Fair price for work on car?

Annabee

The car (Honda Civic) has just been in to the local garage as it needed 2 new brake pads and a new car battery. We've been charged £166 in total.

Is this fair or have we been ripped off?

dipsy

well I have a volvo.. and 330 would be near the mark.. guessing your car is 1.4.. very

cheekyweegit

Can't help on the break pads bit but if it helps I bought a battery for my Mondeo (1.8 on a 97 plate) after a few phone calls for £35 with a 2 year guarantee and fitted it myself.

I'm a girlie and it was dead easy, although I did get a few strange looks at times from passers by, but it didn't take too long to do with the help of some WD40.

I did get my rear break pads done and break pipes along with a full service and MOT at a garage I won't name, this time last year and was mega overcharged after them claiming it was discounted as they had had my car for 3 days by them and 3 sets of break shoes later. To top it off my car came out with faulty breaks and the engine over - revving. You can imagine what I said to them on my return with it! I haggled them down from almost £400 to £275 but I still feel I was done. I phoned a local garage who I'll book my car into this year and they said I'd have been around £150 with them tops for the same work including MOT and service.

Inactive

Annabee wrote: »

The car (Honda Civic) has just been in to the local garage as it needed 2 new brake pads and a new car battery. We've been charged £166 in total.

Is this fair or have we been ripped off?

I hope you mean 2 pairs of disc pads, 2 each wheel, cost around £20 for good quality pads, a good quality battery around £60, so £86 for fitting, slightly excessive, but not overly so.

Conor_3

£60 for a battery? Where you shopping, Harrods? I bought a brand name van battery with 3 year warranty for £35 a month ago.

iluvmylexus

you pay main dealer markups if you use main dealers.
independant garages will normally have lower labour rates and often use cheaper non branded equivalent parts. fitting yourself saves on labour , but you may not get the cheapest price for the parts you purchase there is the price discrepancy.

Inactive

Conor wrote: »

£60 for a battery? Where you shopping, Harrods? I bought a brand name van battery with 3 year warranty for £35 a month ago.

I did say a " good quality " battery.

Conor_3

I also said "brand name". It's a good quality one.

goldspanners

batteries vary in price,i buy a lot of the same battery,usually in pairs,if i buy them from unipart or another motor factors it will be £30 each,if i buy them from a garage its usually £40 each.
a battery for a small engine petrol car would be no more than £45 fitted.
the brake pads would be around £30.
labour rate of £35 per hour. (local garage,not main dealer)
would take no more than 2 hours to do these things (being generous)

you maybe havent been overcharged too much.

ask them for an itemissed bill.