$65 labor to change 4 spark plugs, that's not going to happen!!!

[Sheldor]

I must start by confessing, I got lazy, I had just finished changing my oil, oil filter, air filter, fuel filter and coolant (just a pretty routine service) in my TS Astra, and went to change the spark plugs, only to find I need 'special tool' to take the coil pack off.

On my way to Supercheap Auto I drove past Hamilton Holden and thought "stuff it, by the time I drive to Supercheap Auto, it will be quicker and easier to just drop in and get these guys to do it"...

Well, I would just like to say a sincere thanks to the guys at Hamilton Holden, South Australia, you see if you hadn't tried to bend me over and do me up the back side by trying to charge $65 (labor only; already had the parts) to change four spark plugs, I may never have experienced the satisfaction of on going to supercheap auto, buying the 'special tool' (a $3.90 e-socket, actually really not 'special' at all), and doing the job myself (took me exactly 6mins and I've never done it before, not the 30mins the mechanic said it would take him)!!

In addition to the personal satisfaction of a job well done (car runs better than it ever has after a service by any Holden Dealer), I have gained the knowledge that I will never buy a Holden again (seriously we invented standard fittings for a reason), and I will never take my current Holden to Hamilton Holden, South Australia to be serviced or repaired!!

As a small aside, I have now completed the replacement of all filters, fluids and plugs in one morning, trouble free, so if anyone would like advice on doing a basic service on a TS Astra themselves, then PM me and I'll try to help out.

[Dane005]

Yeah man that's cool and all, but I think you've got your head stuck in the sand if you're surprised that they were going to charge you $65 labour. You know they have a bunch of overheads to pay and also want to make a profit.

[JJW501]

I gotta say, I am the first to put the boot into dealers that overcharge, bu tin this case.......

I think that $65 is reasonable.

By the time they fill out the forms,the mechanic comes and gets your car, does the plugs, drives it back out the front, and they stuff around billing you, there is easy 30mins in shop time gone out the window! The admin staff may not have done the job but smeone has to pay for them to be there.

Most places charge a minimum 1 hour labour.

Good that you did it yourself though!:goodjob:

[cali.ls1]

awesome dude is that a ls1 in the astra?? think u need to replace 4 more spark plugs if its a v8.... but as the other post said. Hamilton have a business to run and think of the mechanics wage, admin staff wage etc.
Understand your gripe.... but im sure u wouldnt work for peanuts in your business either?
Basic mechanical stuff is easy, and sometimes u r better doing it your self and stocking up on tools rather than forkin over cash to those tools.

[planetdavo]

Pretty obvious why Sheldor just joined the forum today...:bawl:
Tipping he didn't expect people to apply logic to the thread. The way I read it he supplied his own spark plugs, so no margin there, then kind of expected them to "throw them in" for what, maybe a six pack? Pretty obvious he's not a regular customer by the information given, and to top it of, he seems to think that special fittings are somehow unique to Holden's!!!
Tip: Many, many cars now require special tools, even just for the many quick connect fittings. Hell, current Mazda's (and others) need a special tool just to get drive belts on, as they don't even use belt tensioners anymore!

Edit: Just want to add that at least three people will have to be paid out of this job. Firstly, the advisor who created the repair order (which will have taken longer than normal as you sound like you're a new customer). Secondly, the tech doing the actual work, then thirdly the cashier ultimately reconciling the payment the next day.

[vxssblown]

What was he expecting. They arn't going to do it for nothing.
$65 is a pretty standard rate, if you dont want to pay it dont. Just do it your self.

[Martin_D]

I agree with Sheldor, they should have done this for no more than $10 or so.

[whitels1ss]

I agree with Sheldor, they should have done this for no more than $10 or so.
Absolutely Martin! $65 is a rip off! :rolleyes::jester:

[vxssblown]

Martin

I agree thats all its worth. But it still business they have to pay the mechanics a weekly wage so the money has to be made.

[planetdavo]

I agree with Sheldor, they should have done this for no more than $10 or so.

And people with tuning businesses should be giving out tunes for a slab at most...:stick:

[cali.ls1]

hell yea $10.... or i'll give u a 3 pack of beer. I will drink 3 beers while i watch u do my spark plug change over and u can have the other 3 when u finish the job?
Oh and you can only have west end tinnies!

[duke5700]

:popcorn:

Must be a day for changing plugs.. the Skyline needed a set as well.

[whitels1ss]

Martin

I agree thats all its worth. But it still business they have to pay the mechanics a weekly wage so the money has to be made.

