Did I pay too much for labor?

I paid a local indy $700 to install two rear shocks. I provided the Koni shocks. Does this sound reasonable?

Alignment included?

Quotes source post: 16250448

Damn !! Where do you live, Hollywood? At the Porsche dealer I would have earned about $80 before taxes to replace 2 rear shocks...

No it doesnt sound reasonable. A very generous labor quote should be 3hrs and maybe $150 for an alignment

I'm calling B*******t on this unless you post the bill..

Suspicious post sounds ridiculous if you have the bill please post it otherwise I’m calling BS

Is the $700.00 number all labor? You say you supplied the shocks but did they replace any of the ancillary items like bump stops, dust boots, etc...? If it IS all labor it seems high based on how long it took me to do mine. I had zero experience and did the work with the car on jackstands and I don't think it could have been more than 2-3 hours.

Good Mech < 2 hours 100 to 150 an hour.. Let them know you happened to find-out they are 2x the going rate. Let them know that if it was a mistake,, they can fix it.. But that their rates will have you looking for a shop that wants long term clients.

I got a bid of $550 for water pump which seems to be 2.5 hrs from what I read here. I could see a mechanic charging that. From above, probably don't need a specialist for this. Just a guess though.

No BS guys, here it is. Bump stops, dust boots, all were fine, and not replaced.

That seems really high for just replacing the rear shocks.

Well i guess everyone has the right to make money and he made some on u. Next time i would get an estimate​​​​​​ up front tor anymore repair work. i wonder what posche book time is for a shock?

2.7 hours. I would have charged $202.50 I’d charge an additional $200 for an alignment, or you could take it and get it aligned.

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It is easy enough to find the book time, just about every large library has Chilton or Motor Manual Labor Guides for consumers to look at. That is what they are there for, the Porsche factory time will be listed in parenthesis , and the Chilton or Motor Manual time is usually calculated off the factory time+ 10-15 %... But I think this is WAY more. They can charge whatever they want, but if they have a sign that says they use book time well....that's what they should do. They don't HAVE to use book time and they may be the "best shock replacement specialist on earth", who knows? (sarc)

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What's the name of the shop so other forum members can avoid? Gunbarrel Import Motors??

This is exactly why I try to do as much of my own work as possible...I don't have money to burn!

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Absolutely and shop around. I never have any work done on my Porsche without knowing the price beforehand. Porsche dealers love it when customers walk in and just tell the SA what needs to be done and don't ask what it costs. Those customers get the "special Porsche price". Also don't hesitate to push back. For example I was quoted $275 for an oil change; most dealers were charging $325 in my area. But when I went to pay the bill, the invoice was for $304. There was a mysterious $29 charge for "shop supplies". I complained and the shop supplies charge was removed.

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I never understood paying someone to change your oil. It's one of the simplest, most basic things one can do.

Would be interesting to know if they charged more due to the client supplied shocks. The lost markup on parts they would have sourced might have been recouped here.

I understand not wanting to install customer supplied parts. (Or charging a little extra) I provide free labor (and sometimes parts)for disadvantaged families. I normally order all the parts being installed. But occasionally people want to help out by ordering. Occasionally I�ve told people what to order and from where and it�s never been a problem. Earlier this year I told someone what and where, and they ordered 2 lefthand front strut assemblies instead of one of each. They didn�t realize there was a difference. I discovered this AFTER installing one assembly and removing the second. I had to reinstall both original struts so they could safely drive their car to/from work until they goth both struts. 3x the labor for a free job. If it had been my screw up it would have been easier to accept. Don�t get me wrong, I still screw up after all these years! (Drivers side window is left, dummy! At least I realized it before they brought in their Corolla) Now I�m hesitant to let others order parts, although I have 2 vehicles with parts being ordered by the owners this Friday. AC system for a 2004 Honda Odyssey, and Radiator/t-stat & hoses for a 2010 Nissan Frontier. At least I had them let me confirm they had it right(texted screenshots) before ordering.

