Mechanic's charges

[steved]

Hi all

Whinge alert

I was given a quote for a job (replacing a head gasket) of ~$700.

I rang a second mechanic and he gave me a quote of ~$1000.

I drop the bike off at the first mechanic and they call me up today with;

Head-gasket $1500
Over-charging of battery $500
Carbs leading to rough running $300
Fork seals in front $250

So I was a bit surprised to learn that what I originally thought was a $700 fix is now $1500 (+$1000 of unknown problems).

Is this a reasonable figure for the jobs outlined, and if not, what are my rights of retrieval?

Much appreciated.

[Ixion]

Were you given a QUOTE or an ESTIMATE ?There is a big difference.

[steved]

Were you given a QUOTE or an ESTIMATE ?There is a big difference.Yeah, you're right there. The mechanic says it was an estimate. I asked him for reasons as to why his estimate was so far away from his quote. I got a "That's why it's an estimate" response. Sigh.

[Ixion]

You don't have a lot of choices in that case. You can tell them you want to take the bike elsewhere. But (a) you'll have to pay for whatever time they've spent on it so far before they'll let you take it (b) anywhere else you take it may be just as dear - maybe more so , because they may have to repeat some of what the first place has done.

You can tell them you don't want the "extra" stuff - overcharging, forks etc done now. (Though you may have to budget for it eventually, but none of these have any relation to head gasket problems).

You can query the difference between $700 and $1500 - it's quite a big difference. But odds are, the answer will be "We quoted on just fixing a head gasket- but now we have the head off we find that xxx and yyy are worn/damaged and must be replaced. If we don't , the head repair will not be effective, so it must be done" .

In fairness, no mechanic can tell you how bad the situation is until they take the head off. That's when they find the worn cams, the scored journals, the warped head, the cracked head etc etc (not meaning that you have all or any of these of course) .

Best bet is to have a non-confrontational talk with the boss mechanic. Explain that the price is more than you have budgeted for, and ask if there is any way that it can be reduced. Explain that you realise this will mean some trade-offs (used parts, not replacing border line parts etc).

Be polite , and just ask if they can help you. Most places, approached right, will do what they can.

[crashe]

Even as a estimate.. they should have rung you as soon as they knew it was going to be over the $700 to inform you of extra costs.

Then you had the right to say go ahead or stop.

That is how they should have done it.

Not just gone ahead with the job.....

Plus it also helps that for future reference for yourself or anyone else reading this that you also mention that if it is going OVER the estimated cost to contact you ASAP. No more work to done until you are contacted.

Not everyone has a spare $1000 lying around.

To me it is common curtesy from the mechanic to the customer/client.

So when chatting to the mechanic.. be polite and see what he can do about payement etc.. no point in loosing your rag with him... cos it will mean he wont give you a decent deal....

All the best.

[kickingzebra]

Be thankful it isn't a V engine!! bemoaning the beautiful honda legend sitting in my driveway with one smal blow in its head gasket... 2700 is the quote! cars only worth about that!!

Might be worth looking at some chemical gasket sealer run through things? I have seen a few on the internet and thought of doing that myself, just trying to find a good one?

any one with any clues about those??

(not bike, i know, but in this case it applies to bikes too)

Oh, and last time i did fork seals, the first quote was 250, the next was 240, then I took it to Boyds honda in hamilton, they did it for $140. I was pretty stoked with that.

[TwoSeven]

Sorry but how do they arrive at charging $700 for a head gasket. Are there rates like $200/hour or something.

[steved]

Even as a estimate.. they should have rung you as soon as they knew it was going to be over the $700 to inform you of extra costs.

Then you had the right to say go ahead or stop.

That is how they should have done it.

Not just gone ahead with the job.....

Plus it also helps that for future reference for yourself or anyone else reading this that you also mention that if it is going OVER the estimated cost to contact you ASAP. No more work to done until you are contacted.

Not everyone has a spare $1000 lying around.

To me it is common curtesy from the mechanic to the customer/client.

So when chatting to the mechanic.. be polite and see what he can do about payement etc.. no point in loosing your rag with him... cos it will mean he wont give you a decent deal....

All the best.
They haven't done any work as far as I know. They have only diagnosed the problem then gave me a ring to discuss how much it will cost. My main beef I suppose is the jump from $700 to $1500. Just a bit of a vent really as I do understand Ixion's points about things getting hairy when they open her up.

[imdying]

Has it been itemised?

I'm guessing:
Gasket(s)?
Oil & Filter?
Skim head?
Valve grind?
Cam chain?
Tensioner?

Might find if you *just* get the gasket done it's close to a grand, but what would be the point? Those other things would still be spoiling it. How bad is the gasket? Well enough to flick the bike and get something else?

