I was quoted $750 to replace serpentine belt, tensioner and two rollers on a Volvo V8. Remove right wheel, inner fender, part of suspension, motor mounts, alternator, etc. Almost cannot see the belt from the top. Parts $350+ Volvo claims 150,000 mile life.
Customer declined new belt
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Originally Posted by Blkstanger
$32! That customer must have some serious money issues to turn that down. I would have thanked you for catching it.
My Toyota Stealership wants $199. I'm doing my own next time.
$32! That customer must have some serious money issues to turn that down. I would have thanked you for catching it.
My Toyota Stealership wants $199. I'm doing my own next time.
Originally Posted by JohnnyJohnson
Originally Posted by Blkstanger
$32! That customer must have some serious money issues to turn that down. I would have thanked you for catching it.
My Toyota Stealership wants $199. I'm doing my own next time.
That's crazy. I got stuck with my Rav4 and drove it beltless to my local garage and had them put it on. It was a lot less than $199. I've figured out my problem with the Rav4. My son doing his first real repair, replaced the belt on his Corolla in 10 minutes. Faster than I could do it.
Originally Posted by Blkstanger
$32! That customer must have some serious money issues to turn that down. I would have thanked you for catching it.
My Toyota Stealership wants $199. I'm doing my own next time.
That's crazy. I got stuck with my Rav4 and drove it beltless to my local garage and had them put it on. It was a lot less than $199. I've figured out my problem with the Rav4. My son doing his first real repair, replaced the belt on his Corolla in 10 minutes. Faster than I could do it.
The last one I did on one of my cars was $50 for a Gates belt and a half hour of fighting tight clearances and skinning knuckles to get it changed.
For a ~$10 mark-up over the cost of the belt(granted I realize that you said you were already in there, and that's not a catch-all price) I'd have vehicles lined up for you
. That's ALMOST cheap enough for me to pay someone else to change the water pump/fan/alternator V-belt on the MG, the hardest part of which is setting the tension correctly(not that that part is difficult either).
For a ~$10 mark-up over the cost of the belt(granted I realize that you said you were already in there, and that's not a catch-all price) I'd have vehicles lined up for you
I recently had the fan clutch replaced at a shop. I asked if he had to take the serpentine belt off. He said yes so I said well let me drop a belt off that I already have and was planning to replace since you are going to take it off just put the new one back on. They charged me $56 install and $12 carry in belt fee. I asked why and they said it was standard practice. I could not be more PO'd about this. My bad for not asking and assuming there would be no charge but I feel like they stuck it to me and I will definitely not be going back. Lost a customer over something so stupid.
Wow, for $32 I would have let you do it while you were in there.
Originally Posted by spk2000
I recently had the fan clutch replaced at a shop. I asked if he had to take the serpentine belt off. He said yes so I said well let me drop a belt off that I already have and was planning to replace since you are going to take it off just put the new one back on. They charged me $56 install and $12 carry in belt fee. I asked why and they said it was standard practice. I could not be more PO'd about this. My bad for not asking and assuming there would be no charge but I feel like they stuck it to me and I will definitely not be going back. Lost a customer over something so stupid.
I'm not a mechanic, but do run a couple of "repair" businesses on the side. One is repairing watches(older American watches), another is repairing/maintaining gas chromatographs and mass spectrometers(specifically Hewlett-Packard 5890s and 6890s, along with 5971s, 5972s, and 5973s-all of these are no longer supported by the manufacturer). The former is done at home and is immensely personally rewarding, the latter is often harder work with more demanding customers(businesses/universities, not individuals) but is a lot more lucrative.
In any case, my GENERAL rule is that if I have to remove a specific part in the course of a repair, it makes no difference to me if I put it back together with a new replacement or with the old one-the labor charge is the same. Of course, there are exceptions to this-there are certain watch parts that are factory matched and it's a LOT of work to replace them, and on the GCs sometimes I have to calibrate the new part to the instrument.
Sometime analagous-to me-would be replacing the mainspring in a watch. 10 years ago, mainsprings were typically $3-5 and many watchmakers just included replacement as part of the $75+ repair. They went up to $20+ almost overnight, and the standard practice became to "advise" replacement of course at the actual cost for the part(plus mark-up, which I usually keep modest but also to reflect the time I have to spend researching and ordering the replacement).
