How much should I pay for this?

[2o6]

I found the culprit of my lack of parking brake on the Focus; both lines are stretched and frozen.

I took it to a shop, and they told me that it would cost $65 (parts and labor), when we only thought it was one that was broken. He took it on a lift, and discovered that both would need replacing.


I'm thinking $130, $140, right?



He quoted me at ~$200. That made no sense, and I told him to take it off the lift.


Another guy told me ~$180 for labor.  BEFORE parts.

One guy was reasonable, $90 for labor, and $80 for parts (from the dealer). He said that he'd do it if I bought my own parts, too.


How much is too much?

[2o6]

Now I got quoted at ~$360. 

[Eye of the Tiger]

The $90 guy, duh.

[2o6]

The $90 guy, duh.

Why do I keep getting quoted all over the map?


(also I can't seem to find out which parts I need.)

[Eye of the Tiger]

You don't need a parking brake, anyway.

[2o6]

You don't need a parking brake, anyway.

Yes, I do.


I'm going to Pittsburgh and I don't want to overly stress my transmission by leaving it in 1st or Reverse.

[ifcar]

One MILLION dollars

[2o6]

One MILLION dollars

That wasn't even remotely funny....

[shp4man]

Damn. Cars in the rust belt break some crazy ways. Alldata says the book labor to replace all P-brake cables is 3.6 hours. Multiply that by the shop labor rate and add parts cost.

[MrH]

You don't listen to anything we say anyways when you ask for advice.

Go to the most expensive guy, no matter the cost.

[ifcar]

That wasn't even remotely funny....

Way to hurt my feelings, asshole. Now I'm dispirited.

[2o6]

Damn. Cars in the rust belt break some crazy ways. Alldata says the book labor to replace all P-brake cables is 3.6 hours. Multiply that by the shop labor rate and add parts cost.

Oh. My. God.

I may be forced to ignore it. I just called a few more shops, and you can only get the long pieces that connect to the handle from the freaking dealer.



It's ~$80 for both, so I GUESS that isn't bad. RockAuto I can find the small ones that come out of the drums, but I'm having trouble finding out which parts are the right parts.


~$90 guy it is....

[Eye of the Tiger]

Yes, I do.


I'm going to Pittsburgh and I don't want to overly stress my transmission by leaving it in 1st or Reverse.

That doesn't overly stress a transmission. Just make sure the lever stays in gear.

[2o6]

That doesn't overly stress a transmission. Just make sure the lever stays in gear.

Do you think it's worth it?


I'm starting to wonder if it is. Especially since four new tires are the same cost as this repair.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Do you think it's worth it?


I'm starting to wonder if it is. Especially since four new tires are the same cost as this repair.

I'm not going to say no, but I would go with the new tires first. Wheel chocks are cheap.

[280Z Turbo]

That doesn't overly stress a transmission. Just make sure the lever stays in gear.

It does too. You could shatter a dog or shear a synchro that way.

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

Find a shade tree mechanic to do it! Buy the parts and give him 50 bucks.

[2o6]

I got the price from the $90 dollar labor guy.


He even dropped his labor price $10 dollars.

$170 and I dropped the car off an hour ago.

[S204STi]

I was just gonna say... $90 dollar guy was 100% guaranteed to jack the price on ya if he was so far out of the ballpark.

[2o6]

I was just gonna say... $90 dollar guy was 100% guaranteed to jack the price on ya if he was so far out of the ballpark.

He wasn't that far out, though.

[S204STi]

$90 parts/labor on a repair whose part cost is that amount?  Yeah he's either on something, installing crap parts, or doesn't have any interest in making a living and just works on cars for fun.  Even if I were doing this out of my own garage it would cost you $180 labor, plus parts.

[hotrodalex]

DIY.

[2o6]

$90 parts/labor on a repair whose part cost is that amount?  Yeah he's either on something, installing crap parts, or doesn't have any interest in making a living and just works on cars for fun.  Even if I were doing this out of my own garage it would cost you $180 labor, plus parts.

What, no. I should clarify.

It was 90 for labor, 80 for parts.


I was quoted from $90 labor to 130 labor. 180 labor is the highest I was quoted.

[S204STi]

oh.  Closer to the mark.  Still less than I would have charged, but if he's cool with that, more power to him.

[S204STi]

Although, honestly, I never really charge friends for work.  Beer is a good tip though...

[AutobahnSHO]

Remember how you're getting your estimates-

Guy A looks at the book and says "X dollars"
Guy B has done it before and knows how long it will take and how much of a PITA it is, and says "Y dollars"
Guy C hasn't done it before but THINKS he can do it in B hours, so says "Z dollars"

So you can go with the cheapest, or you can go with whoever is the cheapest AND you trust to get it done right, on time, and with minimal hassle. It's a crapshoot sometimes.

My parents go to some guy who has a garage behind his house. He charges far less than the dealer and just fixes cars as a part-time job. He does enough business that it's turning into a full-time job, but he's probably not licensed with the town and probably doesn't have the right zoning for the garage, no liability insurance for if he screws up the car and kills someone, etc...
--A lot of bureacracy which is why some of the big shops have to charge more.

I found some tiny shop in Rock Springs, WY that really knew their stuff- they didn't charge much and were absolutely fantastic to work with. Looked like trash on the outside, was dirty/cluttered in the office area, no waiting room. But they did a sweet job CHEAP.

So decision is still up to you. ;-)

[hotrodalex]

Finding a mechanic who takes pride in their work is more important to me than finding the guy who will do the job for the least amount of money. Obviously I don't wanna pay a ton of money, but you can usually find guys who just enjoy working on cars and will make you a deal.

[The Pirate]

Although, honestly, I never really charge friends for work.  Beer is a good tip though...

Cool, that you don't charge, but there's nothing wrong with accepting compensation for the investment in knowledge, time, and tools that you're providing.

Beer's a good tip, and one that I provide, but I'll usually throw my friend some cash when he does something to my car.  Not dealer hourly rate, but not $30 either.

[Rupert]

I don't have a lot of friends that need help with their car/bike, so it's not a huge deal to go pro beero to me. If I found myself spending Saturdays helping people with their projects, then I probably would want some cash money, like $20/hr or something.

[2o6]

Why is this thread bumped? I got it done almost a month ago.