Spark Plugs

My repair shop charged me $13.78 each for 6 platimum spark plugs (original Equipment) plus the hourly rate to install them.

Did I get ripped??

Reply to
Roger A. Johnson
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How long did they spend changing them?

I figure no, because if you didn't have the time to change 'em yourself you should be so busy and prosperous that it was worth paying 'em to do it for you.

~KJ~ /time is money no matter how little you value it (or them)

Reply to
KJ

good point

if they spent a lot more than 'book time', they may have cranked to parts up a bit to compensate

Reply to
TransSurgeon

You don't know how many times I get asked this question at work (I work at a parts store).

No, you didn't get ripped, and here's why:

The shop you took your vehicle to has overhead. They have to pay for the building (either lease payments, mortgage payments, or some other sort of payments), they have to pay for electricity, water, sewer, trash, etc. They have to pay the shop owner. They have to pay the shop manager. They have to pay the courier to go get the parts they don't have in stock. They have to pay someone to manage the inventory they do stock. All of this is even before the tech sees the ticket. Once he gets the ticket, that's when the labor charges start - of course he only sees a fraction of those, but again, there's overhead - the equipment in the shop, the services for those equipments (waste oil removal, compressor maintenance, lift maintenance, etc.).

Next time you don't want to pay over $80 for parts for your tune-up, you've always got the option to do it yourself. :-)

Hope you feel a bit better about it now...

JC

Reply to
JC

Reply to
Mike Levy

with volume incentive discount pricing - get real the shop is there to MAKE MONEY not cut deals.

~KJ~

Reply to
KJ

I've seen platinum plugs go as high as $20 each depending on the make i.e. high performance racing plugs. So you may or may not have paid "too much".

With regards to being "busy and prosperous enough..." that argument is a load of crap. From my personal experience it is usually spouted by the following people:

  1. lame asses who couldn't tell you the difference between a hammer and a socket wrench
  2. people who really can't afford to spend the money to have it done because they live on credit and have already spent it on other useless "crap"

Also from personal experience "wealthy" guys either:

  1. don't give a shit and let somebody else do it anyways
  2. like doing it and would do it anyways

I have yet to meet somebody that is so busy that they make money every waking hour of their lives. People who have "earned" their wealth know how to manage their time and make money.

Unless your personal secretary makes all the arrangements to have your company vehicle serviced, I bet I can have the parts delivered to my door at dealer price and have them installed in under an hour of my "free time" on Saturday morning - while you are still waiting in line to pay the mechanic to do it for you.

Mind your pennies and the dollars will mind themselves.

Just a thought.

Reply to
Portly Stout

3 or 4 hundred percent markup seems like a ripoff to me. What was the bottom line (plugs+labor)? H
Reply to
Hairy

No it isn't a load of crap. One hour you spend under your hood is one hour you could be making money, it's that simple.

1 = 1 all the time, not some of the time. It may not be practicle to work all the time, but it's just as simple a concept as is a mathmatic equation.
[ ] True [ x ] False

[ ] True [ x ] False
[ ] True [ ] False [ x ] Other: N/A (not wealthy)
[ x ] True [ ] False

[ x ] Me too.

Perhaps he has a 4.3L S10 Blazer, which is a little bit of work.... jus' a thought.

~KJ~ Your either making it or your spending it.

Reply to
KJ

Sounds like retail to me. Did you know that a large cup of dunkin donuts coffee including the sugar, cream, and cup costs D&D's $0.05? Why is it a $1.20? Who hands it too you, what about the rent, the dues to the gas station, the franchise dues...et al.

~KJ~

Reply to
KJ

Let me resubmit this question.

My repair facility charged me $13.78 plus sales tax each for 6 platinum, original equipment spark plugs for mu 1998 4.3 GMC Jimmy. He also charged $64 for 1 hour labor (the going rate here) I called NAPA and they want $5.99 each for platinum plugs. Question is: DID MY REPAIR FACILITY RIP ME?