The customers that order their own parts, bring the parts into the shop, and insist on the mechanic charging just for your labor, invariably are not great customers. If you really want to save the money on your cars, please learn how to work on your own cars. There are you tube videos, DIY chat boards like this one that will walk you through the process. If you have to rely on the technical expertise of the technician, his special tools for the job, his years of on the job training, and his ability to stand behind his work, then please allow him to make his living by earning a fair pay for a fair job. Afterall, he has to pay rent, insurance, employees, taxes, utilities, and other incidentals before he even takes home his pay.

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John Ireland, is that you? (if so, what were you wearing?)

#****ed

I just noticed the $94.46 charged for two bottles of gear oil! This place should be reported for price gouging.

$40 per liter for Porsche Gear Oil. Add sales tax and shipping, that will easily be $90 for 2 bottles.

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Is that correct 2.5 for water pump? I was quoted 7.0 hours for water pump, thermostat and Coolant tank replacement. I have all the parts, brand new factory Porsche along with all new factory Porsche bolts. Even 3 gallons of Porsche Antifreeze 7.0 @ $150 = $1050.00, same labor quote by Indy and Porsche Dealer It seemed too high. I still have all the parts.

This thread reminds me of the Gran Torino barbershop scene

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If you have more cash than patience, it's worth the $1050. If you don't mind doing messy tedious work and have space and time, DIY it. There is no shared labor between the water pump and coolant tank.

One of the local dealers, The Porsche Exchange now charges $249.00 per hours and there are also shop charges, environmental charges, etc. I do my own work but I would imagine it is hard to get out of there for less than $1,000 and if it is something complicated the charges add up quickly. However their new facility which was completed agout one year ago is like the Taj Mahal. My neighbor has a Macan and they wanted $2,500 for the 40,000 mile checkup/service. A big portion of that is going through the car to see if there is anything else that they can charge you to do. I joked with one of the guys I know who works there that the techs must be making $100/hr and he just laughed and said that the top techs are lucky to make $50/hr. most are much lower. A few years ago when another dealer was charging $185/hr. I knew a young guy who was an apprentice there after completing the first tech school in Atlanta and they were paying him $14/hr, but charging him out at the $185.

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This is so common nowadays. When I started at a Dealership in 1974, we were paid 50% of the labor, but we got no paid vacation,Holidays, or sick pay, you were luck to only pay half your insurance. But at 50% labor for The Porsche Exchange the Techs would be making $125Hr, more than enough to pay insurance and time off pay. Most Dealers now pay about 20% or less to Techs. Most of the labor bill goes to the high overhead like the "Taj Mahal"..LOL .. I can tell ya I didn't mind working in the air-conditioned shops, but I made a LOT more money before air-conditioned shops were the norm.. Some independent shops around here still pay 50% to the Techs, but it is fewer and fewer that do that.. If a young Tech is smart, they will get in a Dealership, get some experience and training, then get out and open their own shop, or go to an independent that pays well..!!!

Regarding bringing my own parts, I had previously talked to them about the shocks and they said that they were having a hard time finding them at that time, so I found some and bought them. I called them and asked them to look in to it. The guy was busy at the time, he said he would call back. This was the afternoon of the day before Thanksgiving, so I'll give them until Monday, then I will call back. I told him that I thought there may have been an error on the bill because I talked with some other Porsche guys and they said that that charge was way too much. I'll let you know what they say. If they don't make it right, I will post the name of the shop so that others can beware! I'm in Louisville Colorado, does anyone know of a good indy shop in my area that I should try instead?

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I would simply say that the porsche book time was less the 3hrs and thats where u assumed the labor charge would be. They may not put any weight on what the "porsche guys" said. Good luck

Ok, I heard back from them. They agreed that I had been overcharged $300. They had no explanation how it happened, but apologized profusely. They are refunding the amount onto my credit card. I did ask what their hourly charge is, it is $139.00. I have not decided if I will do business with them in the future, but if I do, I will get a good estimate up front!

Good news. Maybe they put the labor in for all 4 corners?

On the plus side, the fact that they stood up and admitted their "mistake", means they care about your future business. On the negative side - you had to complain before they stood up (i.e. they didn't do anything 'til they got caught). If their work is good, they may be worth another shot...

Live and learn...I'd give them a second chance.