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Chat Area => General Car Chat => Topic started by: Field Marshal Dr. Opti on 21 April 2016, 16:43:58

Title: Reasonable labour charge.
Post by: Field Marshal Dr. Opti on 21 April 2016, 16:43:58
All parts supplied to keep costs down.

Change oil and filter.

Change fuel filter.

Change brake fluid.

Cost £40 plus VAT........ Total £48.

Not sure what this works out at an hourly rate but the cost seems reasonable to me.


Title: Re: Reasonable labour charge.
Post by: terry paget on 21 April 2016, 16:55:50
That's very cheap. Changing brake fluid is a wheels off job, and changing fuel filter can be troublesome, especially on estates.
Title: Re: Reasonable labour charge.
Post by: Field Marshal Dr. Opti on 21 April 2016, 16:58:10
That's very cheap. Changing brake fluid is a wheels off job, and changing fuel filter can be troublesome, especially on estates.

Actually,Terry..... looking at the invoice it seems I've been charged 1 hour for labour.

So £40 P/H.
Title: Re: Reasonable labour charge.
Post by: Field Marshal Dr. Opti on 21 April 2016, 16:59:33
I imagine the fuel filter was changed while the car was in the air and the oil was draining.
Title: Re: Reasonable labour charge.
Post by: tunnie on 21 April 2016, 17:20:48
That's very cheap. Changing brake fluid is a wheels off job, and changing fuel filter can be troublesome, especially on estates.

Actually,Terry..... looking at the invoice it seems I've been charged 1 hour for labour.

So £40 P/H.

Actually, with a proper lift, I would have thought you could do brake fluid without taking the wheels off? Very good price for an hourly rate  :y
Title: Re: Reasonable labour charge.
Post by: Webby the Bear on 21 April 2016, 17:46:54
Yup, we change brake fluid with wheels on. Pressure bleeder on the reservoir and crack each nipple off. Oooooh matron.

And fuel filter could be a bastard if a diesel. Though not sure what car we are talking about.
Title: Re: Reasonable labour charge.
Post by: Field Marshal Dr. Opti on 21 April 2016, 17:53:24
Yup, we change brake fluid with wheels on. Pressure bleeder on the reservoir and crack each nipple off. Oooooh matron.

And fuel filter could be a bastard if a diesel. Though not sure what car we are talking about.

Nope....runs on proper fuel.

Fuel filter is very accessible.
Title: Re: Reasonable labour charge.
Post by: 05omegav6 on 21 April 2016, 18:03:14
Don't need to jack those to change the oil/filter... Fuel filter takes five minutes and only requires osr to be jacked slightly  :y
Title: Re: Reasonable labour charge.
Post by: Webby the Bear on 21 April 2016, 18:18:37
At that cost they probably sucked the oil out  :-X
Title: Re: Reasonable labour charge.
Post by: BazaJT on 21 April 2016, 18:29:56
£40ph seems to be about the going rate round here for small independants.
Title: Re: Reasonable labour charge.
Post by: 2boxerdogs on 21 April 2016, 20:03:52
Great price , can't go wrong at that.
Title: Re: Reasonable labour charge.
Post by: terry paget on 21 April 2016, 21:05:21
That's very cheap. Changing brake fluid is a wheels off job, and changing fuel filter can be troublesome, especially on estates.

Actually,Terry..... looking at the invoice it seems I've been charged 1 hour for labour.

So £40 P/H.

Actually, with a proper lift, I would have thought you could do brake fluid without taking the wheels off? Very good price for an hourly rate  :y
I probably could do similarly over my pit. My worry is undoing the hollow bleed nipples, having broken a few off in my time. I like to get a 9mm box spanner on the nipple and with a T handled bar gingerly apply torque to it; if it does not want to undo I hammer the caliper around the nipple and try again.
Taking the wheels off allows me to adjust the hand brake, inspect the brake pads and pipes, and ensure the wheels have not rusted on.
Title: Re: Reasonable labour charge.
Post by: Stargazer57N on 21 April 2016, 21:33:59
That sound too cheap to me, as with everything else you get what you pay for. As a mechanic I get parts at trade price and I could not buy the parts for that. They must be using the cheapest of cheapest oil which in the long term will ruin your engine and or turbo.
Sorry just notice you said you supplied the parts, therefore you got a good deal, an hour sounds aboutthe right amount of time to change filters and BF change if it goes well.

Title: Re: Reasonable labour charge.
Post by: terry paget on 21 April 2016, 21:54:52
I change BF using an Easi-bleed pressurising kit. This means I have to keep topping up the BF bottle; if car is up on a ramp, or I am in the pit beneath it, it's inconvenient. Taking the wheels off is better in this respect. and not much slower.
Title: Re: Reasonable labour charge.
Post by: 05omegav6 on 21 April 2016, 22:49:51
That sound too cheap to me, as with everything else you get what you pay for. As a mechanic I get parts at trade price and I could not buy the parts for that. They must be using the cheapest of cheapest oil which in the long term will ruin your engine and or turbo.
Sorry just notice you said you supplied the parts, therefore you got a good deal, an hour sounds aboutthe right amount of time to change filters and BF change if it goes well.
Full genuine service kit including plugs, air/oil/fuel/pollen filters and GM 5w30 oil is less that £75...

Add in another tenner for brake fluid and you should still get change from £120 at £40ph labour ;)
Title: Re: Reasonable labour charge.
Post by: terry paget on 21 April 2016, 23:07:54
I should be hard pushed to change all those items in an hour, on a car I know well, with all the tools to hand. Terbert would not let us try at High Wycombe lest we spill oil on the car park. On a V6 the n/s plugs take me a while, with the wiring harness in the way.
Title: Re: Reasonable labour charge.
Post by: 05omegav6 on 21 April 2016, 23:49:52
I should be hard pushed to change all those items in an hour, on a car I know well, with all the tools to hand. Terbert would not let us try at High Wycombe lest we spill oil on the car park. On a V6 the n/s plugs take me a while, with the wiring harness in the way.
Omega plugs are a twenty minute job... my observation was referring to the Vectrum ;)
Title: Re: Reasonable labour charge.
Post by: omega2018 on 22 April 2016, 00:24:19
Omega plugs are a twenty minute job... my observation was referring to the Vectrum ;)
on a v6?   ???
Title: Re: Reasonable labour charge.
Post by: 05omegav6 on 22 April 2016, 00:26:55
Yup. Half hour max...assuming not full of oil/water ::)
Title: Re: Reasonable labour charge.
Post by: omega2018 on 22 April 2016, 01:12:33
your fingers must be very fast. plenty of exercise i suppose...(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TK-ymZM8WZY/U5xvprc9heI/AAAAAAAAJNY/I_PZiz3zGNk/s30/smirking-emoticon.png)
Title: Re: Reasonable labour charge.
Post by: 05omegav6 on 22 April 2016, 02:08:35
your fingers must be very fast. plenty of exercise i suppose...(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TK-ymZM8WZY/U5xvprc9heI/AAAAAAAAJNY/I_PZiz3zGNk/s30/smirking-emoticon.png)
terribly sorry old boy, I am a little tired