Labour Rates

[Zak33]

well guys..I know you all think we overcharge in this trade, so I have done some work on it.

I heard, on Radio 4, a Warranty Audit, where a company was indendantly checking up on hourly rates, and was trying to sort out the good from the frankly unpayable.

And the results were that £85 was quite acceptable t most warranty companies, bearing in ming Post Code chenges (ie deep Wales is cheaper than Central London.) A few were taking the wee wee somewhat (BMW £160 per hour)

But we here in sunny Beaconsfield, surrounded by Multi Million pound houses, are charging £57 per hour!

Here's my local neighbourhood....all Vauxhall, for your perusal;

AA Clark, Windsor £68.00 + vat

Burnham, High Wycombe £65.00 + vat

Burnham, Slough £65.00 + vat

CD Bramall, St Albans £69.95 + vat

CD Bramall, Chesham £57.00 + vat

CD Bramall, Hemel Hempstead £75.00 + vat for 1st hour then £60.00 + vat

Sonning Common £55.00 + vat

We are gonna up ours to £60 as of now.....we are still way cheaper than the worst....but the WEIRD thing is that the WEALTHIEST area on the whole are the lowest.

Slough (dont be offended Skii mate) is a cheaper area....as is Hemel Hempstead.....

and us and Sonning Common (big dough housing...really big dough) are cheapest by miles!

What do ya think of THAT!!!?

[Moby-Dick]

I'd rather go to a specialist who charges much less

the only time I@ll go near a nissan dealiship is to collect parts

[Zak33]

once upon a time I'd have disagreed with ya....but not anymore.

Some people REALLY know a certain car....and thats where you need to go. Your Hundy is a good example.

[Angus]

I'd say back in the good ole days of carbs and powerless steering it would have been ok to go down to your local grease monkey - if you were particulalrly inclined you could even do it yourself.

But nowadays with ECUs and software and elecrtonic hardware systems growing in complexity; it would be like taking your PC down to the local Electricity Board service centre to get it's OS upgraded.

Cars are getting more sophisticated - and mechanics can only know so much.