Martin would not know anything about running a mechanical business, he thinks the government pays mechanics to be around to help everyone for free, just like centrelink are! :rolleyes:
He should get out there and give it a go for himself! :rolleyes: :jester:

[planetdavo]

:popcorn:

Must be a day for changing plugs.. the Skyline needed a set as well.

$10 is the going rate mate. :jester:

[whitels1ss]

I have just changed mine on my Falcon ute runabout! :)

[cali.ls1]

Martin would not know anything about running a mechanical business, he thinks the government pays mechanics to be around to help everyone for free, just like centrelink are! :rolleyes:
He should get out there and give it a go for himself! :rolleyes: :jester:

Hell yea, how bout a tune too, astra would kick out 90fwkw (front wheel kw) after a tune eh??

[SirNemesis]

First post, sure made it a good one. Maybe you'd feel more at home at one of those 'other' Holden forums with the other tightasses?

[whitels1ss]

Hell yea, how bout a tune too, astra would kick out 90fwkw (front wheel kw) after a tune eh??
Ahhhhh.....you would just need the $10 spark plug change to do that! :jester:

[duke5700]

$10 is the going rate mate. :jester:

Nah the cost me $15 as I had to do all 6 plugs :(

[Thunderbird-1]

I'm not trying to be smartass here, just putting in my 2c worth. I understand while yeah sure it may only take 2 mins to do but most business' have to set a minimum amount they have to charge for a service given, I am a mobile tradesman, and my minimum to get me to do work for you is $264. Whether I'm there for 2 mins or 2 hrs. It may suck for the customer but do you think I'm going to drive out to someones house, do the job then charge $5.50 for mY time? Don't think so, I think $65 is fair.

[GMMAD]

$65 for an apprentice to change your spark plugs lol
that whey you dont go to dealers

[planetdavo]

$65 for an apprentice to change your spark plugs lol
that whey you dont go to dealers

I know it's a massively hard fact for certain types of people to understand, but dealerships actually do have fully qualified techs often older than yourself fella, and they even do lots of regular servicing! In fact, apprentices make up the minority percentage, not the majority.
(Sorry to add some truth to this popular urban myth)

[duke5700]

I know it's a massively hard fact for certain types of people to understand, but dealerships actually do have fully qualified techs often older than yourself fella, and they even do lots of regular servicing! In fact, apprentices make up the minority percentage, not the majority.
(Sorry to add some truth to this popular urban myth)

You tell em Davo

[GMMAD]

I know it's a massively hard fact for certain types of people to understand, but dealerships actually do have fully qualified techs often older than yourself fella, and they even do lots of regular servicing! In fact, apprentices make up the minority percentage, not the majority.
(Sorry to add some truth to this popular urban myth)
what ever makes you fell good about ripping people off

[DAVZSS]

$65 for an apprentice to change your spark plugs lol
that whey you dont go to dealers

My son's mate who is a first year apprentice at holden in frankston is who i request to work on the wife's Calais when it needs a svc

I have even let him loose on my ute at home,just because he is an apprentice doesnt mean he is not good at what he does.

[planetdavo]

what ever makes you fell good about ripping people off

It's not about feeling good, it's about telling the truth.
You know, "the truth", not popular opinion. :confused:

[GMMAD]

My son's mate who is a first year apprentice at holden in frankston is who i request to work on the wife's Calais when it needs a svc

I have even let him loose on my ute at home,just because he is an apprentice doesnt mean he is not good at what he does.
and where in my post did i say they arent good at what they do????
they are payed a hell of a lot less then a qualified mechanic though and that is what you get charged for when you pay

[planetdavo]

My son's mate who is a first year apprentice at holden in frankston is who i request to work on the wife's Calais when it needs a svc

I have even let him loose on my ute at home,just because he is an apprentice doesnt mean he is not good at what he does.

Exactly.
What these bashers don't seem to realise is that all these industry "legends" people bat off over on here were all apprentices once, and usually a good mechanic now was a good apprentice to begin with. :yup:
In fact, sometimes they are actually even better with routine servicing, because they don't tend to take shortcuts and slack off like the experienced ones, who sometimes think they can do a service with their eyes closed they've been doing it so long and then miss doing something.

[HSVREDSLED]

I recently took a set of brake pads I bought online to a local mechanic as I didnt want to get my hands dirty.

He shoved em in...$60. He missed out on the mark up, and I thought that was a fair price.

I dont think you can expect a dealer to do anything for anything less than $65.

[planetdavo]

and where in my post did i say they arent good at what they do????
they are payed a hell of a lot less then a qualified mechanic though and that is what you get charged for when you pay

Apprentices have the far more highly paid and company car supplied workshop foreman and assistant foreman often looking over their shoulder and/or assisting them with processes, so it's definitely not a case of them making 100 bucks an hour profit from a pimply faced ex macca's appprentice servicing the car. They also have to pay these guys from your hourly labour rate.

