Challenge High Charges for Work On Older Vehicle
Summary
I took my 1974 Westfalia camper to a local VW dealer for some repair work on May 2, 2008. The labour cost for two of the jobs seemed outrageously high. 1) Changed manual transmission oil: $109. 2) R&R alternator belt: $89. Oil, belt and taxes were on top of this combined labour cost of $198. The business manager adamantly justified these labour costs as follows: The vehicle is old, we need specially-trained mechanics to work on them, special tools are required and parts are difficult or impossible to get. It seems quite obvious that for the two tasks in question, none of the four factors should have any bearing. As a comparison, six years ago I had the alternator belt replaced, not at the same shop, for a labour cost of $19.50. The time required to do an (engine) oil change and transmission oil change would be comparable. The labour cost for the (engine) oil and filter change the dealer did for me was $20, which is reasonable. Do I have a valid complaint regarding the $198 labour for the two jobs in question or am I out of the loop? What, if anything, could be some further follow-up that I might pursue?
See the full content of this document
Extract
Challenge High Charges for Work On Older Vehicle
Special parts and training not needed for Westfalia camper
Backyard Mechanic / Jim Kerr QUESTION -- I took my 1974 Westfalia camper to a local VW dealer for some repair work on May 2, 2008. The labour cost for two of the job...See the full content of this document
If you are already a vLex customer, access here