Latest NC inspection fiasco

Ikarus1

Ikarus1

Avtomat Krishna-kov
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Went to get my 03 Suburban inspected. Truck has new tires, good brakes, no CEL issues and a fresh oil change. Im in an emissionscam county.

Drop it off at the same place i used last year. Go to lunch and coming back the guy calls me.

"Yessir your truck runs and drives just fine and passed emissions. We couldnt get th4 OBD-II port to work and its in the same circuit as your 12V 12V power port / cig lighter so we swapped the fuse and now it works fine. We won't charge you but $4 for that.."

I use the 12V port to charge my phone just before i dropped it off. So....strike 1.

"We noticed your tag lights arent burning but they dont cost much"

[emoji849] officer safety good ol tag lights for those times when the cops don't have HID headlights and 600 lumen flashlights. But...its in the list.

"We noticed your parking brake goes all the way to the floor and doesnt hold tight. Its probably the rear disc parking brake shoes. We looked up the parts and those pads theirselves run $325 (!) So with labor your total to get it passed will run you $425"

He thought yep almost last day of the month and we got a sucker yall.

Yeah...no. I told him ill pick it up and fix it and bring it back. Dude was shocked at my declining their services on the phone. Came and picked it up and paid my failed inspection fee plus $4 fuse.

Look it up on Advance Auto and the pads were ~ $28. With discount and speed perks it cost me $20 OTD. Its not rocket science. They go behind the rotors on the axle. Take off the calipers with 2 18mm bolts. One 10mm bolt holds them on. I Watch a YOUTUBE vid and its an easy 30 min per side job. Bought $5 light bulb pair. Guess i just saved myself about 400.

Go back early this morning and get the 2 failed items reinspected. As he is ringing me up with a couple other customers in earshot i break ol boy down.

"Now about that quote you gave me"

Lmao he about shit a brick when i produced a receipt showing his $300 markup.
 
You ain't the only one who waited till the end of the month to handle things like that. Me and the wife went to early vote and the line was terrible. Oh we got in to vote right away. The line was for the DMV. I bet there was 20 people in the hall outside the DMV trying to get tags at the last minute. Ain't no telling how many were inside.
 
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You don't have to be in an inspection state to get that kind of treatment.
I once had an alternator go out and a shop insisted it was a $400+ job because it would take them 3-4 hours...
I said some bad words and hit a parts shop on my way home to get a new one, changed it in my driveway, and had the old core back to the shop for the deposit money with only 58 or 59 minutes difference on the two receipts.

When I complained, the shop manager mumbled something about average times, and factoring in that things can go wrong and they have to account for that in their estimate... I was like "the entire job is cranking the tensioner and 3 bolts... if your trained mechanics take up to 4 hours because they have problems with that job, you need some new mechanics".
Never used that shop again. My family also held off going there for a good few years. They probably lost a good few thousand dollars in business over it.
 
Went to get free oil change, free rotation and (i have to pay for balance) yesterday. I told my wife they will try and charge me for all 3 just to see if I will pay it. Standard operating procedure. Not only did they do exactly that, the service writer said I needed 30K mile service which was what I just had done plus engine air filter, cabin air filter and a thorough bumper to bumper inspection. All for the princely sum of $400. I had already replaced the cabin air filter. Paid their outrageous price of $30 for engine air filter because I was there and I was out the door. I wonder how many folks they take to the cleaners every day. I couldnt sleep at night ripping people off like that.
 
Does anybody think that a shop could stay in business if they only charged what a DIY'er could do it for at home? They have to pay payroll tax, insurance, shop rent and who knows what all. I replaced a CV axle myself for under $50. The Honda dealer wanted $700! An independent shop wanted $350. If you don't want to spend your time doing stuff, you will have to pay a lot more for someone else to do it for you. But, they aren't going to do it for cost.
P.S.- I'm sure a general contractor and home builder would never charge more than just a little over what you could do home repairs for yourself?
 
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It never fails that when I take my Ford diesel to the dealer for service, they come out carrying the cabin filter! I always change it myself. Ive caught them a couple times with very dirty filters that I know didn’t come from my truck! I tell them to leave my cabin filter alone! When the warranty is up, I’ll take it somewhere else! Change the damned oil and filters, fuel filters and leave the rest alone!
 
