Originally Posted By: UG_Passat
Originally Posted By: ArcticDriver
Originally Posted By: JohnnyJohnson
Originally Posted By: Ammofirst
Not only that gouging on the products they are also charging at a rate like my Chevy dealership about $200 an hour labor.
$200/hour labor ?
And they book the labor rather than actual.
What a racket....it makes healthcare providers look like saints.
the labor rate is associated the cost of doing business in the area. Higher costs of living/running a business means higher labor rates. If you live in the middle of nowhere, where costs are low, then the labor rates are lower.
I my neck of the woods, the VW dealership charges $175/hr. If I go to central PA, near Williamsport, the labor rate is half of it.
Yes, I do understand how this is all excused but how much does a private garage get in the same area?
Or better yet, how much do their mechanics earn per hour? Your reason above cuts both ways. If its an excuse to charge more then its a reason to pay employees more.
But I had a business trip to Chicago a month ago and the dealership mechanics were all picketing. I asked them what the gripe was and they were intentionally vague on specifics so I googled it and found their demands were outrageous.
Maybe its time everyone takes a step back and quits thinking its OK to rip everybody else off.
You will have to excuse me because I grew up in a community of reasonable people who did good work for fair prices. It was not in the middle of nowhere.
Smaller shops, aka independent mechanics will set their rates accordingly in order to stay in business. If the cost of rental property is high, they have to charge accordingly. If they are able to own their property, they can set their rates accordingly. Utility rates also come into effect as well, as well as the various taxes they need to pay.
They don't have to worry about the additional overhead that dealerships need to take into account, including ObamaCare's employer mandate (50 or more employees).
In the Chicago area's case, dealerships will have to worry about the costs of dealing with the union and technicians that belong to the union.
It's not a simple black & white deal.
If all that labor rates bother you, then you should DIY for routine maintenance. Then you can control your own costs by buying all the parts yourself, tools, and save on labor by DIY.