Book rates: the saga continues

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Originally Posted by Gayle

I get it Jay. You were told "They charge what's in the book, regardless of other factors." There should not be any variance if there is one book and no other factors are involved. And no you are not stupid, just pissed. And I appreciate your research. And I appreciate Bill R.'s report of his sisters construction.

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There's a huge difference between calling dealerships and getting a quote versus driving the car through the service department and getting an RO written. Many dealers (ous, scecifically), differs customers by doing high phone quotes. the reason? Because half the cars that come in for rotors/pads/tires need one or more of those items in addition, and if the person is a huge stickler on the inital cost, there is a good chance they're not going to be open to additional costs. This is not to say I agree with dealer prices, but it's not accurate to call, you should go drive your car into 5 dealerships and get quotes that way - if you are really that interested.

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Originally Posted by jaylebo

... naive child rather that than admit I may have a point. Don't know why, but it bugs me.

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If you really though they really would all quote the same.. then naive yes... weclome to getting old... you learn stuff... glad you learned it the easy way

You do have a point... my issue with the entire thread is I though we had already hashed this out... not if the lady at BMW is a tard (she is)

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Originally Posted by jaylebo

investing my own time on behalf of all BMW owners.

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This may be part of the problem. Most of us already know that a) different dealers charge different prices, b) NO ONE likes a customer walking in off the street with unknown parts in hand, c) "b" goes double for an old car that may present unkown difficulties that are unanticipated by the flat rate standards, d) no quote over the phone to a stranger is going to be the best possible, and e) the best way to get good, fairly-priced service is to develop a long-term relationship with your dealer/indie/whatever and be willing to pay a fair price for quality work.

You sound and think like a young dude, I know since I was young once too, long time ago. You operate on a theoretical level (school level) whereas you will learn or the life will teach you to operate on a practical level.

Here is what I mean. Based on your estimates it would seem Mississauga BMW is the most reasonable. But's that's in theory only, not in practical experience. I live 10 minutes from them and was forced to use their service once to reset my key (only the dealer can do that). I was told to bring the car in at 7:30AM when they open and it would take no more than 1/2 an hour. So I am in as suggested at 7:30AM and then watch in amazement as a 15 minute job turns into 2.5 hour job. The technician drives in the car opens the hood and then disappears somewhere for over an hour. Once the car is done it sits on the lot for another half hour before the stupid moron at the counter tells me it will be another 30 minutes to wash my car (courtesy of the stealer). That's when I lose it; tell him to **** himself, his dealership his service and everything else I can think of, I don't need his car wash I need to get to work.

In the end I paid an hour's worth of labor, by the book I am sure, for a 15 minute job, that took 2.5 hours. Welcome to the real world.

What's amazing is that they let customers watch how they "perform" the service because they have waiting room with a view into the shop. So one can actually see exsactly how much time it takes whatever they do.

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Originally Posted by jaylebo

Budds' BMW
Wiper rod: 3.0 hours
Turn signal lenses: 1.0 hours
Brake switch: 2.0 hours

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2 HOURS for a brake switch? Gimme a break [brake]!
Just find an indy shop and establish a relationship you feel you can trust, then stick with your new pal. There is no substitute for knowing the guy who takes care of your car [same thing goes for your health] gives a damn, and knows what he/she is doing. If they trust you, then they'll play with you some, too. Give some, get some.
Sometimes it's just too expensive to do the cheapest thing.
Good luck.
Mike

Jay, i think the book rate are just "reference Work Units" and the dealer adjusts it up or down based on how often they have done a particular repair.

When I got my touring trunk-lid shocks replaced, they quoted BELOW the book rate. But said they have never done it before and will not charge more than quoted. They did a fine job but broke my rear wiper which they replaced after 2 weeks. This dealer was upfront. Another dealer nearer to my house was a rip-off and had idiot mechanics!.

blah blah

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blah blah

I'm surprised this hasn't made CNN! Reuters! MSNBC! :P

There are a lot of shops here who charge by the book. Some of those will charge up to the book rate and will charge you the actual cost when it's all said and done and others won't. There are also a lot of shops that will give you a rough quote and if they're over, they're short and you pay the extra. My repair guy will give an estimate over the phone but won't give you a concrete price unless his guys are able to see the car.

There are repair guides out there that list how long a task should take, the Dodge dealer I used to go to had one. When I was working for Dominion Resources (Virgina Power) we had a construction guide (several, actually) that listed times for a mid level person to do a given task. These were rough estimates, it might take 30 minutes to hang a section of conduit but if something is in the way all bets are off.

It's not an injustice or inequality, it's the way things are. They're a service business. Take your computer to me to get a HD installed, I'll have you in and out in 15 minutes. Take it to another place and they might charge you an hour.

This is why it pays to shop and you should always get multiple quotes.