Shop Labor Rates!!!

[Escape.idiocracy]

$200 is the new normal. Inflation everywhere you look today.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1351276/wage-growth-vs-inflation-us/

I just need to make more money, and do better…. ?

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[Escape.idiocracy]

Who says that is going on? Dealerships go by flat rate "books" and always have. If the books says the factory allows 4 hours for something, that's the rate applied in most cases.
Who are you to say they are padding things? - randomly inflating?
Examples?

I had a service advisor cut the bill on some work I had done by about 1/3 if not a bit more because he said after we talked about what it would take, the time and work involved when I dropped it off, he felt really bad that it took a lot longer than we had talked. I would have been fine with the bill because I expected it to be a time consuming process.
Seems that some deflation goes on as well.
He saved me well over $200, closer to $300 - and I felt bad for the tech!

I think what’s being confused in some of the above is that it isn’t the tech performing the work that’s being inflated, it’s the fully burden rate via cost of doing business that has inflated…

 

[drewcnit]

My most recent labor quote for a job -

 

[Labswine]

My local stealership (where I bought BOTH of my Jeeps, my Gladiator...ordered 5/19, built 6/19, delivered 7/19 and my 2019 Grand Cherokee Ltd., bought 7/19) charges $180/hour.

I recently had to have the passenger door seal on my Gladiator replaced because water was leaking past it and filling the passenger floorboard every time we had a very heavy rain, and initial quote was for around $1,100. I said to the service tech that that was kinda redonkulous and he agreed.

Once it was finished (took two days because of getting parts and the initial fix still leaked so they had to get another part...) the bill came to around $890. So he did cut me a bit of a break.

So, hopefully, there's no runs, drips, or errors.

 

[Jabtano]

Massachusetts $200.00 an hour is normal.....

That's because in our tax the people state everyone has to charge high fees in order to live.

 

[Labswine]

That's because in our tax the people state everyone has to charge high fees in order to live.

Also known as Taxachusetts

 

[Chucker23]

My most recent labor quote for a job -

Im at 18.5 hours at $145/hour which is $2682.50. with no discount offered.

I appreciate all of the responses and it definitley puts things in perspective. The one positive I can speak to is I know they do good work and I trust them to do the best job possible. They have done work on 4 other vehicles for me so I know they are a good shop. Also a testament to that is they are about 4 weeks out to be able to get my rig in there.

 

[drewcnit]

Im at 18.5 hours at $145/hour which is $2682.50. with no discount offered.

I appreciate all of the responses and it definitley puts things in perspective. The one positive I can speak to is I know they do good work and I trust them to do the best job possible. They have done work on 4 other vehicles for me so I know they are a good shop. Also a testament to that is they are about 4 weeks out to be able to get my rig in there.

That sounds about average on the rate with all the responses. I'd definitely say it's reasonable considering the other information provided.
My shop is running about 2 weeks out right now, I only get the discount because they are also Jeep club sponsors.

That's another idea for everybody, check out your local Jeep clubs, some that are organized enough have great sponsors
Some of our discounts -

Not just from local off-road shops but also nationwide manufacturers and retailers -

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Im at 18.5 hours at $145/hour which is $2682.50. with no discount offered.

I appreciate all of the responses and it definitley puts things in perspective. The one positive I can speak to is I know they do good work and I trust them to do the best job possible. They have done work on 4 other vehicles for me so I know they are a good shop. Also a testament to that is they are about 4 weeks out to be able to get my rig in there.

I'm willing to pay for quality work.

I do restoration work in my shop - I had two friends tell me I was too cheap. One guy, every time I returned his finished parts with a bill, he'd send a letter with a check - explaining why I was wrong and he upped every item. Both said I'd cut out the crappy customers, whiners, complainers and "I want it NOW" types and actually get higher quality customers by raising my rates. They explained that it would appear to some to be higher quality work because it was more expensive.
So I raised my rates, based on the comments of two extremely picky friends who are also in the vehicle restoration business.
The result - the customer list has shifted, no one is in a hurry, and it's "I'll send you the parts, let me know how much I owe". No one asks "how much will xxxxx cost" before sending the work any more. it's all "fix it and send me the bill" (often the check includes a tip)

Granted, there are still crap shops charging top rates, but when i see a rate that's a fair mount lower than most - I tend to question it. If it's good work, quality work, it's worth the price.

 

[Hootbro]

$175-$200 is the norm around here.

 

[Forum Crawler]

My local stealership (where I bought BOTH of my Jeeps, my Gladiator...ordered 5/19, built 6/19, delivered 7/19 and my 2019 Grand Cherokee Ltd., bought 7/19) charges $180/hour.

I recently had to have the passenger door seal on my Gladiator replaced because water was leaking past it and filling the passenger floorboard every time we had a very heavy rain, and initial quote was for around $1,100. I said to the service tech that that was kinda redonkulous and he agreed.

Once it was finished (took two days because of getting parts and the initial fix still leaked so they had to get another part...) the bill came to around $890. So he did cut me a bit of a break.

So, hopefully, there's no runs, drips, or errors.

You paid $890 for someone else to install a door seal?

 

[ShadowsPapa]

You paid $890 for someone else to install a door seal?

Could be the one that goes side-to-side like the later ones have. Not the one on the door, but the one that is supposed to guide rain water away from the interior when you open the door. That's a different animal - and not everyone wants to deal with stuff like that - so what?
I wonder how much of that was the actual seal........

 

[WestwallNF104A]

165 an hour here in Carson City, if you buy the parts through them. Add 20 per hour if you provide them.

 

[Idlethunder]

Man I don’t have time really to install this stuff with work jamming and 2 small kids but at these rates makes me think. The RSE steps are what kills me they quoted 8 hours for install! Seems excessive for a shop. I’m sure it would take me that long lol! They said they just want to do it right running wires etc.

I checked around before installing mine a couple of months ago and the cheapest quote was $150 an hour and they said they could install them in 4 hours. Had they been closer than 2 hours away, I’d have let them do it. I am as slow as anyone you’ll find and was scared of the body bolts so I was very cautious and took my time. I did it in the driveway on a weekend but probably had 10 or 12 hours in them altogether.

 

[Labswine]

You paid $890 for someone else to install a door seal?

The bulk of that was labor Apparently it's not as easy as we think...they had it two days because the first attempt it still leaked and they had to get yet another part, ergo the second day. So, now, no runs, drips, or (HOPEFULLY) errors.

I remember like 20 years ago, when I had my '96 Grand Cherokee in for repairs...needed a new timing chain because the distributor (the second one I put in that lasted around 75K miles) had practically seized up..couldn't even turn it by hand...and that had stretched the timing chain. The dealer replaced the timing chain and decided to change the plugs too They charged me over an hour to replace plugs that didn't need to be replaced. I fought that one and told them I'm not a professional mechanic but I can change my own plugs in like 20 minutes, and those plugs only had around 30K miles on them so they didn't need to be done. They did take all that off the bill. This was when I lived in Taxachusetts in the Taunton/Raynham area.

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