Why auto repair costs are suddenly so high

Automobile repair costs are up sharply since the pandemic. We show the reasons why, and how you may be able to keep those costs down.

[Acrowat]

Always check out your local mobile mechanic - you would be looking at $500 rather than nearly $2, 000 for that repair to the Kia - this is speaking from experience!

[kaiserhhaie]

I can get a battery for that car for 100€ and an alternator for 126€ and do the work myself. $900 for an alternator is what we in germany call "horrender Wucher"

[Zach-sguu]

Do it yourself and never pay $150 per hour!!

[lonesomecricket]

That’s why I do my own repairs. Plus nobody will care for your vehicle like you.

[Zach-sguu]

Bad batteries can be rejuvenated with a battery charger by adding a little water and over charging the dead battery till it boils through certain procedure calling it and repeating over 8 to 12 hours.

[dimitriberozny]

They SCREWED you An alternator and battery, that repair shop needs to be SHUT DOWN for FRAUD $1800, come fuckin on!!! It should have been $600 tops!!!

[Zach-sguu]

Always do everything yourself if it’s possible for you!!

[mattcee]

Why did it need an alternator in the first place? Battery light on? Not producing charging voltage when vehicle running?

[boogitybear]

It’s best to learn how to repair it yourself. If I can do it anyone can do it!

[rickdacosta]

I am a mechanic and that quote is insanely high esp for it being in USD.

[monkeysmoke]

Just fix it yourself ! Thats the only way

[justchill]

It's going to become a point where no one can afford a car payment, repairs, and car insurance.

[harlow]

First you must consider ALL AMERICAN GREED !!

[RandomCaliforniaAdventure]

Dang...They absolutely ripped you off for that repair. For battery, this gentleman could've easily gone into a costco and say...let me grt a new battery for much less than what is shown. As for the alternator, the dealer basically scammed you for nearly 3-4X than what the parts actually cost. As for the labor...I only imagine 2-3 hour job for dang it. Basically in my honest opinion...they probably gained anywhere from $1000-1300 for this 2-3 job. Sucks...sucks a lot.

[JacksJournale]

Why auto repairs cost more? I can tell you this much, the money doesn't trickle down to the mechanic. Dealerships and shops cut labor to a minimum and make 300% off parts!

Profits moved from labor to parts a long time ago. Now they can't find good mechanics because they don't want to pay them. This also drives up cost.

Dealerships have what they call Matrix Pricing. They basically have 2 or 3 prices for the same part. As an individual walking into the dealer parts department, you are given a fairly high price for parts. As a customer in the dealership service department you are told list price or the highest price possible, the suggest retail price for that part. As mechanic or another independent shop, you are given the jobber price which is the cheapest price you can get, because they want you to come back and buy more parts.

The individual pays the highest cost on parts and OE or original equipment parts like you get at a dealership are usually better quality than part stores or online.

The customer foots the bill, but you can see the customer is not the only one getting screwed here. The mechanic works 40 usually gets paid less than 40 hours because of the way they pay them. If they claim to pay you $30 per hour flatrate by their book, that usually equals around $15 per hour because they cheat the mechanic out of half their labor time. The mechanic has to buy his on tools upward to a hundred thousand dollars and this adds up to even more as years go by. So he's really getting screwed.

And for the mechanic, it's a pay for performance job by the book. There is no such thing as federal time and half overtime pay and the mechanic has zero job benefits.

I mean talk about a mechanic shortage. If you gone work for half price and zero benefits, you might as well be working for yourself!

It's a lose lose situation for the customer and the dealership mechanic.

How bout this. Some shops offer free rotation and balance if you buy a set of tires. Is the mechanic gone work for free! I'm not, so it's time for mechanics to move their tool box to a home garage or rent his own shop.

Boss says before you go I got an oil change. If you don't mind, could you get that for me? I sure do appreciate it. Sure why not.

Oh, it's a dually pickup truck, and the tires need rotating and balancing. Could you do that for me? He's a real good customer 😳

By the time you leave these shops to go home, you can barely walk to your car. You're beat 😡

And there's little or no money in being a mechanic working in these shops.

Sorry for the edits, I'm not an office worker.

[lyfe]

I work on my own vehicles and I save tens of thousands and I also help friends and family free of charge. Most Mechanic work is way too overpriced. Don’t be suckered people get your skills up

[ColonelMarcellus]

Half of them are sitting out back drinking beer and complaining about the Japanese taking their jobs.

[ColonelMarcellus]

Why fix a car when you can sell a new one?

[digitald]

19.5% is a bit over 3 times current inflation

[altimax]

Find a decent mechanic do the labor... usually shops where fixing tires...they do it for less