I recently had the fan clutch replaced at a shop. I asked if he had to take the serpentine belt off. He said yes so I said well let me drop a belt off that I already have and was planning to replace since you are going to take it off just put the new one back on. They charged me $56 install and $12 carry in belt fee. I asked why and they said it was standard practice. I could not be more PO'd about this. My bad for not asking and assuming there would be no charge but I feel like they stuck it to me and I will definitely not be going back. Lost a customer over something so stupid.
I'm not a mechanic, but do run a couple of "repair" businesses on the side. One is repairing watches(older American watches), another is repairing/maintaining gas chromatographs and mass spectrometers(specifically Hewlett-Packard 5890s and 6890s, along with 5971s, 5972s, and 5973s-all of these are no longer supported by the manufacturer). The former is done at home and is immensely personally rewarding, the latter is often harder work with more demanding customers(businesses/universities, not individuals) but is a lot more lucrative.
In any case, my GENERAL rule is that if I have to remove a specific part in the course of a repair, it makes no difference to me if I put it back together with a new replacement or with the old one-the labor charge is the same. Of course, there are exceptions to this-there are certain watch parts that are factory matched and it's a LOT of work to replace them, and on the GCs sometimes I have to calibrate the new part to the instrument.
Sometime analagous-to me-would be replacing the mainspring in a watch. 10 years ago, mainsprings were typically $3-5 and many watchmakers just included replacement as part of the $75+ repair. They went up to $20+ almost overnight, and the standard practice became to "advise" replacement of course at the actual cost for the part(plus mark-up, which I usually keep modest but also to reflect the time I have to spend researching and ordering the replacement).
This comes to mind...
![[Linked Image]](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/0*b5c643FvO917vOxb.jpg "[Linked Image]")
Of all the places to break a fan belt. The Mojave desert
Originally Posted by Aichiguy
He'll come back in a month and want it replaced for $32.
Good point. Then he'll get the explanation of all the work that has to be done to get to it - and why it was recommended before when the vehicle was already taken apart........
He'll come back in a month and want it replaced for $32.
Good point. Then he'll get the explanation of all the work that has to be done to get to it - and why it was recommended before when the vehicle was already taken apart........
How much will the tow truck cost when that belt breaks?
Originally Posted by eljefino
Maybe the customer is slightly handy and going to do it himself with a part off amazon in a week.
Maybe. I dont know his financial situation. I put a water pump on the vehicle so I had the belt off already.
Maybe the customer is slightly handy and going to do it himself with a part off amazon in a week.
Maybe. I dont know his financial situation. I put a water pump on the vehicle so I had the belt off already.
Originally Posted by Wolf359
Originally Posted by das_peikko
How much will the tow truck cost when that belt breaks?
Nothing extra if he has AAA or any other type of towing insurance. I would think that most people would have something.
So the guy that won't spend $32 on a new belt that is needed will pay for AAA and such???
Originally Posted by das_peikko
How much will the tow truck cost when that belt breaks?
Nothing extra if he has AAA or any other type of towing insurance. I would think that most people would have something.
So the guy that won't spend $32 on a new belt that is needed will pay for AAA and such???
Originally Posted by blupupher
Originally Posted by Wolf359
Originally Posted by das_peikko
How much will the tow truck cost when that belt breaks?
Nothing extra if he has AAA or any other type of towing insurance. I would think that most people would have something.
So the guy that won't spend $32 on a new belt that is needed will pay for AAA and such???
Sure, it's only $54 a year. Do you have it?
Maybe he was just going to buy one online. Even for my car, there's a cheap belt you can buy on Rockauto for $7-12 although the regular belt is about $20.
Some people are just too cheap. Look at Robert Kraft, he's a billionaire and using cheap hookers at a massage parlor. At least Eliot Spitzer used high price call girls and he wasn't even a billionaire. And he wouldn't have been caught had he stuck to cash instead of using bank checks.
Originally Posted by Wolf359
Originally Posted by das_peikko
How much will the tow truck cost when that belt breaks?
Nothing extra if he has AAA or any other type of towing insurance. I would think that most people would have something.
So the guy that won't spend $32 on a new belt that is needed will pay for AAA and such???
Sure, it's only $54 a year. Do you have it?