It seems as though list price for the plugs and $64 per hour shoud be fair.

Doesn't NAPA offer free delivery to the repair facilities??

Doesn't NAPA offer a discount to the repair facility so they can charge list price and still make $$$ on the part(s)?

Reply to
Roger A. Johnson

From what I understand 1 hour is fast switch for that truck and that engine.

Did you not listen? HE HAS BILLS TO PAY. His job isn't to cut you deals, his job is to make money. One must understand this. I don't think 100ish% increase in price is outrageous.

No idea.

No idea.

I think you should try the job yourself and see if you don't think it was worth the time. The plugs like to stick and to get the rear-most plug on the driver's side you need to go in through the fender.

~KJ~

Reply to
KJ

for that price I'da done it myself.. $40 for parts and an hour or so of my time is alot better then that.. but I agree if your gonna take it to a shop, you're gonna pay for it..

Adair

Reply to
Adair Winter

Lets use your mathematic approach to do a cost analysis (yes I'm wasting time on this this morning).

The catch is the term "could be".

The real measure is how much money is in your pocket at the end of the day.

If I turn down paying work to fix my car there might be a problem.

What's the break even point?

Around here mechanics charge $75/hr plus parts. Lets assume we are competant enough to change the plugs in the same amount of time as a mechanic - 1 hour. Also assume we buy the plugs at retail rate which would be the same price as the mechanic sells them for. Assume $4 each on my V8.

Scenario 1:

  • I work 60 hours per week, Monday through Friday
  • Saturday morning I spend my time off replacing the plugs
  • Total cost to me: x8=

Scenario 2:

  • I work 60 hours per week, Monday through Friday
  • Saturday morning I spend my time taking the vehicle to the mechanic to replace the plugs
  • Total cost to me: x8 + = 7

-------------------------------------------------------- Conclusion: Scenario 1 wins as I am $75 richer

-------------------------------------------------------- Scenario 3:

  • I work 60 hours per week, Monday through Friday
, I earn $50/hr
  • Saturday morning I spend my time off replacing the plugs
  • Total cost to me: x8 =

Scenario 4:

  • I work 60 hours per week, Monday through Friday
, I earn $50/hr
  • Some weekday morning I take the vehicle to the mechanic to replace the plugs
  • Total cost to me: x8 + = 7

Scenario 5:

  • I work 60 hours per week, Monday through Friday
, I earn $50/hr
  • Some weekday morning I take time off work to replace the plugs
  • Total cost to me: x8 + =

-------------------------------------------------------- Conclusion: Scenario 3 wins as I am $75 richer. Scenario 5 takes second place as I am $25 richer

-------------------------------------------------------- Scenario 6:

  • I work 60 hours per week, Monday through Friday
, I earn $100/hr
  • Saturday morning I spend my time off replacing the plugs
  • Total cost to me: x8 =

Scenario 7:

  • I work 60 hours per week, Monday through Friday
, I earn $100/hr
  • Some weekday morning I take the vehicle to the mechanic to replace the plugs
  • Total cost to me: x8 + = 7

Scenario 8:

  • I work 60 hours per week, Monday through Friday
, I earn $100/hr
  • Some weekday morning I take time off work to replace the plugs
  • Total cost to me: x8 + 0 = 2

-------------------------------------------------------- Conclusion: Scenario 6 wins as I am $100 richer. Scenario 7 takes second place as I am $25 richer.

-------------------------------------------------------- Based on these examples, the earnings break even point is approximately $150,000 a year to make changing the plugs myself during regular paid working time worth it.

However, in all cases, I am further ahead (more money in my pocket at the end of the day) doing the vehicle repairs myself on my time off.

The issue is really lifestyle - "do I want to do it myself" or "let somebody else do it and spend my time elsewhere".

Do you like to work harder or work smarter?

Here's a different way of looking at things. Let's assume I make $50 per hour ($100,000 per year approx.) and I want to know how much work I need to do in order to change my spark plugs. Assume my weekends are mine and are unpaid.