SPST said:
Does anybody think that a shop could stay in business if they only charged what a DIY'er could do it for at home? They have to pay payroll tax, insurance, shop rent and who knows what all. I replaced a CV axle myself for under $50. The Honda dealer wanted $700! An independent shop wanted $350. If you don't want to spend your time doing stuff, you will have to pay a lot more for someone else to do it for you. But, they aren't going to do it for cost.
P.S.- I'm sure a general contractor and home builder would never charge more than just a little over what you could do home repairs for yourself?
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This all day long. Not a damn one of y'all would go to work for free, stop thinking a shop owner or tech should do it for you for next to nothing.
There is alot more cost in doing a job for you than you think or care to realize.
 
SPST said:
Does anybody think that a shop could stay in business if they only charged what a DIY'er could do it for at home? They have to pay payroll tax, insurance, shop rent and who knows what all. I replaced a CV axle myself for under $50. The Honda dealer wanted $700! An independent shop wanted $350. If you don't want to spend your time doing stuff, you will have to pay a lot more for someone else to do it for you. But, they aren't going to do it for cost.
P.S.- I'm sure a general contractor and home builder would never charge more than just a little over what you could do home repairs for yourself?
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Also, that cv axle comparison is likely not apples to apples. Aftermarket cv axles are a fraction of the price of Honda cv axles even if you were to buy from an online Honda dealer for DIY install.
 
I recently had a little "Come to Jesus" moment with Marberger Chevy here in Kannapolis. I take my 09 Silverado in for what the Service Writer said would be a 3.5 hour job. I had the truck back in exactly 90 minutes but the receipt indicated 3.5 hours. I was rushed so I paid the total and figured I'd square up later when I had time. Had to take it to the top with Brian Marberger where he agrees that they shouldn't have charged 3.5 hours when the truck was only there for 1.5 hours... Refund, ass chewing, not my problem, never go back again....
 
drypowder said:
Also, that cv axle comparison is likely not apples to apples. Aftermarket cv axles are a fraction of the price of Honda cv axles even if you were to buy from an online Honda dealer for DIY install.
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This. The place I used to work for rebuilds OEM drive axles for Dealerships, parts houses, and for racing and off road. Likely you bring your car in and it gets a reman OEM axle remanufactured by the place I used to work. I can tell you first hand the difference in quality in OEM vs cheap Chinese aftermarket crap. There is a difference. That 35.00 replacement costs 35.00 for a reason!
 
Bailey Boat said:
I recently had a little "Come to Jesus" moment with Marberger Chevy here in Kannapolis. I take my 09 Silverado in for what the Service Writer said would be a 3.5 hour job. I had the truck back in exactly 90 minutes but the receipt indicated 3.5 hours. I was rushed so I paid the total and figured I'd square up later when I had time. Had to take it to the top with Brian Marberger where he agrees that they shouldn't have charged 3.5 hours when the truck was only there for 1.5 hours... Refund, ass chewing, not my problem, never go back again....
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They were doing you a favor. The guy that done the job probably has 20k in tools and years of experience. He gets paid on a job by job basis so he learns how to do each job the fastest and most efficient way possible. It is book labor and most of it is set time already laid out for an average mechanic to perform the task. Some you beat and some you don't. Notice the big man said they shouldn't have charged you 3.5 when it was only there 1.5? That meant the vehicle should have sat outback for a couple of hours while you waited so you would be satisfied. Instead of them getting you out and on your way in a hurry.
 
Infamous1 said:
That meant the vehicle should have sat outback for a couple of hours while you waited so you would be satisfied. Instead of them getting you out and on your way in a hurry.
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Yeap. They did him a solid and he bitched. Got him in and out, back to his happy life. Job done right, efficiently and what he even admitted to at firstwas a far price.
Bet your ass next time he sits and waits for his truck back for a longer period than 4 hours, then he will more than likely bitch that it took to long.....

31 plus years in the game, I have seen it more than once.
 
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SPST said:
Does anybody think that a shop could stay in business if they only charged what a DIY'er could do it for at home? They have to pay payroll tax, insurance, shop rent and who knows what all. I replaced a CV axle myself for under $50. The Honda dealer wanted $700! An independent shop wanted $350. If you don't want to spend your time doing stuff, you will have to pay a lot more for someone else to do it for you. But, they aren't going to do it for cost.
P.S.- I'm sure a general contractor and home builder would never charge more than just a little over what you could do home repairs for yourself?
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The point of my story is he told me parts were $325. If he would have said parts and labor were $325 for the brakes it was still robbery. That leaves $100 for changing 2 bulbs in the bumper.

