You think gas is expensive........

[deven]

Today I went to a toyota dealership to find out how much they would charge for labor to do a transmission flush because I would be bringing in my own Amsoil ATF. My service advisor verifies with another advisor if a transmission flush is 0.9 hours and they both agrees it is. She comes back and tells me that the labor would be $105!!!!

***, [censored] give me the T-Tech machine and I'll do it myself, its that easy!! The only reason i wanted it flushed was to get all the Toyota fluid out so I can put the Amsoil ATF.
The weird part is that they charge less for a drain and fill which in my opinion is more laborous than a flush!!!
Sorry but had to rant. I feel better now

 

[Bill in Utah]

They do not call them STEALERships for nothing....

 

[moribundman]

Originally Posted By: deven
***, [censored] give me the T-Tech machine and I'll do it myself, its that easy!!


Good plan!

 

[The Critic]

I don't know what your expectations are, but $105 for about an hour of labor is reasonable. Labor rates range from $100 to $130/hr in my area.

 

[Eddie]

$105 is the going charge today whether reasonable, I don't think so. In any case the AT fluid transfer is only about an hour but, there is a mechine to cleanup and pay for.

 

[MrCritical]

Does a drain only get the tranny fluid out of the converter and the lines?

 

[Bill in Utah]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
I don't know what your expectations are, but $105 for about an hour of labor is reasonable. Labor rates range from $100 to $130/hr in my area.



And they pay the "techs" maybe $20 a hour...

Lets pretend $50 a hour..

How many mech do you know who make $104k a year.. And then the Stealership makes $166k a year ON THE TECH..

And that is at your $130 an hour and them paying $50.

The $50 an hour is not happening so the stealership makes even more ($200,000 PER tech)

Yeah, those shop rags cost $$..

OH, sorry... they charge more over and above the $100-$130 hour for "shop supplies" since the stealership is not making enough...

Anything more than $30-40 bucks an hour is a rip IMO. And that is with the tech making $20-30.

Take care, Bill

 

[Bill in Utah]

Originally Posted By: MrCritical
Does a drain only get the tranny fluid out of the converter and the lines?


Drain and fill every 15k for 45k and you'll be fine.

You do not have to get out every last drop (you will not with ANY method except taking the transmission out and taking it apart).

Bill

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: Bill in Utah
And they pay the "techs" maybe $20 a hour...

Lets pretend $50 a hour..

How many mech do you know who make $104k a year.. And then the Stealership makes $166k a year ON THE TECH..

And that is at your $130 an hour and them paying $50.

The $50 an hour is not happening so the stealership makes even more ($200,000 PER tech)

Yeah, those shop rags cost $$..

OH, sorry... they charge more over and above the $100-$130 hour for "shop supplies" since the stealership is not making enough...

Anything more than $30-40 bucks an hour is a rip IMO. And that is with the tech making $20-30.

Take care, Bill


It costs a lot more than that to run a legitimate business. I have a guy who charges me under $50/hr, but his work is far from "quality." You're also forgetting the training that the dealership has to put the techs through.


Originally Posted By: Bill in Utah
Originally Posted By: MrCritical
Does a drain only get the tranny fluid out of the converter and the lines?


Drain and fill every 15k for 45k and you'll be fine.

You do not have to get out every last drop (you will not with ANY method except taking the transmission out and taking it apart).

Bill

There's no need to change it that often unless the owner's manual says to, specifically. A flush every 60k is probably all that you'll need.

Also, some manufacturers REQUIRE a complete fluid change if a service is necessary. Nissan/Infiniti and Ford come to mind.

 

[deven]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
I don't know what your expectations are, but $105 for about an hour of labor is reasonable. Labor rates range from $100 to $130/hr in my area.



I had no idea what the going rate was because I do most of my maintenance but i figured it would be more around $75-80/hour. $105 is just plain rip-off. I called some indy shops and they are also charging close to $100.
As for california, everything automotive related repair is expensive. I cant believe gas prices in cali which are close to $4.30.

 

[bdcardinal]

btw, my dealer is $110 an hour. the porsche dealer here is $130 an hour. regular gas at the chevron station by my house is 4.34 a gallon for regular.

