I'm not sure where the part came from (it was Moog), but I just looked online on rockauto.com, and saw the part Midas charged $73 for listed at $13. I paid $140 total parts/labor to have a strut rod bushing installed as mine was completely missing on the passenger side. Could a price differential be that much for a shop compared to an online store?

I was considering having them put in a horn and put on my sway bar link for me but I want to put these prices in perspective before I go ahead and agree to anything. Whats the most you would pay to have these two repairs done?

Edit: Work was done in Staten Island NY

 

Image that Staten Island, NY is one of the more high priced mechanics areas.

In my dramatically more rural area I've found that if I go to an independent shop on a Mon or Tue AM
and if it's a simple quick repair I get an OK price. I don't know what this comment buys you...

 

Yes, as you see,you paid way to much for that part and for the service. You should always check on 2 or 3 service companys before you say yes to one.

WheelBrokerAng

 

Rock auto sells massive amounts of parts and can sell them cheaper than most parts houses.

The shop you had your repair done probably paid much more for the part. One is because they had it in stock.. and you didn't have to wait days for it to be delivered.

You have to pay people for work... and service work always seems high for people that have to pay it.

I rarely see wealthy auto repair people... The work is dirty, hard and questioned all the time by the consumer. It's not a profession that is as profitable as it is enjoyable. Most that work on cars for a living really enjoy what they do.

Where you overcharged?... no.. not in my oppinion

If paying for work bothers you too much, do it yourself and save.

 

There seems to be a misunderstanding with my post. I was asking whether I I was ripped off, first because this is the first time I brought the car to a shop, and second because when I did some research online and after the fact, I found the part for far cheaper, hence why I posted asking if I was overcharged. My post was not a complaint but a question which I thank you all for taking the time to answer.

I understand mechanical work is difficult and requires extensive knowledge, but this particular repair took all of 5 minutes, so I guess the type of work and cost depends on variables which can't be accounted for. I don't know any rich mechanics but I don't know any broke ones either

 

Lordaccord

I did look up the part and labor times that are listed for a 2008 accord with 4 cylinder engine. (guessing cause you didn't say what you had)

by a caculation of labor at .3 x 150/hour = 45.00
part should not have been closer to $18.25 range as listed in alldata

By these figures, you were overcharged. take into account I don't know what their cost of the part compaired to their mark up, and I don't know what they charge for flat rate labor hours.
To avoid conflicts in the future, I would suggest the following:

Ask if they repair as per Flat rate guidelines, Alldata, Motors, Chilton labor time guides
Ask if they sell parts at MSRP or Matrixed
Ask what their Flat rate fee is per hour
Ask if they have a min shop labor charge. (some do)

I hope this helps. You did the correct thing by asking. You might want to get an estimate before work is performed. That give you an idea of what it cost before hand.

Brian B

 

Much better answer this time..I agree with this one much better...

 

Sorry, forgot to list my car model its a 1998 Accord EX V-6. The above information I'll have to memorize and look up since it's all new to me. But thanks again, knowledge is power!

 

I think shops inflate the part price, just so it doesn't look like they charged so much for labor. You know they didn't pay that much for the part.
It's not over-charging, in their opinion, if you pay it. Only if you take the car somewhere else.