married a Swiss girl in 1986 and went there to live and see some of Europe and I had medical benifits from day 1, even the people working on the farms had medical benifits.

I am writing in response to Turbos idea that people at independant garages have medical or other benifits.