 

[simple_gifts]

Quote:

Anything more than $30-40 bucks an hour is a rip IMO. And that is with the tech making $20-30.

lol. Who picks up the FICA for the employee, workman's comp, benefits? Employing people cost serious $$$ above just wages.

 

[ALS]

To do the job right you have to drop the pan and clean it and clean or replace the filter. Re-install the pan, then do the fluid exchange. Have you ever watched this job being done?
.9 hours is a bargain. I watched my tech at the dealer spend a good 25 minutes cleaning my pan and filter. He spent at least 15 minutes scraping the RTV off the lip of the pan. Once the lines are installed and the exchange starts there is one guy in the car working the automatic transmission selector and the other is watching the machine. Disconnect the machine and reconnect the transmission lines and check that there are no leaks at the pan or on the lines. It is at minimum a 45 minute job.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: ALS
To do the job right you have to drop the pan and clean it and clean or replace the filter. Re-install the pan, then do the fluid exchange. Have you ever watched this job being done?
.9 hours is a bargain. I watched my tech at the dealer spend a good 25 minutes cleaning my pan and filter. He spent at least 15 minutes scraping the RTV off the lip of the pan. Once the lines are installed and the exchange starts there is one guy in the car working the automatic transmission selector and the other is watching the machine. Disconnect the machine and reconnect the transmission lines and check that there are no leaks at the pan or on the lines. It is at minimum a 45 minute job.

There's no need to drop the pan. If you have visible debris on your filter, you probably have bigger problems to deal with. The filter is essentially a "rock stopper."

 

[Gary Allan]

Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
Quote:

Anything more than $30-40 bucks an hour is a rip IMO. And that is with the tech making $20-30.

lol. Who picks up the FICA for the employee, workman's comp, benefits? Employing people cost serious $$$ above just wages.


Well, I'd say that a 50% - 60% matching or hidden costs go into any employees hourly wage. The dealership, as was said must buy the latest software package or scanner to diagnose the newest vehicles (a used DRBII will run a fortune). The main drag is how many people are into your wallet. The owner, service manager, parts manager, parts counter person, service writer, ..and the tech ...oh ..and the cashier that you see on the way to find out your car is running just as bad as it did when you brought it in because there were too many people between you and the guy fixing the thing.

 

[SecondMonkey]

You think that's expensive...the local hospital charged me near $600 to drain about 5 samples of blood from me...

(5 minutes of labor)

 

[ziggy]

$100 seems to eb the average. In my city, most expensive tranny flush i found, was a tranny business, $130 Dealer was about $124, and AAMCO, abot $99, but you MUST use the fluid they install, at AAMCO; ( in my case, its ATF+3 or 4, tey use modifiers to achive the fluid.
Thiers a guy, who maily does performance stuff, charged me about $90 even 2 years ago. INstalled new filter, and pulled the cooler lines to drain and fill.

 

[Spector]

Techs do not get paid an hourly rate, all by the book at a standard rate. If they do it quicker and move on to the next job they make more money.

Move them in, move them out and don't check to see if the job is done right, no time to do that!

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: deven
Originally Posted By: The Critic
I don't know what your expectations are, but $105 for about an hour of labor is reasonable. Labor rates range from $100 to $130/hr in my area.



I had no idea what the going rate was because I do most of my maintenance but i figured it would be more around $75-80/hour. $105 is just plain rip-off. I called some indy shops and they are also charging close to $100.
As for california, everything automotive related repair is expensive. I cant believe gas prices in cali which are close to $4.30.

Think of your hourly rate as a pharmacist.

 

[Chuck1986]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
Originally Posted By: deven
Originally Posted By: The Critic
I don't know what your expectations are, but $105 for about an hour of labor is reasonable. Labor rates range from $100 to $130/hr in my area.



I had no idea what the going rate was because I do most of my maintenance but i figured it would be more around $75-80/hour. $105 is just plain rip-off. I called some indy shops and they are also charging close to $100.
As for california, everything automotive related repair is expensive. I cant believe gas prices in cali which are close to $4.30.

Think of your hourly rate as a pharmacist.

A retail pharmacist makes around $50/hour...sometimes a little more or less depending upon experience and the store.

However, this is an unfair comparison cuz pharmacists go through much, much more extensive schooling than an auto mechanic. I'm almost finished with my undergraduate degree and I still have another 3-4 years left til I get my PharmD.