[steved]

How bad is the gasket? Well enough to flick the bike and get something else?It's over-heating within about 15 minutes and the reservoir is spitting hot coolant. I imagine that means it is poked.

[Motu]

I don't see a problem here,this is what I do everyday,Ixion has the right story.We give a rough idea - I usualy say $1000,if they walk off that weeds the non payers out.Then we strip off the head and do a visual,next we have to get the head crack tested and the job hinges on the result.We are just finishing a head job on a Familia,it'll work out at about $2500,and it just started as a radiator repair....The customer needs to be kept up to play on what's happening,and that's what's happening here.If you don't like it,pay them for the labour they have done stripping it down and then take it elsewhere....but I think you'll find the same result.

[WINJA]

It's over-heating within about 15 minutes and the reservoir is spitting hot coolant. I imagine that means it is poked.
NOT ALWAYS , I HAD A KWAK WITH THOSE SAME SYMPTOMS , FIRST THING TO DO IS CHECK THE TSTAT AND MAKE SURE THE COOLANT IS AT ABOUT 33%.
TOO MUCH COOLANT CAN CAUSE OVERHEATING UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS , THEY SHOW YOU THE BOILING AND FREZZING POINT ON THE BOTTLE BUT THEY DONT SHOW YOU THE SPECIFIC HEAT CAPACITY , AS YOU ADD MORE ANTI FREEZE THE SHC GOES DOWN NOT UP.
SOME MANUFACTURERS SAY 50% BUT 33 % IS ADEQUETE FOR NZ AND WITH A QUALITY ANTI FREEZE STILL PROTECTS FROM COROSION.
WAS THERE OIL IN THE WATER , WHAT ABOUT STEAM FROM THE EXHAUST WHEN THE BIKE IS WARMED UP, WHAT ABOUT EMULSION IN THE OIL???

[WINJA]

I don't see a problem here,this is what I do everyday,Ixion has the right story.We give a rough idea - I usualy say $1000,if they walk off that weeds the non payers out.Then we strip off the head and do a visual,next we have to get the head crack tested and the job hinges on the result.We are just finishing a head job on a Familia,it'll work out at about $2500,and it just started as a radiator repair....The customer needs to be kept up to play on what's happening,and that's what's happening here.If you don't like it,pay them for the labour they have done stripping it down and then take it elsewhere....but I think you'll find the same result.
FUCK I HATE WORKING ON SHITTERS AND THEN A CUSTOMER COMPLAINS ABOUT THE PRICE EVEN THO YOU TRIMMED THE PRICE BACK

[Motu]

There was a time when people thanked you for a job well done - now you bend over backwards and they cut your balls off.

[jonbuoy]

I guess they just wanted you to be aware of all the issues the bike had before spending out on the gasket work. Doesn't take much to make it borderline on repairing some things these days.

[JimO]

a estimate has to be no more than 10% different to a quote otherwise everybody will estimate the job at $500 when its a $2500 job

[Motu]

A written quote can't be exceeded by 10%....unless you can justify the extras.So the estimate included a crack test and surface grind on the head - but now the head is cracked and irreparable,or the cam bearings are scoured.So now it's a whole new ball game...contact with the customer and we thrash out a new guesstimate.Even simple things like a stripped stud is outside the estimate,and a justifiable added cost.

[imdying]

A written quote can't be exceeded by 10%.... without the owners consent. That's why the mechanic has come back to him... He's done the right thing by our man. Think about the value of the bike, the added value (probably none), and the changeover to a new bike. Might be worth flogging it on trademe as a fixer, and taking the grand you've got (plus the 2 you're going to spend anyway) and adding a some more for newer ride. How about that '99 ZX7R currently for sale for $7000?

[steved]

A written quote can't be exceeded by 10%.... without the owners consent. That's why the mechanic has come back to him... He's done the right thing by our man. Think about the value of the bike, the added value (probably none), and the changeover to a new bike. Might be worth flogging it on trademe as a fixer, and taking the grand you've got (plus the 2 you're going to spend anyway) and adding a some more for newer ride. How about that '99 ZX7R currently for sale for $7000?Yeah, I considered writing it off and selling it for spares but I don't imagine I would get much from a wrecker or a private sale as the work would need doing to get it running properly. End of the day, I'm hoping that the bill is around $2500 and that will last me around 12 months, until I upgrade to a 600.

[imdying]

Mmmmm... you'd get what, $3500 if you sell it in a years time after you've spent $2500 on it? So it'd be worth $1000 to you? Try and get that for it in the current condition, and get the 600 now?

[imdying]

Or... you could have an 'accident' and claim insurance? Not that I'd condone that... oooh no, but shit happens...