Just blowing off steam here. What's with this new trend of mom & pop mechanic shops charging diagnostic fees? Almost every smaller place I've called is charging $150-$200 just to look at the car. Worse yet... Many of these shops don't include that towards any work that's done if you decide to get the work completed and use their services. Is this a new trend? I can understand major dealerships doing this, but small to medium-sized mechanics? IMO, bad business practice, and not the optimal way to attract new customers.
yes, most of todays price increases, and pricing shenanigans seemed to have developed out of covid. i doubt we'll ever be going back, it seems to be working. there's a shortage of most everything, and consumers are taking it on the chin.
Yeah remember the first time I encountered that, close to 20 years ago I think. We had a clearcut issue with a car, phoned service descri8ed the problem, booked an appointment, assuming it'd be for the repair. Brought it in, got a call about an hour later, something like "yup, that's the problem, when do you want to bring it in for the repair. Today's visit will be $100". What the heck...
Just say no, and research repositories of subject matter experience, expertise and institutional knowledge -- like PriusChat
That's because more people have no intention of getting their car fixed at that shop. They take the diagnosis and look up the repair procedures on YouTube. Meanwhile, those shops need to pay rent, utilities, employees - and they just burned an hour of their time diagnosing the car and preparing an estimate, for cost of repairs. That's all lost time and money for small mom & pops, whereas the larger shops, that cost more. can usually absorb that cost. Most small honest shops will credit you back the diagnostic charges, if you decide to get it repaired.
Easy! Bidenomics. Think of how much it takes to keep a Mom and Pop shop open! They PAY commercial real estate. They PAY commercial power and utilities. They PAY commercial taxes. They have to CHARGE a rate that is often as not LESS than a 'living wage.' Most of them clearly list their 'shop rates.' with a 'usual' one half hour minimum. The industry standard used to be something like $150/hr. Caveat Emptor Don't like it? FOR CARS..... AutoZone offers a complimentary Fix Finder service that efficiently diagnoses warning lights, including Check Engine, ABS, and maintenance indicators. Simply visit your nearest AutoZone store when a warning light appears on your vehicle's dashboard. PS... Go to a HEALTH CARE proffessional, and tell THEM that their 'diagnostic fee' is unreasonable.......
Yep, most good car mechanics/technicians make 6-figures which comes out to about $50 an hour so I don't see anything wrong with a diagnostics fee...and those high-tech scanners they use can cost around $10,000 plus they have to pay a subscription fee for them. We drive mostly Toyota's so don't really need a lot of diagnostics but I do like to get the older vehicles' oil changed at my Toyota dealer every few years so they can check on any computer updates and they also do a front-to-back check for any issues and will provide an estimate of the repair...and you don't pay for that. I took my 2014 Tundra (5.7L V-8) in for her check-up and they had a deal....$250 for three synthetic oil/filter changes and tire rotations and you have 3-years to use them. They confirmed I have a leak in the big front timing chain cover and they can fix it for around $2,600 so I'll get it fixed elsewhere for much cheaper soon.
Garages with no charge diagnostics only waived the charge if THEY did the repair. They charged for just a diagnostic.
Most ANY place they offered free diagnostics was only free if they did the repair. They charged for the service otherwise.
I paid a LOT less than that to get the timing belt replaced on my 2000 Tundra V8. I figured I should replace it after 25 years of trouble free operation.
Yeah, I considered just getting the timing chain service done but the truck only has 50,000 miles so not really due. I'm getting some estimates from local guys...hopefully someone is willing to do the job for about half what the dealer wants.
Mine only has a little over 60K miles. I had already bought the coolant to change it so they used my fluid for the refill. I also replaced the spark plugs for the first time even though they were supposed to be replaced every 30K miles. a few years back, I replaced the serpentine belt because it started showing signs of wear. the only other engine maintenance other than oil/filter is to keep the throttle body clean, free from varnish buildup. It stuck once or twice so I learned my lesson.
That's impressive you have a 24-year old Tundra and makes me want to keep my 2014 even longer. I've debated trading down for a smaller, new, Tacoma, but the new ones aren't all that small and I'm not a fan of two things...them being made in Mexico and getting a turbo. (And the prices of the new Tundras, which also have their issues, is insane.) I just got a set of new spark plugs so will doing that on a warm day.....I swap out the fluids in my front/rear diff and transaxle every 3-years with the kit from Blau Parts out of Germany. I've looked into replacing my OEM headlights due to the fade but will probably just use a restore kit (they are the leveling lights so just can't buy anything and those out there are priced way too high.)
Your Tundra is bigger than mine. I think mine is the size of the current Tacoma. Toyota released the Tundra in early 2019 as a 2020 model to compete with the Ford F150. I got mine in early 2020 and there was promptly a recall where they mailed me a new dipstick because some were too short. LOL Toyota then decided to compete with the F250 instead so the Tundra grew. I have the cab with suicide doors & 6 foot bed. i have had no rust issues that were the subject of another recall. Although my O2 sensors went bad, they determined I was not included in that recall.I expect Tacomas, which are currently made i Mexico, will soon have import tariffs. I am not a fab of the larger Tundra because mine is just the right size. I did change to using Mobil One oil and, last change, used a Mobil One filter instead of a Toyota one.
