Average Mechanics cost in the UK

[BACR]

Hi guys, I just went to Mr Clutch to get a wishbone changed on the front of my car and they carged me £70 an hour labour for a mechanic, it took him 1.35 hours to repair, and £60 for the wishbone and £10 for the bushes.

Total £163! for a BMW 318i 1996 in Canterbury, Kent UK

Is this correct, just seems rather alot to me for labour?

[LEXION]

You should have checked the prices in different places.

Here, it very easy to get ripped off, no matter what you change at your car.....I went to a service park for an oil change, and they charged me 130 euros for everything....than I searched a bit more, and found a place where, if you buy the oil from them, the change is included , so the overall payment was about 70 euros....almost HALF!!!!

Thats why, you first need to search a good place, ask friends for cheapper mechanics....or do it yourself :)

[666fast]

Isn't there a list of how long it generally takes to replace a part on a car, depending on the model?



Yes. Most mechanics will charge you the book time, even if they finish faster. Also, 163GBP doesn't seem excessive to me.

[e46drew]

Hi guys, I just went to Mr Clutch to get a wishbone changed on the front of my car and they carged me £70 an hour labour for a mechanic, it took him 1.35 hours to repair, and £60 for the wishbone and £10 for the bushes.

Total £163! for a BMW 318i 1996 in Canterbury, Kent UK

Is this correct, just seems rather alot to me for labour?


then do it your self.

also you know that th the tech himself was making 20 or less:huh:

[RC45]

Hi guys, I just went to Mr Clutch to get a wishbone changed on the front of my car and they carged me £70 an hour labour for a mechanic, it took him 1.35 hours to repair, and £60 for the wishbone and £10 for the bushes.

Total £163! for a BMW 318i 1996 in Canterbury, Kent UK

Is this correct, just seems rather alot to me for labour?

Seems piss cheap if you ask me.

[RC45]

I think it sounds expensive, I do most of these things myself as long as I have the time to do it, but even if prices are high here in Norway I would get it at half the price of what BACR payed at an certified shop....

1.5 hours to change part of the front suspension?

He didnt do it himself, he took the car to a mechanic. If he thinks 1.5 hours is too much or expensive to work on his cars suspension, then he should have done it himself.

I am sure if the car has a shimmy or a pull or makes a noise after the job, he would have no problem going back to the garage and demanding they make good what ever work they did - the 'cost' of having the privilege of such followup is the cost of the labour over and above the parts.

I say he got off very cheaply. If the going labour rate in his neck of the woods is 70 quid then so be it, if it is 30 quid, then shame on him for not educating himslef as to local labour rate.

[RC45]

I know he didnt do it himself, I just said I do most of these things myself, bit if I where to go to an shop it would have been cheaper here even if prices are high in Norway....

I also think 1,5 hours to change a wishbone and some bushes are to much time tough....but as Zfrk said they probably charge the maximum they are allowed no matter if the spend only half the time doing it....

An hour and half to receive the vehicle, put it on a lift, remove the wheel, possibly remove relocte the shock, possibly remove relocate the spring, un bolt the suspension part - possibly use a press to remove the bushings from where ever they are going to be put, and possible use a press to fit the new bushings - replace said parts, correctly reattache relocate and torque all fasteners and then reattach wheel and test drive to validate new suspension setup.

This type of change may also require an alignment be done.

So again - to be charged for 1.35 hours of labour and a job done properly then whats the problem.

I have more of a problem with the "big book of labour times and rates" saying that a job is only 20 minutes when the mechanic is going to be rushed to complete the job int hat time and will do a half arsed job as thats all they will get paid for.

You are relying on the work he does to not kill you - what the hell is wrong with paying him for the time it took to do the job properly.

As I say, the work is warranteed, so when you come back and demand reservice, yo better hp ethe amount paid originally incents them to give you after sales service.

This is the importance of building relationship with a local and reputable shop that you can work with. Pay them the going rate, sometime throw in a 6 pack of beer or a tip when the work was prett ydirty of tough, that way they like doing work for you and may even cut you some slack on the artes sometimes.

If the job has a book time of 1.35 hours and the rate is 70 pounds an hour for labour, then he got off cheap.

[666fast]

I dont know how you work, but I wouldnt have used more than 1,5 hours changing said parts



If the book time is 1.5 hours, just about every shop out there will charge you for 1.5 hours of work, even if it only took them 30 minutes.

