lbooyd garage.

Well, I queried the bill for gearbox-swapping...

to recap, the work they did:

1) remove disco box and transfer box as unit.
2) remove gear levers from disco box
3) remove gear levers from RR box (supplied as potential replacement)
find they can't be swapped over.
4) (after consulting) replace gear levers on both boxes.
5) remove end cover of disco T-box and examine gear (I was there at this
point)

6) At some point remove clutch and fit new one.

subsequently

7) refit gear box and transfer box

I had done all the swapping of bellhousing and t-box onto the new main box
and had also refitted the gear levers and linkages - basically, I took the
thing up there ready to refit. If they're competent, they probably checked
that it was all assembled OK - a matter of maybe 20 minutes-worth.

and for that little lot, they want to charge me for 24 hours lab our. Their
normal rate is 16 quid an hour, and they're doing me a favour (!) by only
charging 300 quid plus vat for labour.

my estimates for the time to do the various tasks, what do them as know
think?

1) 4 hours
2) 15 mins
3) 15 mins
4) 30 mins
5) 20 mins (I was actually there for this one, so I *know* how long it
took)
6) 30 mins
7) 4 hours

total: just under 10 hours.

and that's being pretty generous - I reckon I could do it in about those
times, If I cracked on with it, without a hoist.

I doubt I'll be using 'em again, and I shall tell them not to bother with
tyres, I'll get 'em elsewhere.

--
Austin Shackles. www.ddol-las.fsnet.co.uk my opinions are just that
"The boys are dreaming wicked or of the bucking ranches of the night and
the jollyrodgered sea." Dylan Thomas (1914 - 1953) Under milk wood

Why did you get them to do it in the first place rather than doing it
yourself?

On or around Wed, 16 Mar 2005 00:15:06 +0000, Tom Woods
<[email protected]> enlightened us thusly:

>Why did you get them to do it in the first place rather than doing it
>yourself?

I was busy, the weather was crap, and I've not got enough space to work on
it undercover. Plus I had no idea they were going to take that long or
charge that much.

Either the garage bloke is taking the ****, or his mechanic is. Either way,
I'm the one with the bill, which I can ill afford on top of the price of a
recon box. I wouldn't mind so much if the job had been done quickly, but
they took over a day to refit the bloody box.

--
Austin Shackles. www.ddol-las.fsnet.co.uk my opinions are just that
"You praise the firm restraint with which they write -_
I'm with you there, of course: They use the snaffle and the bit
alright, but where's the bloody horse? - Roy Campbell (1902-1957)

It all sounds pretty reasonable to me, most main dealers will charge
£60 -£80 hour, Mercedes now charge £100 hour or thereabouts.

I'm a stone fitter (limestone, marble tiles, that sort of thing), I charge
£250 a day + vat (that's over £30 an hour)

To be frank, I'm surprised they are still in business charging only £16 an
hour.

They probably charged this much as they don't want you coming back, they
want customers that give them a vehicle, tell them to supply and fix
whatever is wrong and pay the bill at the end.

It's more hassle for them having you tooing a froing with various bits,
trying to save money whilst all the time your vehicle is cluttering up their
garage. A lot of this is to do with money, money supplying parts, earning
per hour, getting the job in and out.

This is on a par with someone asking me to go and repair a job another
company hasn't done very well, I'm just asking for trouble, the customer
probably still won't be happy, and once I've started it becomes my problem,
I either charge a shed load of money or walk away depending on how I feel
about the customer.

It's not a rip off, it's nothing personal, it's just business.

Alan M.

"Austin Shackles" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Well, I queried the bill for gearbox-swapping...
>
> to recap, the work they did:
>
> 1) remove disco box and transfer box as unit.
> 2) remove gear levers from disco box
> 3) remove gear levers from RR box (supplied as potential replacement)
> find they can't be swapped over.
> 4) (after consulting) replace gear levers on both boxes.
> 5) remove end cover of disco T-box and examine gear (I was there at this
> point)
>
> 6) At some point remove clutch and fit new one.
>
> subsequently
>
> 7) refit gear box and transfer box
>
> I had done all the swapping of bellhousing and t-box onto the new main box
> and had also refitted the gear levers and linkages - basically, I took the
> thing up there ready to refit. If they're competent, they probably
> checked
> that it was all assembled OK - a matter of maybe 20 minutes-worth.
>
> and for that little lot, they want to charge me for 24 hours lab our.
> Their
> normal rate is 16 quid an hour, and they're doing me a favour (!) by only
> charging 300 quid plus vat for labour.
>
> my estimates for the time to do the various tasks, what do them as know
> think?
>
> 1) 4 hours
> 2) 15 mins
> 3) 15 mins
> 4) 30 mins
> 5) 20 mins (I was actually there for this one, so I *know* how long it
> took)
> 6) 30 mins
> 7) 4 hours
>
> total: just under 10 hours.
>
> and that's being pretty generous - I reckon I could do it in about those
> times, If I cracked on with it, without a hoist.
>
> I doubt I'll be using 'em again, and I shall tell them not to bother with
> tyres, I'll get 'em elsewhere.
>
> --
> Austin Shackles. www.ddol-las.fsnet.co.uk my opinions are just that
> "The boys are dreaming wicked or of the bucking ranches of the night and
> the jollyrodgered sea." Dylan Thomas (1914 - 1953) Under milk wood

