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Presumed hours taken vs actual hours taken

P911X50

Well-known member
Joined
3 Jan 2017
Messages
421
So, today I took the day off work to finally fit a transmission mounting and a two engine mountings which have sitting in the garage for a few weeks now.

I was quoted 2 hours for the transmission mounting and 1.5 hours for the engine mounting, so a total of 3.5 hours from specialist A

However, my usual garage (specialist B) quoted 2.5 hours for the job, but they are over 60 miles away. So I opted for specialist A as I didn't want to travel that far. So fair enough I pay more.

However, I was present when they were doing the job. They started at 8.30am and finished at 10:25am for both jobs Nevertheless, I was charged for 3 hours plus the VAT and they said they were doing me a favour.

I rang another garage and asked for a quote to just fit the engine mount and quote was 2 hours. :dont know: Very confused

:roll:
 
I guess it depends on how many cups of tea they have. It didn't take me anything like 2 hours to do the two rear engine mounts on mine, they are about the easiest job on the car.

MC
 
Surely, they must know their customers, in that the Porsche owner is someone who is usually quite successful and/or really gets cars. In which case, why charge them double, they won't be calling you back :dont know:
 
Ok ...

An OPC knows all the book times for every job , Porsche give it to them and so thats what they quote ( most times ) but the labour rate at least round here is double what an indy charges .

An indy wont have all the book times just what they know or have worked out unless they subscribe to the Porsche system so some jobs might be quoted as quicker and some longer .

Some jobs dont go as planed on older vehicles , siezed bolts etc which an indy will be far more familiar with than an OPC so will add that into the cost.

Some jobs will go to a very experinced mechanic who can do the job extremly quickly .. theres a few i can do far faster than the Porsche times although not that many so a waiting job may end up not being as long as the book time .

How ever ... after saying all that i kinda think 2,5 hours was a better and more realistic quote for that job .


I guess im sticking up for both sides here which doesn,t really help .. but its just .. IMHO :)
 
Yep, but I waited with the car at the garage. I was there from 8.30am to 10.25am today. It took under 2 hours and I argued that I shouldn't be charged for 3.5 hours and they 'kindly' reduced it to 3 hours. Just don't think it was fair really.
 
I understand your point completely. It's fine if it works both ways and should the next job take longer than quoted they don't charge anything extra. I would be inclined to use them next time and remind them once they've started work that you are owed an hour.

I never get the whole quoting time thing. In my game you either charge time and materials and it costs what it cost or you quote for the job, some jobs work out better for you some the client. If the garage said price is for the job is £250.00 then you would not have questioned the time in fact you'd probably appreciate them working quicker so you have the rest of the day to drive the car.

Off subject but relevant. Are you pleased with the new mounts?
 
P911X50 said:
Yep, but I waited with the car at the garage. I was there from 8.30am to 10.25am today. It took under 2 hours and I argued that I shouldn't be charged for 3.5 hours and they 'kindly' reduced it to 3 hours. Just don't think it was fair really.

Im not going to argue , i think it was over charged to be honest but being in the trade i like to try and explain the other side :)
 
Vote with your feet and don't use them again. Job done. Their estimate was probably allowing for the nuts being seized on the engine mounts, but perhaps they were not. A little rude of them to not reduce the hours and charge less.

Or another scenario; they had allowed 3.5 hours to complete your car and had not booked any work in alongside yours, therefore you had to cover 3.5 hours or they would be out of pocket? I don't know the situation but there are always two ways of looking at things.
 
It probably didnt happen but if 2 mechanics worked on the car for 1.5 hours then you would be charged 3 hours labour ..

We have done this a few times when a customer is in a hurry .
 
Also as Demort says the job may have been done quicker as the tech is a pro and has done it thousands of times before.

I attended a job a few years back where a crucial machine had an intermittent fault on a production line. When it went down thousands of pounds were lost per hour. They had specialists techs out over a period of weeks to diagnose the problem costing thousands of pounds in parts and labour. Eventually they decided it must be a supply issue and called the electrician. I attended and with 10 minutes decided it was probably to do with a 4 way extension lead, with in built surge protector that the kit was plugged in to. This was the only line that had one all others used just a normal 4 way lead. I advised they swapped it out and hey presto no more fault. I left it a couple of weeks then sent them an invoice for £250.00. Of course they questioned how 10 minutes could be so expensive. :nooo:
 
Only one chap on car, but nevermind, I won't going there again. I would just like to find a garage which is honest, that's all.

Anyway, the transmission and engine mounts are great. The gear change is slicker, car feels bolted, I don't have to wait so long to floor it during the gear change. I don't notice much NV, but driving on the M25 tomorrow evening, so maybe it's louder. Love my 996tt. :thumbs: :thumbs: :thumbs:
 
if somebody had 1 person working on my car for less than 2 hours and then charged me 3 hours to my face - im sorry but i would have told them where to go and accused them of trying to rob me :dont know:
 
If the job had gone the other way and it took them 4.5 hrs would you have paid for the extra hour?

I can see where you are coming from, especially as you was there waiting with the car but they quoted you for a job which you excepted and then they completed the job as agreed, to the price agreed so i don't really see what they have done wrong
 
Yes, I would have absolutely paid for it, as it is a 'quote'.

But being a quote, you can't do two hours work (noting I was present when they were working on it) and then charge me for 3 and a half hours.
 
LOL this is literally a 1 hour job including taking it on and off a lift...

So many garages literally take the p***.
 

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