how much should it cost to get a quote from a garage?

kim1122043

hi,
My car broke down last week and AA towed it to a garage for me, I am new to the area so didnt know any good garages,
So he suggested a place and i agreed.

I rang the garage the next day and spoke about the car and what had happened and asked them for a quote to fix it, they said they would have a look and let me know.

they rang a couple of days later and said it looks like it needs a new engine, i asked if there was anything else it could be? and they said they could take it apart and look further but that would be expensive and might not be needed. So i asked for a price to get and fit a new engine, they got bak to me the next day and it was too expensive, so i said i cant afford it and i would pick the car up on my day off, He then said that there is a small fee for them looking at it.. which was £60!.

I havn't paid yet as i will pay when i pick it up, but is this normal? they didn't do any work on it? simply opened the bonnet and looked inside.

Foxy-Stoat_3

Ask them what they actually have done for £60 and what is their hourly rate. May of been 2 hours diagnostic work @ £30 an hour, or an hour and a computer diagnostic check, compression check, cam belt/water pump check.

Although any mechanic would find out within 30 minutes to an hour if an engine needed replacing.

What actually happened when it broke down, over heated, suddenly stopped, lots of loud noises...what car is it, age/mileage/condition.

photome

kim1122043 wrote: »

hi,
My car broke down last week and AA towed it to a garage for me, I am new to the area so didnt know any good garages,
So he suggested a place and i agreed.

I rang the garage the next day and spoke about the car and what had happened and asked them for a quote to fix it, they said they would have a look and let me know.

they rang a couple of days later and said it looks like it needs a new engine, i asked if there was anything else it could be? and they said they could take it apart and look further but that would be expensive and might not be needed. So i asked for a price to get and fit a new engine, they got bak to me the next day and it was too expensive, so i said i cant afford it and i would pick the car up on my day off, He then said that there is a small fee for them looking at it.. which was £60!.

I havn't paid yet as i will pay when i pick it up, but is this normal? they didn't do any work on it? simply opened the bonnet and looked inside.

I doubt they simply opened the bonnet and looked inside!

What do you think you should pay for their time to put car on ramp etc and diagnose a problem, although it isnt clear from your post what problem they have diagnosed

McKneff

Yes, I would think that would be fair for them to be honest.
The labour is down to you. In actual fact, £60 is pretty cheap, bearing in mind the hourly charge of garages these days are that much per hour plus vAT.

kim1122043

basically as the car hasnt been serviced for a long time, the oil ran out.. i did put oil in about a week before, but it was too late and the car broke down on the motorway, it overheated, lots of steam and when we opened the bonnet it had oil everywhere, the AA man said it needed a new engine by just looking at it.

Foxy-Stoat_3

kim1122043 wrote: »

basically as the car hasnt been serviced for a long time, the oil ran out.. i did put oil in about a week before, but it was too late and the car broke down on the motorway, it overheated, lots of steam and when we opened the bonnet it had oil everywhere, the AA man said it needed a new engine by just looking at it.

What car is it?

Worth getting a secondhand engine....or sell it for scrap and look for another car to break !! LOL

forgotmyname

Pay the £60. It seems fair to me. Hourly rate £40 - £80 average. Main dealers charge much more.

Whats the car worth? You could be cheeky and ask them if they want it in leu of payment?

If your looking at costs to get it picked up and scrapped etc.

SailorSam

The cheapest way to get it back on the road is going to be get an engine from a scrap yard. But then you're taking a chance upon getting a good one. Getting yours repaired the work could go on and on ......... pistons; rebore; cylinder head; bottom of engine. You really need someone you can trust to tell you if it's worth it.

kim1122043

Foxy-Stoat wrote: »

What car is it?

Worth getting a secondhand engine....or sell it for scrap and look for another car to break !! LOL

its a 08 vauxhall tigra, i have found a second hand engine and a mechanic to fit it for under £1000!,
that garage quoted £2000 so that why i didnt go with them.
i did ring vauxhall and they only quoted £1800 for a brand new engine! so compared it was quite expensive

forgotmyname

Your supposed to check the oil, water and other fluid levels weekly.


£1800 for an engine + 6 - 12 hours labour at £100 per hour?

+VAT of course.

Foxy-Stoat_3

You need to find out what you are getting for £1000 or £1800.

You want a known low mileage running unit, new cambelt, water and oil pump, compression checked and new clutch and fully serviced before fitting.

I'd wager the one for less than £1000 will not be worth it and you will be back on here complaining that your car with a "new" engine has broken down.

Good luck what ever you decide to do.