# A good repair shop



## Yonni (Sep 7, 2007)

hey guys I am sick of getting ripped off, being charged double for parts, etc. I have a nissan frontier where do you recommend I take it to?


----------



## Al Hansen (Sep 7, 2007)

Good question. I have a manifold that is leaking antifreese. The gasket kit is $20 at O'Reilley. The mechanic said the repair is $350. If I provide the gasket kit it is $250. So in other words they want $100 for the gasket kit. WTH is that.?????


----------



## phantom (Sep 13, 2007)

Do you take steak to a restaurant also?


----------



## Al Hansen (Sep 7, 2007)

phantom said:


> Do you take steak to a restaurant also?


My point is the gouge. A $100 bucks for a gasket. And you think thats ok ??? Seriously. :lol:
Would you like iit if they charged you $100 for a $20 steak. :EAT: -_O-
If so I got half a cow I'll sell ya. :O•-:


----------



## phantom (Sep 13, 2007)

How much markup is he entitled to? Some mechanics don't like to use parts from discount parts houses such as Checker, they feel they are cheaper. Do you expect him to warranty the parts you provide?


----------



## Yonni (Sep 7, 2007)

phantom are you a mechanic?


----------



## phantom (Sep 13, 2007)

I work at a repair shop, not a mechanic.


----------



## Al Hansen (Sep 7, 2007)

Yonni said:


> phantom are you a mechanic?


My thoughts.

I don't mind some one making a buck. I do mind some one turning that into a 400 % mark-up. I don't even mind buying the part from NAPA. Where most independents buy their parts. Now back to the original post. Phantom : do you know of a good , honest mechanic? :O•-:


----------



## phantom (Sep 13, 2007)

Brigham St. Service, ask for Todd. I can't guarantee cheap prices!


----------



## Al Hansen (Sep 7, 2007)

phantom said:


> Brigham St. Service, ask for Todd. I can't guarantee cheap prices!


Tell ya what. I need that repair. 1996 Chev. 3/4 ton 4x4 350 Vortec manifold gasket. Leaking a small amount of antifreeze. Get me a cost with your pricing on the gasket and I'll drive up/down and have the work done there if it's about $270.00 + or - a few and they can get r done while I wait.


----------



## phantom (Sep 13, 2007)

pm sent, I think. I get confused!


----------



## Al Hansen (Sep 7, 2007)

Recieved and I called the guy. Same price as the other guy that is closer. Thanks again.


----------



## stimmie78 (Dec 8, 2007)

Al, if my not that much mechanically inclined brother can do an intake gasket on a 95 GMC I'm sure you could handle it...  Just do it in the driveway and call it good.


----------



## stimmie78 (Dec 8, 2007)

Alldata shows 4.1 hours with ac... so find a shop that will install your parts at the price per hour you want to pay.. then you should know about how much you should be..


----------



## Bhilly81 (Oct 18, 2009)

Yonni said:


> hey guys I am sick of getting ripped off, being charged double for parts, etc. I have a nissan frontier where do you recommend I take it to?


what area are you looking to have the work done at i know some places but i dont know what area your looking at


----------



## stuckduck (Jan 31, 2008)

A good repair shop will charge you money... they will charge what it takes to stay in business... to pay their employees an honest wage... have up dated tools and electronic equipment to stay CURRENT with todays market.... My last scanner which I bought last year was $11,000 and it has to be updated twice a year..... thats just ONE tool... had to by a tool today to work on a BMW X5 44i... not a cheap tool. but I was willing to make the purchase to preform the job... most likely I will never need it again.... 

You can call around and play the who is cheapest game .... but will they stand behind the job? will they use GOOD parts???? their is a huge difference... just because you bought it at NAPA doesnt mean its the best for the application... Chevy intake gaskets the ones that are made of plastic and rubber have been updated and you should install those.. you install the felpro ones or ones like you will do the job in two years. Trust me I know because I have redone ones that people went for the "cheap way" and in the long run it ends up costing you.... 

I think most people get all bent out of shape because they dont see "what it takes to fix cars"... they have a buddy who can do it in his front yard and charges you a few dollars and so should the guy who trys to run an honest business. I sat in a dentist chair for 20 minuets and it costed me 250 bucks.... is he a crook??? sense when was bad to make a profit??? or is it not allowed for Auto techs????


----------



## stuckduck (Jan 31, 2008)

stimmie78 said:


> Alldata shows 4.1 hours with ac... so find a shop that will install your parts at the price per hour you want to pay.. then you should know about how much you should be..


you bring your own eggs to breakfast??? thats fine. In my shop the labor rate goes up. Margins have to be made, and there is no warranty with customer supplied part.


----------



## Spry Yellowdog (Sep 8, 2007)

Amen stuckduck :O||: 

Spry


----------



## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

The old myth of cheap parts....So, the Fel Pro Gasket from AutoZone, Oreilly's or Pep Boys is a different FelPro from Napa, Henderson or _______ (name your non discount shop here)? There certainly are certain parts that do have numerous providers from numerous parts of the world, but gaskets are probably not the best example. My mom once had a water pump installed that Tunex could not find within 3 days, so I located an Airtex and provided it only because they could not get one quicker. It still leaked and it was due to breaking off the bolt through the water pump, which was clearly done by Tunex due to the way he clearly tried to pack the silicone in the bolt hole. Guess what? We can't warranty the fact that our mechanic has the skill level of an 11 year old! Having worked in auto parts for many years (many years ago) I get a real kick out of the cheap parts line. I even had one tell me how the raybestos from Pep Boys was not the same Raybestos he got from Hendersons even though teh part # was the same...Once you have been lied to so many times I question everything. Certainly a profit needs to be made, but when they sell rotors and loaded calipers to every young dumb woman who does not know that all she needs are pads it just annoys me. If they would just realize the profit affiliated with running an honest business that results in numerous positive referrals and decades of repeat business rather than soaking each customer each time....I am off the soapbox now. 


