July 6th, 2009

If you were handed an estimate to replace a water pump on your car, would you know if the price was fair? Could you trust the price? What about for a tie rod end, mass air flow sensor, or an evaporative emissions sensor?

Most of us don’t know what these are, never mind the cost. Yet it is parts like these that are frequently used to over charge you, the automobile fix customer.

We no longer live in a period of trust, so how will we ensure that our auto repair costs are legitimate.

How many times have you suspected that you paid too much, but couldn’t prove it? How often did the price seem exorbitant for even simple repairs?

To illustrate just how “At Risk” the everyday auto repair client is to OTT auto repair prices, here’s a recent real life example from a “reputable?” dealer.

A client brought her Audi to a permitted Audi dealership for a standard timing belt maintenance service.

The price for this service averages $1575 at the dealership level, (including pulleys, water pumpetc) and about $1275 at the independent repair shop level.

Yet the girl left the dealer with a bill for $2025.68.

What happened?

According to the fix order, there were no aberrant circumstances, no problems noted by the technician such as rust or any other extenuating circumstances that would have perhaps increased the work, or added further parts.

In short, it seemed to be a straight forward service, but the bill was $450.68 higher than it should have been. There is simply no legitimate reason to have “that much” discrepancy.

How’d they get away with it?

The answer is easy, and it’s a point that I don’t want anyone to miss:

They get away with it because they can!

Think about it. The average person doesn’t know how much vehicle parts cost. And who knows how much work time a fix should take? To what sources does one turn to find out this information? Who even has the time to investigate!

Upon investigation into this lady’s correct order, it was discovered that she was charged a full four hours “more” than the standard work time. At $100 per hour, this added an additional $400. The leftover $50.68 came from the parts, which were billed higher than MSRP.

She was quoted $2,025 for a correct that tops out at $1575. The girl didn’t know. She just paid the bill and left.

How many times do people just pay the bill and leave? Just about that is all one can do given that there’s no accessible information for the auto fix shopper to adequately query a repair bill. Additionally , extremely few even know what questions to ask!

The automobile repair industry has been over-charging for decades-sometimes subtly, sometimes confidently, definitely often. The proof for this is overpowering ; yet, there are no simple solutions available for the automobile fix customer.

Government agencies can not help. The Better Business Bureau cannot do anything. Even supposed “car repair experts or advocates” lack the experience of the breadth and insidiousness of the car repair business at all its levels.

A dealership operates differently than an independent correct shop, and a franchise, like Midas, is totally unique. Who truly knows what goes on in the underground of such a diverse and complex industry?

The Solution?

First and foremost, vehicle fix consumers need access to information on car repair prices. Without this, they’ve got nothing tangible in which to figure out fair charges. They also need to be ready to navigate the maze of parts and labor charges for automobile repairs and maintenance.

Like everything else, information is the key to ensure fair treatment. Without it, the car repair customer will continue to “swim with the sharks” without any protection.

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