I paid $265 for the Rear Wheel Hub part + $131 for labor. Does that seem reasonable? The cost of spark plugs was $46 + $85 for plug wires + $105 labor. I am not so concerned about the labor charge but wonder if these are typical charges for the parts. Work was at an independent shop. I would like to know if these prices are in the ballpark for the Northeast region. Thanks.
Seems reasonable to me. I paid about $400 each for front hubs for my 2000 Blazer 4wd ($350 for the part and $50 labor) a few years back. Replacement spark plugs were $12 a piece and the cost with labor was $200 total from the same mechanic. More importantly, were you satisfied with the work done?
Ed B.
Just looked. Moog brand rear wheel hub/bearing assembly has a list price of $265.65 and labor seems about right at $131. Remember, prices vary depending where you are. $131 could be an hour of labor in some places and 2 in others.
Shops make a nominal profit on parts as they must replace them under warranty it they fail for up to 2yrs 24k miles (AAA shop). in most areas 12 mos 12k. Not the shops fault most times a part goes bad.
You can always buy parts cheaper at http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/x,carcode,1435922,parttype,1636 rather than through the mechanic, but good luck finding a mechanic to install your own parts.
You didn’t get “overcharged” any more than other customers. Everybody gets “overcharged” compared to shopping around and buying parts on your own.
The time to shop around is before you authorize the work. Call your Subaru dealer’s parts department and ask for a price for the parts you need. The MSRP for a Subaru rear hub and bearing is $150 for what I can find online, aftermarket can be more or less expensive.
Those prices all sound very reasonable to me.
And forf good, honest work they sound like you’ve found a good shop.