How to not Get Scam in a Car Repair
If you were handed an estimate to replace a water pump on your car, would you know if the price was fair? Could you trust the price? What about for a tie rod end, mass air flow sensor, or an evaporative emissions sensor?
Most of us do not know what these are, ignore the price. Yet it is elements like these that are frequently used to over charge you, the vehicle fix customer.
We no longer live in an age of trust, so how will we guarantee that our car repair costs are legitimate.
How many times have you had a suspicion that you paid too much, but could not prove it? How often did the price seem exorbitant for even simple repairs?
To illustrate just how “At Risk” the common-or-garden automobile repair client is to OTT auto repair costs, here is a up to date real life example from a “reputable?” dealer.
A client brought her Audi to a sanctioned 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 repair shop level.
Yet the girl left the dealer with a bill for $2025.68.
What happened?
According to the repair order, there were no aberrant circumstances, no issues spotted by the technician such as rust or any other extenuating circumstances that would have perhaps increased the work, or added additional parts.
In short, it definitely was a straight forward service, but the bill was $450.68 higher than it should have been. There’s simply no legitimate reason to have “that much” discrepancy.
How’d they get away with it?
The answer is very simple, and it is a point that I don’t want any one to miss:
They get away with it because they can!
Think about it. The average person does not know how much auto parts cost. And who knows how much labor time a correct should take? To what sources does one turn to find out this information? Who even has the time to investigate!
Upon investigation of this girl’s correct order, it was found that she was charged a full 4 hours “more” than the standard labor 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 woman didn’t know. She just paid the bill and left.
How many times do folks just settle up and leave? Pretty much that’s all one can do given that there’s no accessible information for the vehicle fix buyer to adequately question a repair bill. Furthermore, very few even know what questions to ask!
The auto repair industry has been over-charging for decades-sometimes subtly, sometimes boldly, definitely frequently. The evidence for this is overwhelming; yet, there are no easy solutions available for the car repair customer.
Government agencies can not help. The Better Business Bureau can not do anything. Even supposed “car fix professionals or advocates” lack the experience of the breadth and insidiousness of the automobile correct business at all its levels.
A dealership operates differently than an independent fix shop, and a franchise, like Midas, is fully unique. Who truly knows what goes on in the underground of such a various and complex industry?
The Solution?
First and foremost, car repair customers need access to information on auto fix costs. Without this, they’ve got nothing discernible in which to figure out fair charges. They also have to be ready 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 vehicle fix consumer will continue to “swim with the sharks” without any protection.
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