Steve Firth wrote:

Albert wrote:

Steve Firth wrote:
Spamlet wrote:

You may have got off lightly too. Plenty of places seem to
insist that you need new discs as well...

TBH replacing pads and disks is such a simple job that it's
aggravating to see what garages charge. Charging 1.5 hours to
replace pads is a rip-off.

How much do you think the tools cost to do the job? How much the
council taxes for the premises? Staff bill? Public Insurance
liability? Electricity? Being blamed for the exhaust pipe
falling off after changing the spark plugs?

What in all that list justifies charging for hours that were not
worked? I have an hourly rate for my work, does the fact that I
have to pay council tax, rent on business premises, staff wages,
public liability and professional indemnity, electricity, heating
oil, incredibly high charges for "tools of the trade"[1] and cope
with customer complaints if they occur justify me charging the
customer extra hours for work not done?

If being a mechanic is so easy you try having a go at it.

Where did I say that being a mechanic was easy? Perhaps you could
confine your whining to the realm of reality?


[1] If you think mechanics have to pay a high price for tools, you
should try being in my industry where licensing fees on tools can
cost as much per year as an "executive" car. And then there are the
annual professional membership fees, the routine examinations,
audit etc that mechanics don't have to do or pay for. So whine me
no whines.

Some of those diagnostic tools aint cheap , many are vehicle specific
and you pay the manufacturers a licence fee every year.

Have you seen the price of a tow truck these days