Won't get fooled again

[brin]

When you get as old as I am, everything seems terribly expensive, but in this case, I'm afraid Messick is right; $350 is not at all unusual; sounds about normal. I think many of us are accustomed to thinking of oil & filter changes in relation to cars and pickups and those prices. So while I don't think your dealer charged too much, I do think dealers should realize that you're going to be surprised (shocked?) and should give you at least an estimate up front before doing the job.

I completely disagree with you - When I do my 50 hr or 100 hr.. etc.service myself it is as the other poster said about a 1 hr. job and we don't do this for a living and by doing it myself I know the fluids and filters were actually changed and what was supposed to be greased actually got greased. There have been posters who posted here that fluids were not changed as prescribed and when they questioned the dealer he said they never do that...so there is much to be said in favor of doing it for yourself and then you know..regardless of what a dealer says..our saving money it important to us too.

 

[bp fick]

Gonna take an unpopular stance here, but that cost was just about right. Shop time is charged. Likely $120 an hour. Shop time is not the same as what a singular guy, even a high priced tech charges. Shop time includes all the overhead and such. That 50 hour service is very likely "booked" at 2 shop hours and no, shop hours don't always match the real world clock precisely.

A guy has to have a job and a job that pays good enough to survive on. That's what we say. So think of your contribution to the economy!!!

The lesson learned is very simple. What I can do for myself does indeed save an awful lot of money. What I have to pay someone else to do? Well, I gotta pay the going rate.

The more of these one can do for oneself, that's money in one's pocket. Of course, our time isn't really free either. We don't fix our wives stoves, or maintain our own tractors for our main living. It's our overtime work, and unlike a shop, we make less when we work overtime.

 

[Bird]

I completely disagree with you

Bob, you're certainly welcome to disagree with me. But I'm not sure what you're disagreeing with. I think if you ask dealers in my part of the country, you'll find I was about right. Now you talk about doing it yourself, when I was talking about a dealer doing it. I did all of mine myself, too, on both of my tractors (and on my cars and pickups, too, for that matter), so of course, we didn't spend anywhere near that $350, but if you ask a dealer to do it, that's another matter.

 

[6thgpSF]

thats why I try to learn to do as much as I can.What I can't do then I bite the bullet.Oil change and such is a snap,more specialized things maybe ,maybe not.I will say reading the forums on this site has upped my IQ factor by many points. russ

 

[dodge man]

I did mine myself and I think it took me over an hour to do it. 2 hours sounds about right.

 

[Mudfarmer]

I have my two tractors to do tractor work which I love and almost don't hae enough time to do. I hate mechanics work and avoid it. I'd rather pay $250 a year to the Kubota dealer to service my B7100HST and know it was done right. The local JD dealer will pick up and deliver my new JD 3005 during the winter for free for service - one of the reasons i bought it.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I think my last case of oil alone was over $50, and my kubota dealer sold me New Holland Oil. I asked why they didn't have kubota oil, which I always got before, they said it was twice the price, so they quit carrying it.

 

[Cami]

I'm afraid to say that if you call in a pro, you have to pay his rate. You're not paying the mechanic for fiddling with a screwdriver for a couple minutes, you're paying for his knowing what needs to be done.

I think that charging for diagnostic work is fair since it does take time.

As for minimum charges, I have mixed feelings. I have a couple colleagues who won't uncoil their welding cables for less than $150 and start billing from when the phone rings while I'll charge a 1 hour minimum if I'm not already set up.

I don't know if tractor dealers use estimating books or not. I've only worked for independent repair companies and they all charged by the hour, and that was that. A friend who is an auto mechanic bills everything by Mitchell's estimating books. If Mitchell's says your repair is four hours, then that's what you pay, irrespective of how long he actually takes.

How about this thought on DIY: Being self-sufficient is antisocial and is a threat to society, which derives its strength, in part, from our interdependence. I make the beer, you make the cheese; we need each other.

Oops...I ran out of commas.

 

[buck12]

I worked for a independent auto shop when I was in college. I was the general flunky. The mechanics made many times what I did, as they should. When I did work such as changing oil the customer was billed the shop rate regardless of who did the work. Not saying this was/is wrong. As a matter of fact 20 years later this shop still does the out of warranty work on my autos. I would suspect many tractor dealers do the same thing by having a low paid flunky that does service work and bills the customer the shop rate. Nothing wrong with the dealer making a buck as long as the customer knows up front the cost.

 

[DC3]

I'm new here and shopping for a compact or sub-compact. When you go to buy a tractor, can you negotiate the 50 hour service or the materials to do it (Oil, filters, etc.), as part of the deal?