Getting Charged Too Much For Repairs?

[kallekula]

At least he quoted you the repair before starting to work on the car.
I’ve worked for two indie shops. Very common that the customer doesn’t understand or thinks he’s being ripped off. How do you explain you spent almost a whole day to diagnose some electric gremlin and the part is like a few bucks. Oh, and labor is $100x6.
Some people forget mechanics doesn’t work for free.

[abscate]

“ rather than spending $3000 replacing hood parts until it was solved I spent $605 in time and parts to diagnose it and just fix the problem “ will work with most , but not all, customers.

[Clemens]

Bosch no longer supplies the P80 MAF. So another part goes NLA. The only place you can buy it new is actually from Volvo. I bought one just about 4 weeks ago and the cheapest I could find it was around $380 CDN, but the regular price was closer to $430 CDN. Strangely I have recently found most prices in Canada for OE parts are the same as US in $ amount, but then $1 US = $1.25 CDN
Volvo parts webstore has it for $290 US.

Have you used this repair shop before and have they been reliable? Without knowing the detail of the issue you were having and what they are charging for it is hard to say if they are overcharging or not. Not sure why a battery was needed or pipes then that leads to black smoke and rough running.

What were the symptoms that needed the car to go to the repair shop in the first place?

Neil.

A Volvo parts dealer told me that someone bought the remaining p80 MAF sensors (no housings, just the sensors) and rebuilds the remaining ones. The rebuilt units through Skandix should still be original Bosch units from this source. But sending in a core from the states is a pricey adventure

[scot850]

Especially as Skandix charges a minimum charge of 125 Euro to US and a mere 55 Euro to Canada. A minimum charge for up to 31kg of purchases.

Thanks for the information.

Neil.

[abscate]

Pep shows a ton of options for the MAF

MTC
PRO PARTS SWEDEN
VEmo
BREMI
DELPHI
Walker
Cardone
…..


There can’t be that many manufacturers for this stuff ?

[MrAl]

At least he quoted you the repair before starting to work on the car.
I’ve worked for two indie shops. Very common that the customer doesn’t understand or thinks he’s being ripped off. How do you explain you spent almost a whole day to diagnose some electric gremlin and the part is like a few bucks. Oh, and labor is $100x6.
Some people forget mechanics doesn’t work for free.

Hi,

Technically he didnt do that. He did ask about the battery but he should have realized that the battery in there was under warrantee and that would have saved me 220 dollars (USD).
After he did that and some repairs, that is when he called and quoted the 1400 dollars. Later that day he called back and said there was a problem and that it would be 2800 dollars.
Yesterday he called and added another 40 to 50 dollars. He said he didnt get one of the parts he ordered and so he had to get it from somewhere else and it was more money there. He said they would send over 2 parts to make sure at least one got there.

Now in my years living where i am now, about 25 years, i never had a problem where i ordered a part and did not get it. It's true i could not get some parts for the old 1988 Hyundai i had, but the ones i ordered i always got and i did most of the work on that car myself so i got a lot of parts online. I even got Volvo parts online never had a time when they said they shipped and then never got it.
And to top it off, he quotes the $500 plus for the part because he wants to get it from a 'reputable' parts outlet. So you do the math.

He did once nice thing though. He send over a car to park in the driveway to take the spot where i was parked. That prevents someone else from snagging the parking spot and that's a big problem around here. The gal downstairs parked there the other day and i had to play the 'bad' guy and tell her she could not park there because it was 'my' spot. She is such a sweetheart too i felt so bad to have to do that. But i could never part that thing anywhere else in the driveway because the turn radius is so large. I'd need a big parking space.

So i hope it works out in the long run i wont get the car back now until probably Wednesday because of the part delay.

It would not be so bad but i have other expenses coming soon with surgery.

Oh i am also hoping the battery he put in there, and AC Delco, is a good battery anyone know about them? I usually use Interstate batteries. The interstate i had in there will turn that engine over 1000 times without dying out except maybe in winter.

Thanks for any ideas or suggestions.

[abscate]

And to top it off, he quotes the $500 plus for the part because he wants to get it from a 'reputable' parts outlet. So you do the math.

I respect that. He’s probably been burned by fake stuff. Amazon and eBay are littered with counterfeit stuff

[kallekula]

Try another shop then. Or buy a new car if you cant fix your own junk car.

[scot850]

AC Delco is a good battery brand so should be as good as anything else. It should come with a warranty. Check with the repair shop on that. If the warranty is not covered, I would have them remove it and if your old one is around take it and and have it replaced on your warranty. They should have done that before swapping out a part. In fact I would still do that as you could swap it for a new one and sell it at least!

In the defense of most good repair shops, they would prefer to use good parts as they are on the hook should a part go bad. They don't always have access or knowledge to what does or does not work on these cars based on parts manufacturer.

I replace the MAF on my young friends car, I gave her the choice of OE Volvo or a used one if I could find one. Although money was tight she weighed up the choices based on reliability on a car she relies on, so OE it was. However, due to the delay I found a used one at PnP junkyard that at least got the car mobile until the new one arrived. Worked out for me as I now have a good tested unit and she got the use of the car until the new one arrived. I don't currently need the part as it is not the same as the 'R' but I know at some point either I or one of friends here will need one and a full priced part is not an option.

Neil.

[MrAl]

And to top it off, he quotes the $500 plus for the part because he wants to get it from a 'reputable' parts outlet. So you do the math.

I respect that. He’s probably been burned by fake stuff. Amazon and eBay are littered with counterfeit stuff

Hi,

Well that was no longer the question. The question was, if the place he was getting it from was 'reputable" (note the quotes) then why didnt get the part he ordered. The online places i quoted he said were not what he considered 'reputable' that is the reason he gave for not ordering from them. Yet, i have ordered lots of parts from them and never ever did they say the were delivering a part and then not deliver it. So the term 'reputable' comes into question. If a place is reputable they wouldnt tell you they were sending the part and then not send the part and never tell you. He said he had to track it down.
That is what i refer to as "the math"

I have been told though that his shop does very good work. A neighbor said he had his car done there at a cost of 1600 USD and it didnt have a problem for 9 or 10 years after that.
So i guess like the old chess master's quote i played countless games of chess with years back, "you cant have everything" ha ha. He used to say that because in a well matched game each move has advantages and disadvantages. When you make a move you can get a really good position on one side of the board an not as good on the other side of the board, or good in the center but not elsewhere, etc.

Thanks for the reply.