Fair Labour Charge??

**owde_eh4** · 01-07-2009 11:21 PM

Hey Guys,

I had to get my timing belt and alignment done. When the shop went in, they found other problems apparently...

they had 10.5hrs of labour (minus 2hrs "discount") for replacing timing belt, replacing water pump, replacing cam and crank seals, replacing thermostat and alignment...sounds like alot to me, what do you guys think??

8.5hrs x $90/hr = sucks to be me

not to mention parts cost. Great way to start the new year!

**i5wikcedi3** · 01-07-2009 11:26 PM

That's a prettty good deal. Most shops out there will charge you maybe a couple dollars more an hour and no discount on hours. Think about a timing belt job at the dealership. Its double or maybe even more. Just my $.02

**owde_eh4** · 01-07-2009 11:34 PM

Thnx for the reply

Was 10.5 hrs but he would give me a "deal" so 8.5hrs...

total was $1200....parts $500?? Pretty much every part I found online at Audizines fabulous sponsors was 25-50% of what I was charged.

**speedydragon** · 01-08-2009 01:51 AM

timing belt @ a shop usually costs around that range..I think the pricing is legit.

**Bic-Ball** · 01-08-2009 01:59 AM

the audi i bring my car to charges 125 an hour

**lowandslow4now** · 01-08-2009 06:51 AM

That is a good price!

**owde_eh4** · 01-09-2009 09:02 PM

just as a follow up.....

I've had some weird stuff go on with my car over the last 3 days since my timing belt change, water pump replacement, crank/cam seal replacement and thermostat replacement...

Now,
1) when i indicate left it flashes at a very fast rate, while the right is normal.
2) when i go to activate my alarm it locks the door but the horn doesnt sound to acknowledge it been turned on
3) the car's oil temp now reaches 110C (230F) when driving normally and 118C (244F) if i ascend a hill with minimal grade. My car used to drive at 100C (212F) all the time..

any idea what could be going on?? Is it possible disconnecting the battery caused #1 and #2? Could using an inferior waterpump or wrong coolant cause #3?

Any ideas/suggestions how to correct these would be much appreciated.
thnx

**TverRus69** · 01-10-2009 02:17 AM

holy shit where are you bringing your car that it costs 90 bucks an hour? is that canadian btw or USD? and $125 is just insane: bring it there once - shame on you, bring it there twice - shame on you x2! Shops i go to dont cost more than $75 per hour in NYC. The audi dealership in State College also charges 75/hr

**ghost6303** · 01-10-2009 10:23 AM

i know a garage that "specializes in all import cars" and their rates are like $42 an hour. should you take an Audi there? absoloutely not. its not always about who is cheapest.

Pretty much every part I found online at Audizines fabulous sponsors was 25-50% of what I was charged.

well obviously. your local garage doesnt care as much about you as audizines fabulous sponsors. if you do the legwork and get your own parts next time even if they are doing the labor, you wont have to pay extra on the parts.

remember just because you can get them cheaper elsewhere doesnt mean the garage is overcharging you, its that the online suppliers can offer you a further discount.

**zrowcool** · 01-10-2009 10:30 AM

#1 is a blown bulb in one of your left signals, change the bulb and it would be fine again
#2 can either be a fuse, a blown horn (in the trunk) or the horn beep got turned off. It can be turned back on with vag-com
#3 Dont know, possibly different weight oil but cant be sure on anything

**Poopie** · 01-10-2009 10:53 AM

sounds about right for all that work. replacing the crank seals is a lot of work. the entire motor is almost coming apart.

**owde_eh4** · 01-10-2009 12:43 PM

Hi Guys,

thnx for the replies. The Audizine forum is just an invaluable place to get great insight and also to vent a little...thnx again

**keeganhartman** · 01-10-2009 06:18 PM

i was also going to say if the horn doesn't sound they may have not hooked up the "hood pin" and this would cause the alarm to think something is open and the horn would not sound.