Charging too much $$ for car repair!!!!!

[Bunchkin]

How can people get away with wanting to charge too much money for vehicle repairs???

I would consider this to be a minor repair.

I have a '98 Dodge mini van and have had basically no problems with mechanically. For the past week or so I have been having problems with my ignition lock. Occasionally I couldn't get the key to turn in order to start it. I menitoned it to DH but he has been working like crazy latley hadn't had time to look at it.
Yesterday afternoon we get in the van to go to family bowling league and it wouldn't turn over. And we had just been out shopping all morning in it and everything is fine. And unlike the other times when it eventually turned over, it never did yesterday.

So I call a locksmith to see how much to repair the lock and they say it will be around $225 approx. And I would have had to wait until today.

Well today DH looks at it. He takes the dash apart and pulls the ignition lock out and sees that the pin in the ignition lock is broke. He calls the locksmith to see how much to repair the lock and they say....$225!!...still!!!!!
HOLD THE PHONE!!!!! WHAT????? DH took the dash apart and the lock out. All they have to do is repair the lock and DH will put it back in!!!

DH headed to Pep Boys and bought a new ignition lock for ....$14.99!!!!
And he's almost done putting the dash board back together.
$14.99!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know we all need to make a buck. But when you take out most of the labor of the job how can one charge the same amount of $$$ for the repair?????

Give me a break!!!!!



Ok I fell much better now!!!!!

 

[shep]

that's unbelievable...now with the money you saved, you can buy a 4 day hopper pass..

 

[Tiggeroo]

I have a real fear of taking my car to a garage. What will it cost? Who knows but it will always be more then $200.

 

[Kirk]

Locksmiths and mechanics make their money from inflated labor prices. You're really lucky your DH is mechanically inclined!

 

[RitaZ.]

That's ridiculous!

I'm glad your DH was able to fix it, many husbands would have been happy just paying the $200+.

 

[Grog]

It also pays to shop around. About a year and a half ago I posted on here about needing to get an emergency brake cable replaced. The first place I went to looked at my brakes and the cable, announced that the brakes were fine, but to replace the cable would be around $400. I took my car to another place who replaced the cable AND replaced the front brakes (which this second place said was bad after the first place said they were good) all for around $225. I've been back to this second place many times (I had actually used them before the brake cable but didn't realize how much better their prices were. Now I go nowhere else) and always get a good deal.

 

[Bunchkin]

I AM very grateful for having a guy who knows his way around the garage!!
He also changes the brakes and gives the mini van oil changes too.

He also finished the lower level of our raised ranch. From steel studs to the dry wall, to painting and the oak trim and doors, and duct work. Oh yeah...and the electrical work. He's an electrician by trade. The only thing we didn't do was the carpeting.

He's a great guy to have around!!!

 

[jfulcer]

Not meaning to play the devils advocate here, but you had a voice quote over the phone. It *could* have cost $225, because who knows what is wrong with it. What if it was an electronic problem in the ignition instead of a $15 keylock.

I dunno. I agree that it sounds like highway robbery, for sure. I just recently had the recliner mechanism break on the drivers side seat. To just get parts for a new mechanism (I had to replace the seat mechanism) would have been $450. OR, I could do like I did and go to a junk yard, get the WHOLE seat for $90, take the part I need and replace it. It's a racket if don't have the time or inclination to fix it.

 

[Bunchkin]

After my Dh took the ignition column out of the steering column, he took out the ignition lock apart and found that the pin was broke. And then relayed this to the locksmith. And yet the locksmith's price remained the same. And again, it only cost my DH $14.99 to replace the lock and it now works perfectly.

So no.......it shouldn't have cost $225. Especially since my DH did all the labor in removing the ignition lock. Luckily my DH has the knowledge to fix it himself.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Originally posted by Bunchkin
....He's a great guy to have around!!!

He is a pretty good guy, Nicole.

 

[Bunchkin]

But just a *little* camera shy!
Right, Dan????

 

[Pooh Girl 71]

I had an 89 Ford Taurus (the most expensive car I have ever had repaired BTW). The hood had a spring mechanism to hold itself up. Well that went bad, they garage wanted over $400 to fix it Needless to say, I found a medium sized piece of wood and it worked perfectly.

 

[Grog]

Needless to say, I found a medium sized piece of wood and it worked perfectly.

LOL! Gotta love those simple remedies