Input please.. Front end work

[Rocket Man]

^^^^One of the hardest things to find is an honest auto repair shop, they're unicorns. I had a shop that did me right a few times until he gained my confidence, then decided to rip me off. Now I do everything myself. I figure even if it takes special tools that aren't available at the loan-a-tool auto parts place and I have to buy them I'm still better off in the long run. I recently bought a Tech II clone for about $200 and wish I'd have got it sooner. I know my repairs/ mods/ upgrades are done right with quality parts.

 

[inmypassatlife]

If you're local I'd do all that for $1000 cash money

 

[mountie]

I just sold my '88 C2500 2wd. I kept it up, figuring I was going to keep it. UNTIL I found a 'MINT' 2005 Yukon XL 4wd. The last thing I did on the 390,000 mile truck was replacing the entire front end suspension / steering. ( Wow, made it like new!!)

I did a local search for a shop. I asked guys with nice trucks, and also discovered the local Sheriff Dept guys used the same place. It is a Truck accessory shop that caters to suspensions & Shells, etc.

My work was nearly all MOOG parts. I had all control arms( already complete w/ joints), sway bar bushings, steering completely replaced... etc.....

Anyway, I wasn't sure of the estimate, at first.... But checked the parts prices and they charged me LESS for the parts than a local O' Riley autoparts store would sell them to me!!

All said and done, the work was.... $500 in labor & 1,000 in parts.

 

[Walrusmt]

That is absolutely correct; you will need to consult with any business in regard to supplying your own replacement parts while the company is basically contracted for the labor. Some will work with you, others have a strict policy against it. i just know from experience I've had my ass handed to me on the price of replacement parts being marked up like 150% which is half the reason I began doing my own repairs. The other reason is I don't like people messing with (aka 'working on) my vehicles. Find grease and shit all over the interior, broken clips/fasteners. Nobody is going to respect your property more than yourself so might keep that in mind. Everybody is wanting to profit as much as possible, as quickly as possible. I'm not paranoid but I assume anybody is capable of hacks/shortcuts/scams. Where better to apply than the auto repair industry? Consumers aren't present to monitor the work, methods or products used.

I can't think of anything more important than my daily driven vehicle. Gotta be confident it's going to get me through traffic and to 'point-B' every single day. You should skim through all of the threads people post about auto repair and having bigger problems after the fact. I don't have time for that $hit. I got fed-up with being ripped off & jacked around so now I research everything & anything before giving up my hard earned money.

Agree completely. Honest recommendation is to replace the parts yourself, then take the truck in for an alignment and call it a day. You'll be hundreds ahead and proud of your work.

Personally, I've never found the elusive shop that will do repairs with parts you provide. I've called around over the past 30 years and the shops have always said "we can't stand behind work done with your parts". Did you notice how the parts are ~80% of the bill? It's because shops pay taxes at different rates on different items. Shops pay a ton more tax (plus social security, maybe benefits, etc) on labor vs parts, so they bury their profit in the parts to screw the technician while making obscene cash at the same time. I've found OEM parts on Amazon for 1/3 of what the shops quote for crap. It really pisses them off when you show them the cost. They usually just glare at you.

Remember there are three pillars to any job - Good, Fast and Cheap - Pick two. Unfortunately in auto repair I've always - ALWAYS found with EVERY shop that the Good and Cheap pillars are ignored.

 

[HiHoeSilver]

Agree completely. Honest recommendation is to replace the parts yourself, then take the truck in for an alignment and call it a day. You'll be hundreds ahead and proud of your work.

Personally, I've never found the elusive shop that will do repairs with parts you provide. I've called around over the past 30 years and the shops have always said "we can't stand behind work done with your parts". Did you notice how the parts are ~80% of the bill? It's because shops pay taxes at different rates on different items. Shops pay a ton more tax (plus social security, maybe benefits, etc) on labor vs parts, so they bury their profit in the parts to screw the technician while making obscene cash at the same time. I've found OEM parts on Amazon for 1/3 of what the shops quote for crap. It really pisses them off when you show them the cost. They usually just glare at you.

