How expensive are car dealerships over regular mechanic shops for general maintenance and repairs?
By Cars & Motorcycles on Mar 21, 2009 with Comments 6
Sonico67 asked: I recently bought a used 350z and would like to have it inspected by a mechanic because I’m starting to hear a little noise when I apply the brakes. So how expensive would it be to take it to a Nissan Dealership over a regular mechanic for general car maintenance and repairs? TIA
Filed Under: Car Maintenance
About the Author:
all i know is around here for labor
mechanics charge 60
dealers charge 90
an hour
It will vary somewhat across the country, but an arbitrary figure would be 30 – 50% higher cost, due to both labor and parts markup combined.
At a dealership the teck’s have the advantage of knowing your car inside and out. They have direct contact with the manufacturer and the latest info available. They specialize in your make of vehicle. At a regular repair shop they work on all makes and models and are not experts on any of them. There is also the question of parts. The dealerships use genuine replacement parts where the others usually use aftermarket parts. In some cases the parts are not as good as the original. Also if there is question as to warranty should you have a repair problem the dealership is able to stand behind there work backed by the manufacturer. Extra couple of buck well worth it.
about 20 bucks an hour
it depends. I found an o2 sensor for my cousin’s caddy at auto zone for 18.00. we called the dealership to see if we could get it under warranty, and they said he was no longer under warranty, and it would cost him 120+ labor to get the o2 sensor put in. Honestly, going to a dealership is good, because they know how your car works, they have probably worked on about 50 of them. If you are just getting it checked out, and maybe a tune up and oil change or something, you could go to the dealership, it wont be too much more. The problem is, if they find something wrong with your car or something, they are going to charge you a ridiculous amount. Honestly, with a brake problem, people are going to charge you a lot more than it’s worth. I’d just do it myself and save about $100. You can find information on how to fix your brakes and rotors, and your calipers online. Just google brake repair and troubleshooting.
I had similar problems with my Ford Crown Victoria and last month. Try getting a free auto warranty quote ans see if you can get the policy before you need to get your car fixed.