[sparty]

when you guys bring your bike or car into a shop, do you ever haggle with the guy that does your work? we all know that they're overcharging big time on jobs that dont take alot of effort esp. with their calibur. for example, i took my carbs into a guy the other day, and pretty much all he did was clean some jets and remove some plugs, that was it. he did a little bit of cleaning, but i felt that it wasnt necessary, anyway, he charged me $80 for it. i was wondering later if he was just overpricing assuming that i'd haggle with him to get to a more reasonable middle ground. am i just a newbie to professional garage pricing? how do you guys do it?

 

[Clint]

It may be time to start doing this type of thing yourself. That time usually comes when the shop rates get past your personal threshold. With all the help available online, there's no reason you can't do most jobs outside the engine (and a few inside) yourself.

I know I didn't answer the question, but that was the answer for me. I absolutely hate someone else working on my bike or car, knowing I'm probably being overcharged, and knowing that it may come back with damage or lost parts. Heck, I've found tools in my car after service. :roll: With all the help my online friends offer, there isn't much I can't do.

Good luck.

 

[Drake]

If you took it anywhere but a "Joe's Garage" type of place, you likely got their set charge. They look up the work you asked them to do and best match it with something from their hourly charge book, and bill you that. Other guys just charge purely based on labor time and parts, and others charge you as much as they think they can get away with, or base it on their frustration level from working on the thing. I'm with red. I DIY all my wrenching now. It's good to have some background in this before you start (having worked on cars for a while, I had a fairly good starting point). Good Luck.