Fix it myself costs $32. I need to work 0.64 hours to pay for this repair.

Mechanic fixes it costs $107. I need to work 2.14 hours to pay for this repair.

You have to work 3.34 times longer to pay for the repair done by the mechanic. Another way of looking at it is I have now lost 1.5 working hours to pay for the repair. In effect, in order to break even, you now have to work 1.5 more hours in a week to pay the mechanic to do it for you. Spending 1 hour Saturday morning starts sounding better, doesn't it?

Which is a better use of your paid time?

Look at it from the lifestyle point of view. We both work 60 hours a week and make $100,000 per year. On Saturday morning I go into my garage, put the car on the lift, use my tools to do the repairs I choose to do. You sit at home and relax watching satellite TV. Family time? I take my kids into the garage and teach them how to be self sufficient and to have a work ethic. You get to sit with your kids and watch TV.

Which lifestyle do you choose?

Reply to
Portly Stout

Is there any point at which YOU would feel ripped off? Or does "they have bills to pay" cover all scenarios? Just curious, are you a republican? H

Reply to
Hairy

I choose:

Making more that $150,000 a year (Hopefully I'll be there in just a few years) And I am just saying, not that it is practical or whatnot, but your either spending it or your making it. I don't think he should have had the plugs changed for him, I think he should have done them himself. But if he decided it was worth the $ for someone else to do it, why is he whining? Then the other thing is, what is he going to do - present expert NG support that he should get a partial refund?

~KJ~

Reply to
KJ

The point I fell ripped off is when I drive by any mechanic. They have bent me over WAAAAY too many times. If I ever ran into anything (besides maybe an alignment) I'd buy a new car before bringing it to anyone besides Doc....

Yes and no. I believe that money has to be spent to get this economy turned around.

Remains undecided. There are dem things I like, and republican things I like - but I can't agree with any one party.

~KJ~

Reply to
KJ

. . . ===== ===== Re: Spark Plugs Group: alt.autos.4x4.chevy-trucks Date: Thu, Feb 26, 2004, 11:51pm (CST+6) From: snipped-for-privacy@attbi.com (KJ)

The point I fell ripped off is when I drive by any mechanic. They have bent me over WAAAAY too many times.

If I ever ran into anything (besides maybe an alignment) I'd buy a new car before bringing it to anyone besides Doc....

~KJ~ ====== ======

ouch.....

and to think.....i told him how to get his tranny out while parked over a ditch.

bummer....and "the Doc" gets all his work.

oh well.... i'll jest charge the next guy bout $14 ea. for his spark plugs to make up for it.

00 L O

marsh ~thinks KJ has this argument won.....and agrees with all he's argued.....cept the part bout Doc get'n all the work....kj realy oughta spread the wealth....after all ....that truck needs more work than even "the Doctor" can handle~ ~:~

ps.... standard markup is 2.4.....so i figure they lost money on the deal, that is if you go by what the AutoZonedOut store sells them for...and THEN add the markup....... But you didn't....you purchased DEALER parts... or so you posted....

one other thing....you think you got ripped on that one?

when that tranny goes out....keep this in the back of yer mind.....the tranny shops only gonna have about $200-$400 in parts AND LABOR.....

now there's a markup for you...hehehehehe

any whooo.....kj hert muh feel'ns....i hope his tranny lines leak.. ====== ======

Reply to
Marsh Monster

Yep and electronics parts are just as bad as are the people who sell them. Take your average TV selling price of about 200 bucks and total cost in parts is about 20 bucks, The tube is the most expensive part in it and I can get them as repair parts for 60 bucks. Where does the other

120 bucks go?

Just like mechanics they claim overhead and labor costs. Of course these sets are almost all made in Mexico/china/Japan/Korea. TYP.

Reply to
Steve W.

that sounds about right. platinum plogs are pricey

Reply to
pete carb

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