But this shouldn't dissuade people from getting the repairs done that they need. There are ways to cut these costs. Bargaining is an option in many cases. Most people don’t even considering bargaining with their auto mechanic. This is a huge mistake. There are many opportunities here to save money.
The first thing to do is to distinguish the small jobs (tune-ups, brake pads, mufflers) from the big jobs (collisions, transmissions). The real negotiating, and money saving, is on the big jobs. Second, forget about parts and concentrate on labor.
Negotiating Labor Costs for Auto Repairs
The amount of money many garages make on parts is negligible; labor is a different story.There is a great deal of bargaining room when it comes to the cost of labor for car repairs. The labor charge is the garage’s hourly rate times the hours required for the job. The hours usually aren’t the actual hours; they’re the “book time,” what the published labor-time guide used by the garage says the job should take.
There are many labor guides that estimate the time required for almost any auto repair down to the nearest tenth of an hour, and they’re all different. None are low, some are pretty accurate, and some are high. Most garages charge book time, not actual time. If the job was estimated to take 2.2 hours but the mechanic gets it done in an hour, you’ll be charged for 2.2 hours. (To be fair, if it takes 10 hours, you’ll probably still be charged 2.2 hours.)
On small jobs, the best technique by far is a simple “krunch.” Here’s an example of a krunch to use: “400 for a tune-up? I’m stunned. The whole car isn’t worth $400. Let’s put our heads together on this and try to come up with a better number.”
Obtain Competing Estimates
With larger jobs, have the garage in possession of your broken car (the admitting garage) provide an estimate. Then call at least two other reputable garages for estimates. Insist that each garage specify the time required (the book time) for the repair and an hourly rate.
If the admitting garage is significantly higher, ask them to match your best quote. They probably will; auto repair and maintenance is a cutthroat business. If they won’t have the other garage pick up the car (“nibble,” ask for a free tow of course) and let them do the job. If the admitting garage is competitive, krunch a few times, sit back and watch them lower the price.
For more information on negotiating, krunches and nibbles visit Common Ground Seminars on the web.
 |
