moral dilemma

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

got a guy decent mechanic does side jobs.  comes to my house and does work there. hes going to do 3 u joints on my jeep.  whats that worth?  he lets me price my own work."whatever you think is fair"  i hate that! hes a decent guy too. i know we have some guys who spin wrenches so i welcome their input

[Balog]

Cost of parts at his supplier (+x% if you want), then an hourly wage ($30 per? $40? Depends on how good he is and how much equipment) for actual time spent. Part money up front, the rest after.

[drewtam]

Our corporation reimburses dealers at $70-$75/hr in North America when we pay mechanic's hours (very rare). [this is very confidential information]   
Local auto dealerships quoted $100/hr to me for retail automotive work... I conclude that the local dealerships also account for about $85/hr for the mechanic hours and charges the customer a margin of $15.

The take home pay of a mechanic is not going to equal the above, because companies pay for taxes, benefits, downtime, and overhead. But I bet those numbers scare you enough to change your level of expectations/appreciation.   

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

oh i buy parts heck he uses my account for his other jobs. i usually ask him how much and he tells me.  i did him a couple favors and he started pay me what is fair.  i didn't do the favors looking for a payoff so i wanna make sure i don't take advantage.

[Declaration Day]

I'm an auto mechanic on the side, and I would ask for $80 to do that job.  

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

cool  that sounds good to me too. as much as i don't want to cheat him i've found when helping folks you can over do it. if you go over the top you sometimes stop helping

[Stand_watie]

I'm an auto mechanic on the side, and I would ask for $80 to do that job.  

    Regarding dollar value, what's your location? From C&Sdaddy's standpoint, if you're in rural Alabama he might want to add a few bucks to that number to make it fair...if you're in San Fransisco or New York City he might want to deduct a few bucks.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

good point   i live in the sticks and was gonna give 100 bucks. i have ruined a few young men by paying too much and thats why i get advice nowadays

[Jim147]

I'm guessing those are drive shaft u-joints. Not axle shafts.

I'd hit you for $30.00 each if you drove it to my house. $20.00 if you just carried in the shaft.

Do you have a press, a vise or a hammer and a piece of scrap iron?

You get a little workout but I get the best feel putting the joints back in using a vise.

jim

[Declaration Day]

   Regarding dollar value, what's your location? From C&Sdaddy's standpoint, if you're in rural Alabama he might want to add a few bucks to that number to make it fair...if you're in San Fransisco or New York City he might want to deduct a few bucks.

I live in Michigan.  For that price I would pick up the parts for you and do the job in your driveway or workplace parking lot, if either one is close.  That convenience should be well worth it.

[Stand_watie]

I live in Michigan.  For that price I would pick up the parts for you and do the job in your driveway or workplace parking lot, if either one is close.  That convenience should be well worth it.

     You don't live near Muskegon do you? If so I have a few relatives that are potential clients for you.

     C@SDaddy, Michigan is probably a pretty good good midpoint regarding cost of living, so his quote is probably pretty close for rural NoVa. If he's in the Upper Peninsula or metro Detroit area it might be a little low or high, but not too far off.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

i've got a vice  and i just borrowed a press in case he needs it

[Leatherneck]

I'd pay the guy a hundred and provide the parts. Off the books, that equates to $125-130. Problems rate extra.

TC

[Declaration Day]

     You don't live near Muskegon do you? If so I have a few relatives that are potential clients for you.

Thanks, but I live in the Detroit area.

[dogmush]

When I do sidework on cars I charge $50/hr, plus parts.  That number is right at half what retail labor is around here.  That job should run in the $75-$80 range.

[geronimotwo]

I'm an auto mechanic on the side, and I would ask for $80 to do that job.  

not sure if you live in a state with lots of rust,  that usually doubles the cost.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

thanks all  i suck at assigning value and wanted not to screw him. i have same trouble pricing my own work

[Jamisjockey]

Call a local repair shop, ask how much labor to do the job.  Cut some off the top since its a cash side job.

[Nick1911]

thanks all  i suck at assigning value and wanted not to screw him. i have same trouble pricing my own work

Same here.  I almost always undercharge people when I do work for them.  I think this is because, to my core, I'm a frugal person. 

[Balog]

Same here.  I almost always undercharge people when I do work for them.  I think this is because, to my core, I'm a frugal person. 

Same here. I tried to bid a job to install a hot tub for a guy and had no idea how to try to price it. Ended up dropping the job.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

i hate finding out when i'm done how much cheaper i was than the other guys bidding

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

Call a local repair shop, ask how much labor to do the job.  Cut some off the top since its a cash side job.

he works for a local shop and knows what its worth  he used to charge 1/2 the going rate till i said that was too cheap. especially since i started sending him work as well as scrounging a few things for him. he would damn near give me the work if i let him. hence his designation as a real decent guy.

[Jim147]

thanks all  i suck at assigning value and wanted not to screw him. i have same trouble pricing my own work

I do the same thing.

I just did a job last night that I told them would be around $150.00. When I got done it only came to $140.00. They paid me $150.00 anyway. I guess they thought the fact that I answered a lot of questions for them while I did the repair was worth a little more.

jim