I probably would have paid them $200 if i was in a hurry. $425 was rape.

What they got was a $30 inspection $4 fuse and a customer who will never recommend them. People ask me to recommend good honest reliable mechanics all the time.


The mechanics on here saying "tools shop insurance" cost alot are the same ones bitching when a LGS costs twice as much as ordering online and paying a tabletop FFL.

There is a middle ground and thats where you make friends
 
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Nah ... most people in NC are tighter then a butthole on a roller coaster.

What you should have done is the actual maintenance on your truck first and then taken it in for an inspection.

As stated above stuff cost and you can’t stay in business not charging enough for your overhead.

Lesson learned (businesses charge) but don’t destroy that bridge you may need it someday.
 
There's a difference between consensual sex and rape.

That said I've been using the same shop in Asheville for almost 30 years. He's neither the cheapest or the most expensive. He warranties his work and parts and doesn't lie. That has value.
 
And this is one of the reasons I always hated doing inspections.
It is highly likely that the fuse issue was totally legit and he actually did you a solid favor on that one. The cigar fuse controls the DLC and the cigarette lighter,and your auxiliary power port is on a separate fuse (which is why your phone charged)
The price points for the repairs were very high in my estimation but you had the right to refuse (which you did) and do it yourself or take it somewhere else. Sounds to me like he did his job on the inspection part of this issue but you didn't like his pricing on the repairs. Fair enough,but these are two totally separate issues.
 
Come on folks, I understand book labor as well as anyone but when book labor is out of whack by HOURS maybe it needs to be looked at and brought up to modern time. I don't mind paying for what I get but I'll be damned if I'm going to pay for crap that I DON'T get.....
Anytime I take a vehicle for service or repair that vehicle never leaves my sight, past experiences have been a cruel teacher....
 
Bailey Boat said:
Come on folks, I understand book labor as well as anyone but when book labor is out of whack by HOURS maybe it needs to be looked at and brought up to modern time. I don't mind paying for what I get but I'll be damned if I'm going to pay for crap that I DON'T get.....
Anytime I take a vehicle for service or repair that vehicle never leaves my sight, past experiences have been a cruel teacher....
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Most of the time when they estimate the job they look on a computer app and it lists time and materials.
 
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Bailey Boat said:
Come on folks, I understand book labor as well as anyone but when book labor is out of whack by HOURS maybe it needs to be looked at and brought up to modern time. I don't mind paying for what I get but I'll be damned if I'm going to pay for crap that I DON'T get.....
Anytime I take a vehicle for service or repair that vehicle never leaves my sight, past experiences have been a cruel teacher....
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But did you not agree to the price before the work was done?

Hooker going to charge for a hour even if you get off in 10 mins.... you agreed to price of a service, service was give to satisfactory result, just because the tech was good does not mean price should go down, in fact maybe go up because you did not have to wait longer.
 
Bailey Boat said:
Anytime I take a vehicle for service or repair that vehicle never leaves my sight, past experiences have been a cruel teacher....
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Wan’t there an old shop sign that went something likeM
LABOR RATES
$50 per hour base rate
$75 per hour if you watch
$150 per hour if you comment
 
Sniffler said:
There's a difference between consensual sex and rape.

That said I've been using the same shop in Asheville for almost 30 years. He's neither the cheapest or the most expensive. He warranties his work and parts and doesn't lie. That has value.
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Without a doubt!

Someone mentioned an LGS, I stopped at Carolina Guns and Gear today on Dixie Hwy in Asheboro. Now I have been going there since I moved here in '15 and they've been a good, not great, but reasonable place to go. I saw an "Under New Magagement" sign which is why I stopped.

It's certainly got new mgmt alright! Some guy told me he had all used long guns on sale for 20% off. I asked if he had anything in .45 Colt. He said "sure do" and he got ready to pull down a Marlin off the wall th at they only wanted $999.99 for. I asked him not to bother! It's a sham because I am willing to pay a premium for a decent deal locally and good service. I will keep my kidneys however. I just saw a new Big Boy in Clayton yesterday at TAC Firearms for $699.99 in the same caliber.

I think 'd rather the new Henry and spend $300.00 on ammo.
 
