Thread: How Much To Fix ??

The problem is asking for a $2 bag of mixed lollies, getting a $2 bag of mixed lollies and having the shopkeeper say that'll be $20 thanks mate

Originally Posted by micko

The problem is asking for a $2 bag of mixed lollies, getting a $2 bag of mixed lollies and having the shopkeeper say that'll be $20 thanks mate

In Micko-land everyone works for free? Excepting Micko of course.

Originally Posted by OffTrack

In Micko-land everyone works for free? Excepting Micko of course.

Are you $hitting me?

No I don't work for free, but nor do I charge 50% more per hour than my peers within my industry and nor do I "allow" 10hrs labour for a 2 hr job "just to be sure"

Originally Posted by Catmatt

I'm surprised that as a fellow engineer - you haven't done the work yourself and saved thousands........Every one of the tasks you have listed should be well within your capability

Both my Td5 D2's as well as my mate's TD5 Defender and 01 D2 receive all DIY maintenance at home in I admit, my quite well equipped workshop. I buy all filter kits in bulk as well as oil and fluids and save an absolute fortune!

Makes me shudder when I hear horror stories where a local had a recent clutch change and swap over from dual mass flywheel to a solid flywheel and he had to shell out $3700+

There's a world of difference between an engineer and an experienced mechanic, even if the engineer is mechanically oriented. It also comes down to the opportunity cost of one's time and what one can afford. I love my landy, but more to use rather than work on. I would prefer to drop my vehicle off in business hours to an experienced mechanic who does good work and leave my weekends free to enjoy my landy, rather than lying in the dirt in my driveway working on something complex under the car. I am really happy for those who enjoy doing all the maintenance work on their vehicles but it is unreasonable to be disparaging of those who don't.

That is also a completely different issue to being ripped off by unscrupulous service providers. Paying a high price won't guarantee good service but if you want quality service and experience you need to pay for it.

If I was quoting the cited clutch cylinder job, I'd quote the 2 hours plus parts. IF there was an issue though, would you; a. work anouther 8 hours to remove a stuck pipe and cost yourself a heap of agony, hatred of anything L/R and cost the customer an unexpected fortune and hatred of you. OR. Just remove the pipe completely and order a replacement or have a replacement made which at even $100- is far cheaper and a better solution for everyone concerned.

In fact if I'm doing caliper overhauls I always order pipes as well (pretty much every L/R model is under $40- set) and also hoses unless they look they are in very good condition (and then usually after I get them apart I'll order hoses anyway when you see the rubber inside the caliper).

I'd rather negaotiate $100- or so, which the customer should have been contacted about prior than a thousand or more. If it comes down to it, just give them the couple of extra bits at cost and show them so. Creates a bucket of goodwill and repeat and referred business.

Originally Posted by clubagreenie

If I was quoting the cited clutch cylinder job, I'd quote the 2 hours plus parts. IF there was an issue though, would you; a. work anouther 8 hours to remove a stuck pipe and cost yourself a heap of agony, hatred of anything L/R and cost the customer an unexpected fortune and hatred of you. OR. Just remove the pipe completely and order a replacement or have a replacement made which at even $100- is far cheaper and a better solution for everyone concerned.

I'm not sure how 10 hours labour is being extrapolated from a quoted labour charge of $300-500? I'd guess that the mechanics are quoting at around $120 p/h and the time estimate is between 2.5 and 4.0 hours for the job.