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Truck repair costs-What's reasonable?
Siska
ShortyRegistered User regular
ShortyRegistered User regular
My hubby's 2005 F150 (automatic, 2 wheel drive) needs a new flexplate. Is there anywhere you can look up what the normal price for that kind of work is? Googling flexplate/flywheel replacements in general has listed prices between $250-500 but those prices are 5ish years old and not the exact same model as our truck. The mechanic asked initially quoted $500-700, which was higher but still (barely) doable. However after my hubby had them take a look at it they said it would be over $1000, which is currently NOT doable and seems a bit far out of range of the $250-500 prices we've seen mentioned online.
Does anyone have any idea what the labor price should be, reasonably?
And does anyone know a good mechanic that can do it in the Raleigh NC area? My hubby called several local places but only ONE picked up the phone ( the +1000 USD guy).
Does anyone have any idea what the labor price should be, reasonably?
And does anyone know a good mechanic that can do it in the Raleigh NC area? My hubby called several local places but only ONE picked up the phone ( the +1000 USD guy).
Siska on
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He's is going to make another try asking around. Drop in in person if he has to. His schedule is 7am-7pm so he can only do drop ins on days he has off though.
Book times are about double what you're estimating here (lowest I've found is 3.5 hrs, but most are in excess of 4), and a shop isn't going to ballpark an estimate like this.
@Siska can you tell me what engine the truck has (either a 4.2L, 4.6L, or a 5.4L)? I'll try to get you an accurate idea of labour for the job... Part pricing is very regional, and since I'm based in Canada I won't be of much use to you there.
Also mini-w00t. He managed go get ahold of another mechanic with a phone. They told him between $400-500. So if that price is still correct once he gets his truck over there, then we are back to something (even more) doable.
EDIT:
What I've found so far...
ALLDATA Repair Guide = 4.2 hrs
MOTOR Labor Guide = 4.0 hrs for transmission removal and installation, + 0.2 hrs for flex plate R&I
Chilton Repair Guide = 4.6 hrs standard / 4.9 hrs severe
RealTime Labor Guide = 4.0 hrs standard / 4.3 hrs high
A shop's hourly rate is also very regional, but whatever their labor rate is, it's going to be multiplied by one of those times.
My dad used to use the manuals all the time, back when he would do the car work himself. They are basically books filled with the parts drawings of the relevant cars. If you can't find it online, check your local library. I understand if you don't want to get that detailed, but I wanted to put the suggestion out there for anyone reading the thread.
It takes less time than that to change out a clutch in a Volvo FH16...
An honest shop is going to quote on a book time (because most work is estimated by a service adviser, and not a technicican), and hopefully they'll adjust down when the job goes easier than expected. A dishonest shop will say, "transmission? Sounds expensive. It'll probably be $1000".
OP is asking what a reasonable labor cost should be, and if a shop is working off a book time, it very likely shouldn't be MORE than one of those times. If it can be gotten for less, then good on them. This isn't whether or not it can ideally be done in less than X hours. It's how many hours the shop is expecting a job like this to take (because they are a business, and shit happens), and quoting based on that.
@Siska If you are quoted less than $500, and that's your absolute maximum, make sure the shop knows and you get a quote signed in writing. That way if they try to pull some shady bullshit and jack up the price at the end, you have your quote. Sometimes small unexpected stuff happens, but if they quote $500, it should't go up more than 10% without at least a phone call, a good explanation, and an option for you to put the brakes on whatever they are doing.