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Author Topic: Am I being ripped off?  (Read 10871 times)

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  • Offline Clock'd 0Ne

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Am I being ripped off?
on: March 28, 2006, 17:52:53 PM
Ive booked in at a local garage - it seems quite a big name place, they have a few branches in the region and a website, etc. - to combat the problems preventing my car from starting in the damp.

I was told by the RAC chap I needed the distributor cap, rotor arm and leads replacing as they were old and coroded, he said parts should come to £25-£30.

The place I am booked in at rang me back earlier to say the parts were in (also have some spark plugs down to go in too)  and it was going to be £65. I was a bit shocked but not knowing the value of any of the bits I simply hung up and didnt discuss the cost. I also am not sure if this is supposed to include the labour charge for fitting said parts, which if it doesnt Im sure must be a total scam :?

The parts are for a 94 1.2 Clio. Anyone have any advice or recommendations? Oh and am I obliged to purchase the parts and have them fitted now they have been ordered in? I wouldnt have thought so.
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Am I being ripped off?
Reply #1 on: March 28, 2006, 18:11:00 PM
lol was over £100 just for the HT leads on my car, then there was the cap and arm and the rest
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Re:Am I being ripped off?
Reply #2 on: March 28, 2006, 18:11:45 PM
as long as it includes labour that sounds ok to me for a garage doing it.

imo tho
haynes-£10
dizzy and arm-£10
leads-£15

you could have done it yourself no probs :)
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Am I being ripped off?
Reply #3 on: March 28, 2006, 18:12:04 PM
A rough guesstimation of what average such parts would cost in the US:

cap: $25
rotor: $15
leads: $50
-----------------
$90

+

1 hour shop time: $60

=

$150

The parts are probably cheaper than that and take a couple minutes to install, if youve not signed your life away, reclaim the car and razz the forker.

btw, you can often remedy this sort of thing, by replacing the leads one by one--as they do wear out, and popping off the cap and cleaning the rotor and cap contacts with some emery cloth or fine wet/dry sandpaper. Add a schpritz of WD40 to displace moisture, and voila! Vroom! Replacing the cap and rotor, if needed, is childs play. Assembly is the reverse of disassembly.
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  • Offline Madrocker

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Am I being ripped off?
Reply #4 on: March 28, 2006, 18:16:35 PM
Quote from: maximusotter
A rough guesstimation of what average such parts would cost in the US:

cap: $25
rotor: $15
leads: $50
-----------------
$90

+

1 hour shop time: $60

=

$150


For those of you that CBA to convert this its £85.72
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Am I being ripped off?
Reply #5 on: March 28, 2006, 18:35:09 PM
Quote from: maximusotter

btw, you can often remedy this sort of thing, by replacing the leads one by one--as they do wear out, and popping off the cap and cleaning the rotor and cap contacts with some emery cloth or fine wet/dry sandpaper. Add a schpritz of WD40 to displace moisture, and voila! Vroom! Replacing the cap and rotor, if needed, is childs play. Assembly is the reverse of disassembly.


Ive had the RAC man out twice already to do exactly that max, I spent 1:30 hours trying to get the thing started on Friday night, Im much more inclined to simply take it in, get spangly new(tm) bits fitted and have done.

I hate dealing with car problems.

Youve all been very reassuring though, I dont feel so much like Im being ripped off now.
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Am I being ripped off?
Reply #6 on: March 28, 2006, 19:40:24 PM
when you think that 4 plugs @ £7 is would be £28, add that to the £25 estimated for the parts your already up to £53.... £65 might be slightly over the odd, but ive never bout for a renault...not sure of prices
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  • Offline Chris

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Am I being ripped off?
Reply #7 on: March 28, 2006, 21:37:13 PM
including labour (@ £20/hour) that sounds about right.

To be perfectly honest though, I would seriously recommend the purchase of a haynes manual - that way you know whats involved when letting the garage do work to your car.

And moreover, it can encourage you to do stuff to ya motor by yourself.

Although you say you hate doing work on your car, I would recommend you familiarise yourself with simple maintainance yourself, as it is very rewarding, and cost effective (once youve purchased some tools, that is).

Theres nothing more disheartening than feeling that youve been fleeced by the garage and not being entirely sure if theyve done what they said theyve done, or if it needed doing.

My car has only been to a garage once, and that was to get a new exhaust fitted as i didnt have the tools, time, or MOT left to do it myself.  And to this day i wish Id owned a trolley jack, set of axel stands, a hacksaw and a mallet to do it myself!
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Am I being ripped off?
Reply #8 on: March 28, 2006, 21:41:25 PM
Yeah, plugs, wires, cap, air filter, fuel filter--all things that are so easy that I always do them myself.

Brakes? Nah. Id rather pay the local quickie shop an extra $40 per axel and have somebody to sue when they fail at 90mph. :lol:
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  • Offline Chris

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Am I being ripped off?
Reply #9 on: March 28, 2006, 21:45:27 PM
Got Rusty to do my brakes for me... at the time, I was very green on car maintainence and didnt have the correct tools...  These days though, Id definately have a go.  Would probably need to invest in a breaker bar first, however.
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Am I being ripped off?
Reply #10 on: March 28, 2006, 22:11:32 PM
do all my own work, not had a single failure yet (grabs the 4x2)

breakers bar.. best £20 i ever spent
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Re:Am I being ripped off?
Reply #11 on: March 28, 2006, 22:38:19 PM
I own & drive a 92 K plate 1.8 Clio RT.

That stuff you listed is easily buyable from Halfords and fittable in the halfords car park with a screwdriver in 10-15 minutes max. ( maybe a little longer if youre knew at it...)

That garage price had better inlcude labour or its a loud, roaring velcro rip-off. :shock:
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  • Offline Mark

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Am I being ripped off?
Reply #12 on: March 28, 2006, 23:11:40 PM
Quote from: Christopher Monkey
when you think that 4 plugs @ £7 is would be £28, add that to the £25 estimated for the parts your already up to £53.... £65 might be slightly over the odd, but ive never bout for a renault...not sure of prices


Youre getting well ripped off if youre paying seven quid for spark plugs for normal cars!
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Re:Am I being ripped off?
Reply #13 on: March 29, 2006, 00:10:41 AM
I think I will chat to them about it when I go down there then. If that is the price excluding labour I will politely tell them where to go. If it includes labour Ill be happy to pay just to have it sorted and out of the way.
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Am I being ripped off?
Reply #14 on: March 29, 2006, 00:20:46 AM
are they pattern parts or official items, if its the official manufacture items i wouldnt be surprised if thats the actual price
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