So... if I understand you folks (mechanics) even though the book labor is grossly out of whack we (consumers) should continue taking it up the butt and never make any adjustments to an unfair system?? If that's the case I think you (mechanics) know damned well where you can shove it....
 
Yeah some places are out to get every red cent, the gems with repeat customers do not.

Book hours for labor are on a spreadsheet.

Bean counters and such run up algorithms that figure out how long any one job should take.

This info is available to to dealers and independants alike. The ford dealer i used to work for used AllData, i think.

Every job from an oil change to full drivetrain replacement was listed.

Thats how i got paid. Thats how most mechanics get paid. Not straight time, by the hour when i clock in until i clock out.

But by labor time. What each job is listed as time it will take. If its listed for two hours, thats what i got. If it took me one, i still got two. If it took six I still got two.

It is a fair way to make it reasonable for the customer and business regardless of who does it (In theory, some techs love it, some hate it).

I started at the bottom. An oil change paid .3 of an hr. Its tough to do a good, professional oil change and included inspection in 20 minutes. But then add a tire rotation. Takes it up to getting paid .5to do. 30 minutes was fair.

Then add to that the rotate and balance, paid 1 hour, up to a tire change. 1.5hrs.

I can make money on that. While still doing a professional job. After getting accustomed to the balancer and the tire machine. Normal situations were done an hour.

1/2 hour extra pay for me. Nothing different for the customer. If i take 2 hours to change tires. Still cost them the same for labor. But they are out the door that much faster.

The as a side note. When i started i was given a stipend to allow for the fact that the oil changer "me" wouldn't make 40hrs paid doing just those so i could make a living.

My boss later approached me saying they were going to take it away as i was "making 40hrs". Which i flatly refused as "how is it my fault, I'm better than expected?". Leading to an acrimonious relationship with said manager. I moved up while becoming good friends with the owner/general manager. Even now 15 years later.

All that to say i get the techs side of it. Its his professional duty to himself to get jobs done. The more efficent they are the more money they make.

Then my story for the customer side. I posted it here about the thermostat on my wife's chrystler 200. Dealership quoted $150 for the part and like three hours or so for labor. It was going to be like $550 or so for the job. .5 hours of that was for the "diagnosis" even though i came in and said what the issue was. We paid that.....

I said "um no. I'll do it myself".....

$80 for the factory part and on the first try it took 1.5hrs of labor. Actually took 30 minutes to get 90% of it but there is one blind bolt to the housing that takes a mirror to find and has basically zero access. So i kinda see why the labor is high. Now that i know about it (have a process) i bet i can do it in under an hour.

I guess the point of that is. First $550 to replace a tstat!!????!?! Then. "Oh. She is buried deep". Then wow am i thankful to have a decently mechanical mind to do that myself. So i saved hundreds. I think the dealer price was steep to begin with. That one apparently is known to embellish costs.



I guess the point of that novel is to say. Yes skill costs money, its not the fault of the person doing the work thst they are good at it. But a consumer who can't do the work themselves whether for lack of skill or time. Will still need to invest the effort to find a good place or be prepared to pay the piper.
 
Bailey Boat said:
So... if I understand you folks (mechanics) even though the book labor is grossly out of whack we (consumers) should continue taking it up the butt and never make any adjustments to an unfair system?? If that's the case I think you (mechanics) know damned well where you can shove it....
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It does seem silly that us consumers blindly trust the book labor which I assume is produced by the auto industry.
 
Bailey Boat said:
So... if I understand you folks (mechanics) even though the book labor is grossly out of whack we (consumers) should continue taking it up the butt and never make any adjustments to an unfair system?? If that's the case I think you (mechanics) know damned well where you can shove it....
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Damn buddy.

Here is an analogy for you. If i recall you make custom knives?

You charge a premium, for a premium product, yes?

A person can create the same product as you can in 30 days time. They charge x amount to customers.

Yet you being the artisan you are. Create the same product as above in 5 days.

I demand you charge less because you are making 6x the money in the same amount of time. Seem fair?

This comparison obviously leaves out the middleman (shop or dealer vs wholesaler or whomever a maker would have sell their knives)
 
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Bailey Boat said:
So... if I understand you folks (mechanics) even though the book labor is grossly out of whack we (consumers) should continue taking it up the butt and never make any adjustments to an unfair system?? If that's the case I think you (mechanics) know damned well where you can shove it....
Click to expand...

So if it takes the tech longer than the book rate are you going to gladly compensate him for his extra time?
 
