How to not Get Scam in a Car Repair
If you were handed an estimation to replace a water pump on your auto, would you know if the price was fair? Could you trust the price? How about for a tie rod end, mass air flow sensor, or an evaporative emissions sensor?
Most of us do not know what these are, don’t worry about the price. Yet it is components such as these that are ordinarily used to over charge you, the vehicle fix customer.
We no longer live in an age of trust, so how can we ensure that our automobile repair costs are legitimate.
How many times have you had a suspicion that you paid too much, but couldn’t prove it? How often did the price seem exorbitant for even straightforward repairs?
To illustrate just how “At Risk” the common-or-garden automobile repair consumer is to OTT auto repair prices, here’s a up to date real life example from a “reputable?” dealer.
A customer brought her Audi to a permitted Audi dealership for a standard timing belt upkeep service.
The price for this service averages $1575 at the dealership level, (including pulleys, water pumpetc ) and about $1275 at the independent correct shop level.
Yet the woman left the dealer with a bill for $2025.68.
What happened?
According to the repair order, there were no abnormal circumstances, no problems noted by the technician such as rust or any other extenuating circumstances that would have perhaps increased the labor, or added further parts.
In short, it seemed to be a straight forward service, but the bill was $450.68 higher than it should have been. There is simply no legitimate reason to have “that much” discrepancy.
How’d they get away with it?
The answer is very simple, and it’s a point that I don’t want anyone to miss:
They get away with it because they can!
Think about it. The average person does not know how much automobile parts cost. And who knows how much labor time a repair should take? To what sources does one turn to find out this information? Who even has the time to investigate!
Upon investigation into this girl’s correct order, it was found that she was charged a full 4 hours “more” than the standard work time. At $100 per hour, this added an extra $400. The leftover $50.68 came from the parts, which were billed higher than MSRP.
She was quoted $2,025 for a correct that tops out at $1575. The girl did not know. She just paid the bill and left.
How many times do folks just pay the bill and leave? Just about that is all one can do given that there is no accessible information for the auto fix shopper to adequately query a repair bill. Additionally , few even know what inquiries to ask!
The car repair industry has been over-charging for decades-sometimes subtly, sometimes confidently, definitely often. The proof for this is overwhelming; yet, there are no straightforward solutions available for the vehicle fix customer.
Government agencies can’t help. The Better Business Bureau can not do anything. Even supposed “car repair experts or advocates” lack the knowledge of the breadth and insidiousness of the automobile fix business at all its levels.
A dealership operates differently than an independent repair shop, and a franchise, like Midas, is fully unique. Who truly knows what goes on in the underground of such a various and complicated industry?
The Solution?
First and foremost, car repair customers need access to information on car repair prices. Without this, they’ve got nothing discernible in which to figure out fair charges. They also need to be able to navigate the maze of parts and work charges for car repairs and maintenance.
Like everything else, information is the key to ensure fair treatment. Without it, the car repair customer will continue to “swim with the sharks” without any protection.
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