Dilemma - to pay or not to pay?
Folks: I had an issue with a vehicle that I could not figure out; I'm a pretty competent home mechanic and rarely take anything to a shop. The shop where I took it spent 4 hours on the vehicle and...
Forum Discussion
My experience is that what people (not limited to auto shops) ask for in this situation varies widely.
Some bring up the subject before they put any time into it. 'You know, we could spend a lot of hours and not find the problem.'
Some cut the price. 'We spent 4 hours but I am only charging you for half that.'
A shop I had my van in recently, for suspension work, kept trying again when I kept bringing the van back and saying it wasn't fixed (or was worse). They never mentioned money after the first time, so I didn't either. They already cost me a camping trip, telling me it was fixed when it wasn't.
Some charge a diagnosis fee, refundable or applied if they fix the problem.
My shadetree mechanic, who I go to for simple work, says, 'I'm only charging you for two hours because that's how long it SHOULD have taken me.'
For finding an electrical fault, I would talk upfront, expect to pay by the hour and to have some say in what order they try things in (and listen to their expert opinion), and get a list of what they had tried so I would known where NOT to look myself (e.g. 'We checked all these fuses but not these ones').
Some bring up the subject before they put any time into it. 'You know, we could spend a lot of hours and not find the problem.'
Some cut the price. 'We spent 4 hours but I am only charging you for half that.'
A shop I had my van in recently, for suspension work, kept trying again when I kept bringing the van back and saying it wasn't fixed (or was worse). They never mentioned money after the first time, so I didn't either. They already cost me a camping trip, telling me it was fixed when it wasn't.
Some charge a diagnosis fee, refundable or applied if they fix the problem.
My shadetree mechanic, who I go to for simple work, says, 'I'm only charging you for two hours because that's how long it SHOULD have taken me.'
For finding an electrical fault, I would talk upfront, expect to pay by the hour and to have some say in what order they try things in (and listen to their expert opinion), and get a list of what they had tried so I would known where NOT to look myself (e.g. 'We checked all these fuses but not these ones').