[GMMAD]

Exactly.
What these bashers don't seem to realise is that all these industry "legends" people bat off over on here were all apprentices once, and usually a good mechanic now was a good apprentice to begin with. :yup:
In fact, sometimes they are actually even better with routine servicing, because they don't tend to take shortcuts and slack off like the experienced ones, who sometimes think they can do a service with their eyes closed they've been doing it so long and then miss doing something.
get off your high horse the point of it is you pay top dollar at a sealership and allot of the time its an apprentice doing the work
I have NO problem with that and no where did i say that was a bad thing
the point I was making is you are paying top dollar for and apprentice who gets $10ph to do the work but get charged the full rate for it
I understand they have overheads and that is what you pay for when you go to a dealer
it may be normal practice but in MY eyes is a rip off
plenty of people are happy to pay that price because they think they are getting some special service from the dealer but you can get the same service and in allot of cases better from an independence mechanic and at a cheaper rate

[feistl]

I often quote high prices for simple tasks purely becuase its not worth my effort to do a job for a small amount of money. Even if it is easy, as mentioned there are a lot of overheads to take into account.

So whether you get $500 worth of work done or $50, theres the same amount of money in setting up the customer account, taking payment, time spent talking about the job, time spent moving the car in/out of the workshop....

Dont be so lazy and do it yourself, or get the dealer to do the complete service.

That said, ive been to a few places before where mechanics have done something simple and either done it for free or charge me a minimal amount. Thing is, they know that when im happy with the service im going to keep going back to them every time, even if their a little more expensive.

If im going to use a new workshop, i usually test them out with a small simple job. If their nice to deal with, then im happy to spend $1k+ with them. If their painful, i go elsewhere.

First time i purchased tyres from Bridgestone in Rowville it was only a cheap sale. However i was so impressed with the quality of work and their attitude (even for a small sale), i now take a collection of cars exclusively there as i know how good the service will always be (although their prices are brilliant anyway so its win-win)

So the only trick the holden dealership missed was now you'll never go back (regardless) so they potentially missed out on a heap of future business. Of course you drive an Astra, so they probably realised your a tightass and it wasnt worth them doing business with you anyway.

[GMMAD]

Apprentices have the far more highly paid and company car supplied workshop foreman and assistant foreman often looking over their shoulder and/or assisting them with processes, so it's definitely not a case of them making 100 bucks an hour profit from a pimply faced ex macca's appprentice servicing the car. They also have to pay these guys from your hourly labour rate.
I know a far few apprentices that work at dealers and they tell me that isnt the case they are told to do a job and away they go
maybe on harder jobs that may be the case

[planetdavo]

Think I might know how dealerships actually work GMMAD...:confused:
In case you were confused, I never actually said the foreman was ALWAYS there, for the unscrewing of a sump plug or the addition of some Opticlean etc, but he/they have to be there if required, and quite often are required for something, meaning the hourly rate pays for them, as I said.
Anyway, this subject is a distraction you are pedalling. Several others have explained that many trades have set fees for many tasks, as if nothing else it would be a diabolical daily nightmare having to keep records of perhaps 200 different models times just to change spark plugs, let alone everything else! :eek:
(Plus, remember he was going to be a tight@rse by supplying his own spark plugs) :)

[GMMAD]

Think I might know how dealerships actually work GMMAD...:confused:
In case you were confused, I never actually said the foreman was ALWAYS there, for the unscrewing of a sump plug or the addition of some Opticlean etc, but he/they have to be there if required, and quite often are required for something, meaning the hourly rate pays for them, as I said.
Anyway, this subject is a distraction you are pedalling. Several others have explained that many trades have set fees for many tasks, as if nothing else it would be a diabolical daily nightmare having to keep records of perhaps 200 different models times just to change spark plugs, let alone everything else! :eek:
(Plus, remember he was going to be a tight@rse by supplying his own spark plugs) :)
and I know how independent workshops work :confused:
dealership are overpriced ...sugar coat it however you want but thats a cold hard fact
but its up the customer who ever that want to go with in the end
peace out:lol:

[planetdavo]

and I know how independent workshops work :confused:
dealership are a rip ...sugar coat it however you want but thats a cold hard fact

Ummm, have you seen the size of most dealerships, and just how many DOZENS of staff work in them...? A mid size dealership often has at least 50 staff my friend!
:confused::confused::confused:
Bit different to the maybe THREE staff in an independent shop. :teach:
Also, dealerships MUST HAVE every single compulsory tool and PC based programme subscription Holden say they have to have. Seriously expensive mate, many thousands of dollars worth that independents don't spend.