In message <[email protected]>, Austin Shackles
<[email protected]> writes
>
>Well, I queried the bill for gearbox-swapping...
>
>to recap, the work they did:
>
>1) remove disco box and transfer box as unit.
>2) remove gear levers from disco box
>3) remove gear levers from RR box (supplied as potential replacement)
> find they can't be swapped over.
>4) (after consulting) replace gear levers on both boxes.
>5) remove end cover of disco T-box and examine gear (I was there at this
>point)
>
>6) At some point remove clutch and fit new one.
>
>subsequently
>
>7) refit gear box and transfer box
>
>I had done all the swapping of bellhousing and t-box onto the new main box
>and had also refitted the gear levers and linkages - basically, I took the
>thing up there ready to refit. If they're competent, they probably checked
>that it was all assembled OK - a matter of maybe 20 minutes-worth.
>
>and for that little lot, they want to charge me for 24 hours lab our. Their
>normal rate is 16 quid an hour, and they're doing me a favour (!) by only
>charging 300 quid plus vat for labour.
>
>my estimates for the time to do the various tasks, what do them as know
>think?
>
>1) 4 hours
>2) 15 mins
>3) 15 mins
>4) 30 mins
>5) 20 mins (I was actually there for this one, so I *know* how long it
>took)
>6) 30 mins
>7) 4 hours
>
>total: just under 10 hours.


Austin

If their hourly rate really is £16 then in theory you have been done..


But the total price is about right for what a garage would charge, as I
said I charge 200 quid plus parts to do that job and there is a small
amount of profit attached to the parts. So I earn more than just the
£200. I know for a fact that my hourly rate is by far the cheapest in
the area.

24 hours labour is a joke as well you know but the price for the job is
OK.

I have only had a ramp in my workshop for the past year (makes a huge
difference) before that I used two axle stands and a trolley jack to
change gearboxes, It is a bit of a sod but it can be done alone and in
less time than you have allowed in your calculations.

Next time make your self feel better in mind and pocket and do it
yourself.

Then you know you have done it right ;-)
--
Marc Draper

On or around Wed, 16 Mar 2005 23:05:52 +0000, Marc Draper
<[email protected]> enlightened us thusly:

>Next time make your self feel better in mind and pocket and do it
>yourself.

I hope there isn't a next time...

and normally I would have. but see other post for why not.

Thing is, I know this bloke and hitherto he's been reasonable. maybe his
rate per hour is too low, but I'd rather see him charge more per hour and
bill for the right sort of number of hours - if he'd said that the rate was
25 per hour and he was charging for 12 hours, I'd still have been
disappointed, but I wouldn't reckon he was ripping me off.

Also, his initial rough price for the job was a lot lower; I didn't ask for
nor did I expect a firm quote, I'm not that daft, but I do expect people to
be able to give a rough idea, within say 25% or so. It's not as if they've
never seen a disco before.

ach well, maybe as "muddy" says, he's trying to get rid of me, if so, he's
succeeded. Guess where I won't be going for the next lot of tyres in a few
weeks.


--
Austin Shackles. www.ddol-las.fsnet.co.uk my opinions are just that
"Brevis esse laboro, Obscurus fio" (it is when I struggle to be
brief that I become obscure) Horace (65 - 8 BC) Ars Poetica, 25

"Marc Draper" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In message <[email protected]>, Austin Shackles
> <[email protected]> writes
> >
> >Well, I queried the bill for gearbox-swapping...
> >
> >to recap, the work they did:
> >
> >1) remove disco box and transfer box as unit.
> >2) remove gear levers from disco box
> >3) remove gear levers from RR box (supplied as potential replacement)
> > find they can't be swapped over.
> >4) (after consulting) replace gear levers on both boxes.
> >5) remove end cover of disco T-box and examine gear (I was there at this
> >point)
> >
> >6) At some point remove clutch and fit new one.
> >
> >subsequently
> >
> >7) refit gear box and transfer box
> >
> >I had done all the swapping of bellhousing and t-box onto the new main
box
> >and had also refitted the gear levers and linkages - basically, I took
the
> >thing up there ready to refit. If they're competent, they probably
checked
> >that it was all assembled OK - a matter of maybe 20 minutes-worth.
> >
> >and for that little lot, they want to charge me for 24 hours lab our.
Their
> >normal rate is 16 quid an hour, and they're doing me a favour (!) by only
> >charging 300 quid plus vat for labour.
> >
> >my estimates for the time to do the various tasks, what do them as know
> >think?
> >
> >1) 4 hours
> >2) 15 mins
> >3) 15 mins
> >4) 30 mins
> >5) 20 mins (I was actually there for this one, so I *know* how long it
> >took)
> >6) 30 mins
> >7) 4 hours
> >
> >total: just under 10 hours.
>
>
> Austin
>
> If their hourly rate really is £16 then in theory you have been done..
>
>
> But the total price is about right for what a garage would charge, as I
> said I charge 200 quid plus parts to do that job and there is a small
> amount of profit attached to the parts. So I earn more than just the
> £200. I know for a fact that my hourly rate is by far the cheapest in
> the area.
>
> 24 hours labour is a joke as well you know but the price for the job is
> OK.
>
> I have only had a ramp in my workshop for the past year (makes a huge
> difference) before that I used two axle stands and a trolley jack to
> change gearboxes, It is a bit of a sod but it can be done alone and in
> less time than you have allowed in your calculations.
>
> Next time make your self feel better in mind and pocket and do it
> yourself.
>
> Then you know you have done it right ;-)
Yup
I've only ever had one job done by a garage, before I worked in a garage
myself.
I had a mini (in 1986) and it needed a clutch, before that I'd done all the
work myself.
The guy quoted a cheep price (he was recommended by a work mate who didn't
realise he was a buffoon) so I thought it's not worth messing about so I let
him do it.

He had it a week he couldn't get the clutch to clear, when I picked it up it
was still dragging a bit.
I sussed it in less than an hour, slackened off the two big nuts on the end
of the clutch housing and it was perfect.
And that was the last time I had any work done to my cars by anyone other
than me.

--
Jon