163GBP = $334 That doesn't seem bad to me.

[RC45]

If the book time is 1.5 hours, just about every shop out there will charge you for 1.5 hours of work, even if it only took them 30 minutes.

163GBP = $334 That doesn't seem bad to me.

I would not be happy with a rushed 30 minute susspension job that allowed 1.35 hours for it to be done.

Many times the "book" hours actually short change the mechanic and force them to "rush" jobs, or face working more hours than they ar egetting paid for.

I would rather have a "happy" mechanic working on my car, than some dude that is all pissed because he is getting ripped off.

[nthfinity]

I am aware that most shops will charge for the full time allowed to do the job, even if they only spend half of it...

I think the amount BACR payed are much compared to what the price around here would be....


@RC I highly doubt the shops are putting up less time than they need to finish the job as that would be shooting themself in the foot not only the mechanic....


The way shops around here work is mostly 'book time' which they charge rate the book suggest, weather or not the mechanic took more or less time.... the shop isn't hurt by that (much) just the Mechanic who spent 3 hours working on a job that pays 1.5 hours.

[RC45]

I am aware that most shops will charge for the full time allowed to do the job, even if they only spend half of it...

From what I have seen comparing the book time to GM service manual time I have NEVER seen a "book time is 2x the real time" - most of the time it is just on or UNDER the service manual time.


I think the amount BACR payed are much compared to what the price around here would be....


If you are talking 'money" amount, then who cares - it will be based on the PAY RATE of mechanics in your area - butif you are saying that 1.35 hours is MORE time than "the book allows" in your country - I call bullsh1t until you sho wme otherwise.

[RC45]

I talk about money and am aware it goes on the paying rate of the mechanic, but I highly doubt a mechanic are payed lower in Norway than in the UK or America tough, so in with that in mind I think it was costly...

Dude - with all due respect you are being obtuse about this, not to mention incorrect.

If the going rate for a mechanic in the UK is 70 pounds and a job is booked at 1.35 hours then 160 pounds is not over paying.

What is the hourly rate for mechanic work in Norway?

Please - for the love all that is logical, using an example with real-world numbers to show how this job was over priced.

Are you even aware of what the going hourly rate is in the UK or the US for that matter?

I dont think you are, as you may be surprised to know the reality.

[RC45]

Im just saying that 163£ for changing a wishbone and some bushes a more than I would have payed here....


If thats what it cost, then thats what it cost... if you could not or would not do the work yourself then thats what you have to pay.

What part is so difficult to understand?

Besides, if the parts and hourly rate cost the same in Norway then whats you would have had to pay as well. :)

Why not call around and get an estimate so we can settle this once and for all ;)

I have called around, and it seems that front control arm repairs are estimated between 2 and 3 hours with labour ranging from $80 to $110/hour labour and about $120 for parts.

So, 1.35 hours at the going rate is a pretty good deal.

[BACR]

Hi guys,

70 pounds does seem to be about the going rate with BMW want over 100 pounds an hour.

I was just asking to make sure that I was charged about the correct price and it seems I was. Also I would have normally called around but the car was damaged near the garage I went to so ofcourse I had it fixed there to prevent any damage occuring from driving it.

They did not align the tires though, they gave some excuse like it has to be done by BMW as they have to put weight in the car and do it to the manufactures spec. I am not quite sure about what he was on about as it was fixed a Mr Clutch that does tyres, and sure if they do tyres they can align wheels!

But finally £70 an hour for labour is rather excessive, I know that when i was in Spain it was £40 an hour labour and that was from BMW.

[T-Bird]

OK I am going to chime in here seeing as I have been in a shop for going on 3 years now. Firstly When I was at Acura we charged $135 hour, At Protege Garage we charge $85. The "book time" is what the manufacturer of the vehicle said it would take to do said job, sometimes they are to high but often than not they are at or below actual time if you do it the way they tell you to but working at a dealership and dealing with the same problem on the same car day in and day out you find short cuts and get it done very quickly like book time on a trans states 6.5-8hours depending on the vehicle and it would take roughly 3 hours to do it well guess what... The customer or the manufacturer (warranty) is out 6.5-8 hours no matter what tough shit etc, etc.

If you are not mechanically inclined and are stressing over labor on a damn control arm then you better make really good friends with a Mechanic/Technician very quickly because your 1996 BMW is going to start breaking more expensive shit soon.