Quote:
Originally Posted by mtbtim
Well, I guess it depends what you think your time is worth. If you make big money and have very limited free time, I could see paying high labor rates and overpaying for parts. But, if you don't have money burning a hole in your pocket and you're not short on time, why not turn a wrench and be smart by ordering your parts from an online seller.
The thing is, I doubt any of us commenting on this thread are looking to open a shop. We're commenting from our perspective as DIYers not looking to get bent over at a dealership. I don't give a shit that a dealership or shop has high operation costs. My local dealer's labor rate is $200/hour. I don't make anywhere close to $200 hour so it's a no-brainer for me to the avoid the dealership service department like the plague. Maybe the mechanics and other employees at these dealerships aren't making much money but I can guarantee the folks at the top are probably rolling in doe.
To each his own. People like me enjoy doing their own wrenching more than just for the money savings. The learning, the challenge, the sense of accomplishment, and the knowledge the job was done right are other reasons why I choose do do my own wrenching.
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Lolol triggered. Hence why I said logical from a DIY perspective. If you are running a business you BET time is valuable. Unfortunately Elaine the middle aged 3rd gen owner isn't waiting 8 days for a steering rack to arrive from Camelback Toyota, so she will have to pay $834 that the cheapest dealer in the area will charge. And the book states that a steering rack job is over 4 hours despite guys on a forum being able to change it at the speed of an F1 pit crew. It's all true, but business is business. $2300 is definitely high but I guess to an original owner this isn't much after this many years.
Oh and keep truckin OP.