Average Mechanics cost in the UK

[BACR]

Hi guys, I just went to Mr Clutch to get a wishbone changed on the front of my car and they carged me £70 an hour labour for a mechanic, it took him 1.35 hours to repair, and £60 for the wishbone and £10 for the bushes.

Total £163! for a BMW 318i 1996 in Canterbury, Kent UK

Is this correct, just seems rather alot to me for labour?

[LEXION]

You should have checked the prices in different places.

Here, it very easy to get ripped off, no matter what you change at your car.....I went to a service park for an oil change, and they charged me 130 euros for everything....than I searched a bit more, and found a place where, if you buy the oil from them, the change is included , so the overall payment was about 70 euros....almost HALF!!!!

Thats why, you first need to search a good place, ask friends for cheapper mechanics....or do it yourself

[e46drew]

Originally Posted by BACR Hi guys, I just went to Mr Clutch to get a wishbone changed on the front of my car and they carged me £70 an hour labour for a mechanic, it took him 1.35 hours to repair, and £60 for the wishbone and £10 for the bushes. Total £163! for a BMW 318i 1996 in Canterbury, Kent UK Is this correct, just seems rather alot to me for labour?

then do it your self.

also you know that th the tech himself was making 20 or less

[RC45]

Originally Posted by BACR Hi guys, I just went to Mr Clutch to get a wishbone changed on the front of my car and they carged me £70 an hour labour for a mechanic, it took him 1.35 hours to repair, and £60 for the wishbone and £10 for the bushes. Total £163! for a BMW 318i 1996 in Canterbury, Kent UK Is this correct, just seems rather alot to me for labour?

Seems piss cheap if you ask me.

[T-Bird]

OK I am going to chime in here seeing as I have been in a shop for going on 3 years now. Firstly When I was at Acura we charged $135 hour, At Protege Garage we charge $85. The "book time" is what the manufacturer of the vehicle said it would take to do said job, sometimes they are to high but often than not they are at or below actual time if you do it the way they tell you to but working at a dealership and dealing with the same problem on the same car day in and day out you find short cuts and get it done very quickly like book time on a trans states 6.5-8hours depending on the vehicle and it would take roughly 3 hours to do it well guess what... The customer or the manufacturer (warranty) is out 6.5-8 hours no matter what tough shit etc, etc.

If you are not mechanically inclined and are stressing over labor on a damn control arm then you better make really good friends with a Mechanic/Technician very quickly because your 1996 BMW is going to start breaking more expensive shit soon.