Remember there are three pillars to any job - Good, Fast and Cheap - Pick two. Unfortunately in auto repair I've always - ALWAYS found with EVERY shop that the Good and Cheap pillars are ignored.

Ahhh, the old quality, price, speed triangle. It's true in any business and I tell my customers honestly all the time. You can't have all 3.

 

[Ming15237]

I will whole heartedly disagree with much of what has been said in this thread. I own a repair shop, and employ 3 ASE certified techs. Each tech earns about 60 to 65k a year, PLUS benefits. If you want your car fixed correctly by qualified technicians it will cost money. I would NEVER install a customers own parts, nor would you take your own bacon and eggs to McDonald’s and ask them to cook it for you and then complain about the price. This being said, I would consult friends and family about what shop they use, see if some independent shops in your area would be willing to look at the vehicle and give you an estimate. That way you’re making an educated decision. Dealers do tend to be more expensive because they have significantly higher overhead and independent shops do. That does NOT mean they are ripping you off, their price is simply higher to cover their cost and still make a profit. I do not run my business out of the goodwill of my heart, I run it to feed my family, and I have an obligation to my employees to help them feed theirs. I will say that I often See prices for Parts on Amazon and eBay that are significantly less than what I paid for them as a jobber. However, the vehicle will have significant downtime waiting for parts vs the 20 minutes the parts store will take to get them to me.

 

[Shaw520]

I will whole heartedly disagree with much of what has been said in this thread. I own a repair shop, and employ 3 ASE certified techs. Each tech earns about 60 to 65k a year, PLUS benefits. If you want your car fixed correctly by qualified technicians it will cost money. I would NEVER install a customers own parts, nor would you take your own bacon and eggs to McDonald’s and ask them to cook it for you and then complain about the price. This being said, I would consult friends and family about what shop they use, see if some independent shops in your area would be willing to look at the vehicle and give you an estimate. That way you’re making an educated decision. Dealers do tend to be more expensive because they have significantly higher overhead and independent shops do. That does NOT mean they are ripping you off, their price is simply higher to cover their cost and still make a profit. I do not run my business out of the goodwill of my heart, I run it to feed my family, and I have an obligation to my employees to help them feed theirs. I will say that I often See prices for Parts on Amazon and eBay that are significantly less than what I paid for them as a jobber. However, the vehicle will have significant downtime waiting for parts vs the 20 minutes the parts store will take to get them to me.

With all that said,....can you honestly say that you dont up-charge on the parts that you provide ?
I own a business in the building trades,....there was a time when we could make 10-20% on materials,...but not any more,..materials have sky-rocketed!!!!.... to the point where I am more likely to get the job if I quote "labor only",.. and let the customer buy the materials. .....and in most cases the customer is shocked at the price of material.

 

[Ming15237]

We charge 20% on parts, and that is MORE than fair. If you want to keep a good technician as an employee you must pay them a competitive wage. If I did not charge 20% markup on parts I could not employ them. They would simply move on to greener pastures. So yes to answer your question we charge a 20% markup on parts. Much like McDonald’s charges you 399 for a big Mac the cost times $.75 to make. The N number is always dictated by labor and expenses plus profit. That’s fair, and nothing about that constitute somebody being ripped off. I don’t own a business and take the risks associated with owning a business out of the goodness of my heart, I do it to feed my family and others. That’s the American way.

 

[Shaw520]

....and thats why i do all my own work....originally jobber pricing was supposed to be 15-20% below what the general public could buy it for,...alowing the shop to make 20% on the parts,..but its no longer that way. Online distributors are beating jobber pricing,..and some even deliver in two days.

 

[Bombsquad85]

....and thats why i do all my own work....originally jobber pricing was supposed to be 15-20% below what the general public could buy it for,...alowing the shop to make 20% on the parts,..but its no longer that way. Online distributors are beating jobber pricing,..and some even deliver in two days.

I'l wait the 2-5 days shipping and do it myself knowing exactly what parts are going on my car. Too many times have i seen lesser quality parts than what was good was being installed placed on my own or a friend/family members car because a shop wanted to make "an honest living"