Yeah, it's ridiculous. I called the dealership to get my van fixed. It wasn't really drivable and they basically told me they couldn't get to it. They didn't even give me a timeline. I just laughed and said I would never be bringing my car back for service. It was relatively new and did still have warranty left on the drive train but whatever. I went to Christian Brothers in Ankeny and have been happy with the service I get there.
Are you handy with tools? What engine is it? If it's got the 3.6 or the 5.7 there probably isn't an easier water pump you can swap out on a vehicle out there nowadays. A little YouTube and some tools you can probably fix it in your garage. Pulling the radiator would be harder, but doable.
There's no independent mechanic working for $50/hour these days, most are going to be pushing, or over, $100. I called the Honda dealership in Ames this week to get a starter replacement quoted just out of curiosity and they were $170/hr. Book time was 2.5 hours and they wanted $425 for labor.
I believe the tre4isu was saying that mechanics working on the side maybe out of their own garage can charge $50 an hour. This would be more than they would get paid at a shop and much less than a customer would pay a shop. You are right independent shops will be right in the $100 range. The dealer i worked at 8 years ago was at $105 and jumped up to $115 in the 4 years I was there. I've been at an independent for almost 5 years now and this past year we went from $90 to $100. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if most dealers aren't in the $150 to $200 range now.
No I am not confident in my mechanical skills. I took it to a professional because I prioritized time over money and am starting to now regret that decision.
I checked their webpage for services and didn’t see anything about radiators or water pumps. Did you call ahead and ask before going to them?
Are you in central Iowa? If so what what local dealership do you believe has the best rates and service if you don’t mind sharing.
There’s an Indy mechanic in Grimes that is pretty highly recommended. I decided not to go that direction because the few people I spoke with said that he was booked out for a month. I’m starting to regretting that decision now.
Yeah I work in des moines. I worked at stew hansen hyundai. I always felt as far as dealerships go their rates were on the low end. The problem is the dealership service business model is not geared towards helping people fix their cars the most economical and fastest way. They way they pay their employees and operate their buildings leads to less than honest business practices. For instance as a service writer I was paid a commission on how much labor I sold a customer. On anything that the customer pays for I would get the highest percentage of pay. On warranty work I would get less than half of what customer pay is. In internals (if the used car department was paying) it was so low I didn't even notice it on my paycheck. This will incentivize selling add on repairs that aren't necessary to make a paycheck high enough to pay your own bills. They also pay "spiffs" on added sales of things like air filters, alignments, fluid flushes or wiper blades. Dealer recommended services are not usually the same as manufacture recommended services. When the manufacturer will suggest trans flush at 100k the dealer will suggest it at 60k. As a mechanic you have to do the work that is sold. So if I saw a loose ball joint on the driver's side I would recommend replacing that loose ball joint. Then the service writer will sell the repair. Usually they will sell ball joints on both sides as "they are the same age if one is loose the other will probably fail soon too." There may be nothing wrong with the other one but it gets sold padding the invoice. So the mechanic has a choice. Replace a good part or say no thank you I don't want the extra labor you sold.