SPST said:
So if it takes the tech longer than the book rate are you going to gladly compensate him for his extra time?
Click to expand...
Hell no they wont.

we get fast by sheer reputations. Do the same job 10 times you will have gotten faster.

Sometimes stuff doesn't go smooth or as planned, the customer doesn't pay more labor, the tech eats it.
 
Trevillian said:
Yeah some places are out to get every red cent, the gems with repeat customers do not.

Book hours for labor are on a spreadsheet.

Bean counters and such run up algorithms that figure out how long any one job should take.

This info is available to to dealers and independants alike. The ford dealer i used to work for used AllData, i think.

Every job from an oil change to full drivetrain replacement was listed.

Thats how i got paid. Thats how most mechanics get paid. Not straight time, by the hour when i clock in until i clock out.

But by labor time. What each job is listed as time it will take. If its listed for two hours, thats what i got. If it took me one, i still got two. If it took six I still got two.

It is a fair way to make it reasonable for the customer and business regardless of who does it (In theory, some techs love it, some hate it).

I started at the bottom. An oil change paid .3 of an hr. Its tough to do a good, professional oil change and included inspection in 20 minutes. But then add a tire rotation. Takes it up to getting paid .5to do. 30 minutes was fair.

Then add to that the rotate and balance, paid 1 hour, up to a tire change. 1.5hrs.

I can make money on that. While still doing a professional job. After getting accustomed to the balancer and the tire machine. Normal situations were done an hour.

1/2 hour extra pay for me. Nothing different for the customer. If i take 2 hours to change tires. Still cost them the same for labor. But they are out the door that much faster.

The as a side note. When i started i was given a stipend to allow for the fact that the oil changer "me" wouldn't make 40hrs paid doing just those so i could make a living.

My boss later approached me saying they were going to take it away as i was "making 40hrs". Which i flatly refused as "how is it my fault, I'm better than expected?". Leading to an acrimonious relationship with said manager. I moved up while becoming good friends with the owner/general manager. Even now 15 years later.

All that to say i get the techs side of it. Its his professional duty to himself to get jobs done. The more efficent they are the more money they make.

Then my story for the customer side. I posted it here about the thermostat on my wife's chrystler 200. Dealership quoted $150 for the part and like three hours or so for labor. It was going to be like $550 or so for the job. .5 hours of that was for the "diagnosis" even though i came in and said what the issue was. We paid that.....

I said "um no. I'll do it myself".....

$80 for the factory part and on the first try it took 1.5hrs of labor. Actually took 30 minutes to get 90% of it but there is one blind bolt to the housing that takes a mirror to find and has basically zero access. So i kinda see why the labor is high. Now that i know about it (have a process) i bet i can do it in under an hour.

I guess the point of that is. First $550 to replace a tstat!!????!?! Then. "Oh. She is buried deep". Then wow am i thankful to have a decently mechanical mind to do that myself. So i saved hundreds. I think the dealer price was steep to begin with. That one apparently is known to embellish costs.



I guess the point of that novel is to say. Yes skill costs money, its not the fault of the person doing the work thst they are good at it. But a consumer who can't do the work themselves whether for lack of skill or time. Will still need to invest the effort to find a good place or be prepared to pay the piper.
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WTF is this? Spend some time with your woman, already.

Daggum wall of effin' text. You ain't no @tanstaafl72555.
 
Bailey Boat said:
So... if I understand you folks (mechanics) even though the book labor is grossly out of whack....
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Honest question...

If you have never worked a commercial automotive technician position for any sort of time period, how in the world do know what is grossly out of whack? How do you know what a industry standard time is?
 
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Bailey Boat said:
So... if I understand you folks (mechanics) even though the book labor is grossly out of whack we (consumers) should continue taking it up the butt and never make any adjustments to an unfair system?? If that's the case I think you (mechanics) know damned well where you can shove it....
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Coming from a man who thinks his time is worth a premium I am sure.
 
Bailey Boat said:
charged 3.5 hours when the truck was only there for 1.5 hours.
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This^^^^ is awful!! I have a fellow I know that works at a local dealership...GMC...I asked him once when he was here visiting what was the most hours he had Ever charged in 1 day at work. Without batting an eye he said 26 hours!!!! He said he was fixing stuff so quick he had to Hide the vehicles behind the garage to keep the customers from seeing them. He thought this was quite Funny!!!......I did Not.
 
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