Al-GM recalled those manifold gaskets years ago; it has probably been too long now, but they all went bad just as they did on the charging system..

Yonni-where are you located and what is the problem?


----------



## Al Hansen (Sep 7, 2007)

Interesting Huge. I never got a notice about a recall. I'll call or go see the dealer where I purchased the truck new. Thanks for the info.


----------



## .45 (Sep 21, 2007)

Al Hansen said:


> Interesting Huge. I never got a notice about a recall.* I'll call or go see the dealer where I purchased the truck new*. Thanks for the info.


Studebaker still has a shop around here ?? :shock:


----------



## Al Hansen (Sep 7, 2007)

.45 said:


> [quote="Al Hansen":3m9icggl]Interesting Huge. I never got a notice about a recall.* I'll call or go see the dealer where I purchased the truck new*. Thanks for the info.


Studebaker still has a shop around here ?? :shock:[/quote:3m9icggl]
I wish I had one. I know you don't have a TV yet but the car auctions are bringing some astronomical prices on antiques. Hey, maybe the forum can sell you. :O--O: :^8^:


----------



## stuckduck (Jan 31, 2008)

There is no recall on the gaskets.... there was a few TSB's issued.. all 3.1, 3.4, 4.3, 5.7, 7.4 GM engines will have intake gaskets that need to be changed eventually over time..

Most part houses, a lot of parts are all the same... if it says felpro on the box than yes it came from the same place. lots of the places share the same auto parts suppliers. Napa gets theres from the same place just put in a different color box same with all the other after market suppliers... there is a difference in Quality from the after market world to the OEM parts. I find my self dealing A LOT more in the OEM side of parts because they are the proper fit. the thresholds that they monitor are right and I don't have to many comebacks. The after market companies can not keep up with the technology of the new cars of today so that means that your repair cost are going to go up... I see that in todays cars.

"The bitterness of poor quality is long remembered after the sweetness of a cheap price"


----------



## Yonni (Sep 7, 2007)

I am in north salt lake, so I am willing to go to davis and salt lake county for repairs. 

I needed the exhaust manifold replaced, the place bought it at NAPA and charged me double for the part if I was going to buy it myself. So the hourly rate was like 90 bucks an hour, is that not enough to make a profit? And then charge me double for the part... I was very frustrated, but at the same time this shop backs all the work they do. 

Sorry I am sick of these marked up prices, I recently got ripped off having to buy a new furnace for way more than it should have and now this comes up, guess I am a bit sensitive or something.... 

I also have a leak in the tranny, they injected dye the other day so I need to take it back to figure out where it is coming from... never ends!


----------



## holman927 (Sep 28, 2007)

I've been using a shop in Bluffdale. They advertise as a tire and muffler shop, but they have done a lot of other stuff for me. The name is Randy's tires and muffler. They are just off Redwood road. I have been very happy with their work and turn around time. I have also felt their prices are very fair. I have taken stuff there that I could do, but when I get a quote I would rather just pay what they charge.


----------



## .45 (Sep 21, 2007)

Al Hansen said:


> [quote=".45":2xpv9lza][quote="Al Hansen":2xpv9lza]Interesting Huge. I never got a notice about a recall.* I'll call or go see the dealer where I purchased the truck new*. Thanks for the info.


Studebaker still has a shop around here ?? :shock:[/quote:2xpv9lza]
I wish I had one. *I know you don't have a TV yet* but the car auctions are bringing some astronomical prices on antiques. Hey, maybe the forum can sell you. :O--O: :^8^:[/quote:2xpv9lza]

Watchit Al..... O*--

A relic is not the same as an antique !!


----------



## izzydog (Jan 18, 2008)

CJ's in Bountiful has always been fair and honest with me and they are great mechanics. They can fix anything.


----------



## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

stuckduck said:


> There is no recall on the gaskets.... there was a few TSB's issued.. all 3.1, 3.4, 4.3, 5.7, 7.4 GM engines will have intake gaskets that need to be changed eventually over time..I stand corrected. They were just TSB's, this is like a repair left for a dealer IMHO, with something that so many mechanics have done incorrectly, I would guess that a dealer would even match the price of an independent. Sometimes you just have to ask. Many dealerships are really hurting and can sometimes be pretty negotiable, especially on something that their techs have done hundreds of times like this intake; they could do it blindfolded.
> 
> "The bitterness of poor quality is long remembered after the sweetness of a cheap price"


I do like that quote, however is it safe to assume that you use a credit union and not a bank for the exact opposite reason of what you argue for which a mechanic should be allowed to make a profit? We all have priorities and we can't all afford the best of everything. Here is another for you "It's easier to explain price once than to apologize for quality forever."

Yonni-I am in Woods Cross and have only had one repair I was not able to handle myself, which went to the dealership. What issue are you having? If it is something simple, you may be amazed at how much you can save and all of the resources available online to help.


----------



## stimmie78 (Dec 8, 2007)

stuckduck said:


> stimmie78 said:
> 
> 
> > Alldata shows 4.1 hours with ac... so find a shop that will install your parts at the price per hour you want to pay.. then you should know about how much you should be..
> ...


I do bring my own eggs to breakfast... because I make it myself. That's fine if your labor rate goes up when someone brings in their own part. It was just mentioned that they could buy their own part. Therefore if they tell the shop they have their own part then they could tell them whatever labor rate they wanted to... Even here at the dealership I work at people bring their own parts sometimes... Rarely but they do.. And yeah we charge more to do it too. Last time I had someone else do something I couldn't do at home was evacuate and charge the a/c on my wifes car.


----------