Maybe he was just going to buy one online. Even for my car, there's a cheap belt you can buy on Rockauto for $7-12 although the regular belt is about $20.
Some people are just too cheap. Look at Robert Kraft, he's a billionaire and using cheap hookers at a massage parlor. At least Eliot Spitzer used high price call girls and he wasn't even a billionaire. And he wouldn't have been caught had he stuck to cash instead of using bank checks.
Originally Posted by hatt
Toyota quoted my brother $180 to change the belt in his 4runner.
Why do people continually point out how much shops or dealers charge to do repair work ? Aren't their service bays generally full and busy ? I'll bet they replace a serpentine belt every day for that price too and 90% of customers don't look up the price on RockAuto (or even know what RA is) and watch a YouTube video on how to replace it. Why ? Because they have no desire whatsoever to do that kind of work. Or they don't have tools. Or they don't feel comfortable doing it or even attempting it.
Toyota quoted my brother $180 to change the belt in his 4runner.
Why do people continually point out how much shops or dealers charge to do repair work ? Aren't their service bays generally full and busy ? I'll bet they replace a serpentine belt every day for that price too and 90% of customers don't look up the price on RockAuto (or even know what RA is) and watch a YouTube video on how to replace it. Why ? Because they have no desire whatsoever to do that kind of work. Or they don't have tools. Or they don't feel comfortable doing it or even attempting it.
Originally Posted by Wolf359
Originally Posted by blupupher
Originally Posted by Wolf359
Originally Posted by das_peikko
How much will the tow truck cost when that belt breaks?
Nothing extra if he has AAA or any other type of towing insurance. I would think that most people would have something.
So the guy that won't spend $32 on a new belt that is needed will pay for AAA and such???
Sure, it's only $54 a year. Do you have it? ...
On my truck, nope.
On my Hyundai, nope (included with Hyundai roadside for another 4 years).
On my Scion, yes, through my insurance (I think $18/year).
On my motorcycle, yes, free through my insurance.
But then again, my vehicles would not be in the shop for a water pump replacement, nor would my belt ever look like that.
Originally Posted by blupupher
Originally Posted by Wolf359
Originally Posted by das_peikko
How much will the tow truck cost when that belt breaks?
Nothing extra if he has AAA or any other type of towing insurance. I would think that most people would have something.
So the guy that won't spend $32 on a new belt that is needed will pay for AAA and such???
Sure, it's only $54 a year. Do you have it? ...
On my truck, nope.
On my Hyundai, nope (included with Hyundai roadside for another 4 years).
On my Scion, yes, through my insurance (I think $18/year).
On my motorcycle, yes, free through my insurance.
But then again, my vehicles would not be in the shop for a water pump replacement, nor would my belt ever look like that.
Originally Posted by hallstevenson
Originally Posted by hatt
Toyota quoted my brother $180 to change the belt in his 4runner.
Why do people continually point out how much shops or dealers charge to do repair work ? Aren't their service bays generally full and busy ? I'll bet they replace a serpentine belt every day for that price too and 90% of customers don't look up the price on RockAuto (or even know what RA is) and watch a YouTube video on how to replace it. Why ? Because they have no desire whatsoever to do that kind of work. Or they don't have tools. Or they don't feel comfortable doing it or even attempting it.
It makes us feel good about ourselves for spending an hour under the hood of our vehicles and saving some cash. Working on our cars is a hobby and it saves us money. Or at least, the money we save by doing our own work subsidizes all the fancy tools we like to buy in addition to the sense of accomplishment.
Originally Posted by hatt
Toyota quoted my brother $180 to change the belt in his 4runner.
Why do people continually point out how much shops or dealers charge to do repair work ? Aren't their service bays generally full and busy ? I'll bet they replace a serpentine belt every day for that price too and 90% of customers don't look up the price on RockAuto (or even know what RA is) and watch a YouTube video on how to replace it. Why ? Because they have no desire whatsoever to do that kind of work. Or they don't have tools. Or they don't feel comfortable doing it or even attempting it.
It makes us feel good about ourselves for spending an hour under the hood of our vehicles and saving some cash. Working on our cars is a hobby and it saves us money. Or at least, the money we save by doing our own work subsidizes all the fancy tools we like to buy in addition to the sense of accomplishment.
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