[GMMAD]

Ummm, have you seen the size of most dealerships, and just how many DOZENS of staff work in them...? A mid size dealership often has at least 50 staff my friend!
:confused::confused::confused:
Bit different to the maybe THREE staff in an independent shop. :teach:
Also, dealerships MUST HAVE every single compulsory tool and PC based programme subscription Holden say they have to have. Seriously expensive mate, many thousands of dollars worth that independents don't spend.
FFS you dont give up
yes I understand dealerships have lots of staff /tools etc and big overheads I do understand how it all works
and this is what you pay for when you go to a dealership not the quality of the work hence $65 to change plugs:fewl:
you dont need big dollar diagnostic equipment to do a service or change plugs but you still pay for it in the end hence the overpriced statement

[planetdavo]

FFS you dont give up
yes I understand dealerships have lots of staff /tools etc and big overheads I do understand how it all works
and this is what you pay for when you go to a dealership not the quality of the work hence $65 to change plugs:fewl:

So why are you arguing then!!!!!!?????
You apparently understand all this, yet you claim they are a rip off. If something costs more to run it costs more per hour to the customer. Basic stuff.
If you don't like it you can go anywhere you want, but remember this all started from your apprentice issues, not a true understanding of the operating costs of a dealership...:teach:

[GMMAD]

So why are you arguing then!!!!!!?????
You apparently understand all this, yet you claim they are a rip off. If something costs more to run it costs more per hour to the customer. Basic stuff.
If you don't like it you can go anywhere you want, but remember this all started from your apprentice issues, not a true understanding of the operating costs of a dealership...:teach:
its over price because there is plenty of workshops that will do it at a fraction of the cost for the same work

[ssv402]

Thread = sook :goodjob:

[HSVREDSLED]

I think there is a lesson for all here.

You want a simple job done by a mechanic????....do not go to a major dealership...go to your local fella.

[seedyrom]

Thread started good, new member, unrealistic expectations, and was put in his place.

Then the infighting happened.

Pity.

[Thunderbird-1]

I think there is a lesson for all here.

You want a simple job done by a mechanic????....do not go to a major dealership...go to your local fella.


I would have to agree, in fact I won't take my car to a major dealership at all, I have not had one satisfactory dealing with a service department(Holden, ford and Mercedes) and i have had quite a bad taste left because of it. Luckily I was put onto quite a good mechanic 5 yrs ago and have never looked back, I practically have to force money into his hands for the small things which I just don't have the time, gear or facilities to do myself. In saying that I have also had problems with performance garages that focus on mods, overlooking small things when doing my service (handbrake, proper flushing of brake fluid etc etc) so as redsled said...... stick with ya local fella

[Toddler78]

Im pretty sure that anyone would charge that rate whether they are a holden dealer, independent or back yarder. some guy walks off the street plugs in hand 'can ya just chuck these in mate' by the sounds of it has never been there before, and obviously wanted it done there and then. mechanics arnt just going to be standing around scratching their arse they would have to be pulled off a job to do it. Hell I would have told the guy $100 to do it. And I bet that he ould be the type of temperment that as soon as he had driven out the driveway he'd be finding fault with the workmanship or "damage" to the car and expect them to fix it at their cost.


Some jobs are just not worth doing thus the price, sounds like the service guy had his head screwed on.

[michaels1v8]

its over price because there is plenty of workshops that will do it at a fraction of the cost for the same work

Little off topic but based on the above point, how much would some expect to pay at a independent mechanic for the same job?

Not at your everyday mechanic who is doing you a favour to keep your business but one you pull up to for the first time ever and ask to do without a booking? (Any workshops feel free to chime in)

I imagine most would;
A. Ask for cash price of say at least $20-30 (not really an option for most dealership mechanics)
B. Charge a standard hour/half hour or some kind of rate which would probably work out close to $40-$60

Some might even say they are too busy to squeeze your job into their schedule.

The chances of finding someone to do it for less would be near impossible.

$65 is not really that outrageous when you consider the circumstances of it all.

Not much is free these days.

[jc_sv8]

Luky it wasn't an LS1 otherwise it would have been twice that price! :jester:

[macca33]

And we'll just have to choose to disagree - at least it was done in an almost mature manner.

To the OP - you can do it yourself and if an issue arises, you have to fix it, or, you can get a dealer to do it and if there is an issue, they will have to rectify it - if it results from their work......simple really.

cheers

:closed: