Won't get fooled again

[marimus]

I make the beer, you make the cheese; we need each other.

Hmmm, perhaps we can sample this beer you make

 

[irvingj]

DC3- (nice airplane!) It seems as simple as different dealers' policies.

When I bought my M-F, it was clearly spelled out that purchase price did not include 50-hr service, whereas the loacl Kubota dealer generally does include that.

I was a bit disappointed, but found that performing the 50-hr srvoice is not that bad-- just another learning experience!

Certainly can't hurt to ask!

 

[Deano]

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.

Great point! I have a brother who is a Dodge mechanic and the horror stories he tells of some of the mechanics "skipping" items that they perceive as "not important" to get the job in and out and still get the going shop rate.

Deano

 

[Diamondpilot]

You can negotiate anything you want. My neighbor got his tractor delivered with a Pizza and a cold 6 pack. Him and the delivery guy talked over the tractor and ate the Pizza and drank the beer out of the FEL.

When I bought my new truck I negotiated 4 oil changes, 2 tire rotations, ect.

As for the tractor I do all my own maintenance. Same thing with every car, truck, boat, ect I have ever owned except for this current truck.

I also think the price is in line with shop rates around here. Especially if they transported the tractor for you. Shop rates are $60-$100 per hour hence I do my own maintenance.

Chris

 

[Big Bri]

While i would not want to pay that much for a 50hr service (did mine myself) i can see where the cost comes from. you have to figure that the shop guy who did the service is making $20 hr, the owner is going to have to pay him his 20, his Social Security, Employment tax, Health Ins., Unimployment Tax, and lets not forget Workmans comp insurance. on top of all that there other shop related fees. Paper towels, gloves, and oil dry. They also have to heat and cool the shop, have lights going, air compressors, and god knows what other tools. as well as insurance for the shop. All of this cost money.
In my small retail store (i own a music store) we charge $60 an hr for labor on repairs, and i pay the repair man $15hr. every now and the someone might question the labor cost but when you tell them the the tools to fix the the problem cost money (and they break) they start to understand.

 

[Dutch445]

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.

That sounds like a common problem. I don't think equipment dealers
publish pricing as openly as auto dealers. There's no bulletin board
advertising LOF for $24,95 etc. And your point about auto service pricing,
vs. equipment servicing is valid, many expect an oil change to cost similar
to what they pay for their vehicle. And why not? just a filter and couple
quarts of oil right?

I do think dealers drop the ball though in not communicating a price for
a service up front. If when the appointment is made you are told
"oh by the way, this service runs about $350, including transportation",
maybe there'd be less sticker shock when you get the bill. Then, if you
wanted to rethink, and try the service yourself, you have the
chance before it's done in the shop.

 

[ovrszd]

Great point! I have a brother who is a Dodge mechanic and the horror stories he tells of some of the mechanics "skipping" items that they perceive as "not important" to get the job in and out and still get the going shop rate.

Deano

And I have a Son that's a certified mechanic at a multi-brand dealer and the horror stories he tells of customers that pick and choose which broken part of their vehicle they want to fix and then complain about the results is staggering!!! Goes both ways huh.......

 

[ovrszd]

Glad Messicks chimmed in. Figured you would back the dealer.

He's not backing the dealer, he's offering an experienced opinion about the charges. I appreciate Messicks comments and always consider them honest.

 

[Hammsman]

I too am sometimes hit with sticker shock on what things cost, but find by asking upfront about cost and then checking with other reputable people to perform the same service, and finding all to be about the same, I at least do n't feel I am being ripped off, just surprised at the price. I do most of the service myself and reflect on how well I am being paid to do so.

 

[chipsndust]

That sounds like a common problem. I don't think equipment dealers
publish pricing as openly as auto dealers. There's no bulletin board
advertising LOF for $24,95 etc. And your point about auto service pricing,
vs. equipment servicing is valid, many expect an oil change to cost similar
to what they pay for their vehicle. And why not? just a filter and couple
quarts of oil right?

I do think dealers drop the ball though in not communicating a price for
a service up front. If when the appointment is made you are told
"oh by the way, this service runs about $350, including transportation",
maybe there'd be less sticker shock when you get the bill. Then, if you
wanted to rethink, and try the service yourself, you have the
chance before it's done in the shop.

Why wouldn't you ask the dealer for cost estimate before having them do the work?

I always ask my dealer for a price estimate before having them do any work. Some things I can do myself, some things I can't. Either way, I want to know the dealer cost up front.

 

[jenkinsph]

The cost of running a business is staggering today and it is fixing to get alot worse. Comparing your hourly wage to a full dealership rate is unrealistic. If money is tight it is cheaper to do it yourself if capable. Like alot of people here I never had much money and had to learn how to do things myself. The experiences you gain by doing it yourself are invaluable.

It would have been better to have an estimate of repairs, I am sure you will make sure of it next time. The price seems fair to me, but I would have done this myself.

 

[pitt_md]

Great point! I have a brother who is a Dodge mechanic and the horror stories he tells of some of the mechanics "skipping" items that they perceive as "not important" to get the job in and out and still get the going shop rate.

Deano

I did the 50 hr service on my Kubota MX5000 myself. I got to the part of the recomended things to do where they tell you to change the oil in the front axel. Things didn't go as planed. They say to remove the drain plug etc. but what they fail to mention is that only a little bit comes out and then it starts to drip. It seems that the rest (most) of the oil has to pass through the gears in order to get out and will take a month of Sundays to complete. My dealer said they have never done that... If the book says it should be done then I would think it should be done.

Massicks - if your listning ask your techs what they do for this part of the job.

 

[brin]

I did the 50 hr service on my Kubota MX5000 myself. I got to the part of the recomended things to do where they tell you to change the oil in the front axel. Things didn't go as planed. They say to remove the drain plug etc. but what they fail to mention is that only a little bit comes out and then it starts to drip. It seems that the rest (most) of the oil has to pass through the gears in order to get out and will take a month of Sundays to complete. My dealer said they have never done that... If the book says it should be done then I would think it should be done.

Massicks - if your listning ask your techs what they do for this part of the job.

Pitt...This is my point too....You don't know if Dealers are actually doing the required service unless you are there to observe or better yet do it yourself o hire a local non-dealer mechanic to help you for a lot less than $100 an hour. There have been other posts on here about dealers who say they don't change all the fluids the book recommends. I am in the unfortunate position of having a dealer only 15 miles from me that I do not trust ( burned before) and the one I do trust is about 60 miles away. Had I taken my tractor in for the 50hr. service to the dealer it would have been $200 just for the pick up and delivery before he charged for the service. I don't have an equipment trailer and many don't so that is a big factor.

 

[YotaBota]

When I made the appointment by phone with the service desk, I asked what it was going to cost me for the service. He told me that it was just a oil, fluid and filter change so it wouldn't be that bad. OK, I said, what are we talking here 3-400 bucks? Or more like 150 or 200? Oh no he said, more like 150 or 200. If we were picking up and delivering, that'll get up to 3 or 400. So I didn't get a firm price from the get go, but I was fine with 200, even 250. But 350, and I dropped it off and picked it up? And to clarify, I was glad that Messicks gave their professional opinion. Thats what I wanted. I don't pick sides. I want honesty and fairness. This is my first real tractor. I don't mind paying for the professional when its necessary. For an oil and fluid change, I "felt" gouged. If this is the reasonable cost for a service such as this then so be it. Being niave to this type of equipment I am, and so thats what makes it so valuable to be part of this forum. There is a wealth of knowledge and experience here and I greatly appreciate it. I'll change my own oil from now on. No problem. Thank you all again for all input/opinions.

 

[Cami]

Never feel bad about asking for the price. If he can't give an exact price, he should be able to explain why.

As for mechanics who lie about services...I like to think that there's a special section for them in ****; between drivers who tailgate and folks who leave their mobile phones on in theaters.

@pitt_md: Your axle story reminded me of a good bit of advice. Whenever you're in a situation where there's a drain and a fill plug, check that the fill plug isn't seized before draining the oil. I learned this from a mechanic friend who had a bad afternoon on account of a seized fill plug on a transmission.

Well...enough hiding from the rain. It's back to work for me.

 

[keyman1808]

I always ask for an estimate and then ask for a max too. I have 2 dealers in this area and they are like night and day. my 50hr service ran me about 250 and I dropped it off. The other dealer wanted 375.00. That included pickup and was the same even if I dropped it off so for me it was a no brainer. Now that my warranty is up I have a guy that comes to the house and does it all right in my own garage for about 175.00. He used to work for the local Kubota dealer and decided to go it alone when the economy went soft and they started laying people off.

What I dont like about the dealer where I purchased my BX24 was when I had a hydro leak under the dash that I could not find myself and was a under warranty he charged me for pick up and delivery which I understand because at the time fuel was near 4.00 plus a gallon and I didn't have the time to bring it myself but then had the nerve to charge me for the labor to do the repair. Another 75.00 dollars. When I called him on this he stated that hydro leaks were not covered and I should be tightening and checking all lines myself each time its driven. The kicker here it that it was inside the dash area hidden. I said what are we supposed to disassemble half the tractor each time to check every connection before use. He shrugged his shoulders. So I will not buy another tractor or bring it for service there ever again. Guess a warranty doesnt mean much to some dealers.

Maybe its just me but seems like its all about the dollar than doing the right thing when it comes to the service. Just my 2 cents

 

[Bird]

When I made the appointment by phone with the service desk, I asked what it was going to cost me for the service. He told me that it was just a oil, fluid and filter change so it wouldn't be that bad. OK, I said, what are we talking here 3-400 bucks? Or more like 150 or 200? Oh no he said, more like 150 or 200. If we were picking up and delivering, that'll get up to 3 or 400. So I didn't get a firm price from the get go, but I was fine with 200, even 250. But 350, and I dropped it off and picked it up? And to clarify, I was glad that Messicks gave their professional opinion. Thats what I wanted. I don't pick sides. I want honesty and fairness. This is my first real tractor. I don't mind paying for the professional when its necessary. For an oil and fluid change, I "felt" gouged. If this is the reasonable cost for a service such as this then so be it. Being niave to this type of equipment I am, and so thats what makes it so valuable to be part of this forum. There is a wealth of knowledge and experience here and I greatly appreciate it. I'll change my own oil from now on. No problem. Thank you all again for all input/opinions.

OK, in that case, I'd be very unhappy with the dealer myself, and I'd tell the owner how I felt. In Dallas, there's an ordinance that if you get an estimate on an automobile repair, the shop can go no more than 10% over that estimate without the customer's prior approval. Of course, I don't think it would apply to other equipment such as tractors. But I used to do the estimates one summer in my brother's tire dealership and garage, and I used to be in the air tool repair business. In either place, when I gave a customer an "estimate", the final bill might be less but it would never be more.

 

[bp fick]

I did the 50 hr service on my Kubota MX5000 myself. I got to the part of the recomended things to do where they tell you to change the oil in the front axel. Things didn't go as planed. They say to remove the drain plug etc. but what they fail to mention is that only a little bit comes out and then it starts to drip. It seems that the rest (most) of the oil has to pass through the gears in order to get out and will take a month of Sundays to complete. My dealer said they have never done that... If the book says it should be done then I would think it should be done.

Massicks - if your listning ask your techs what they do for this part of the job.

Did you take off the vent caps? Just asking. Just the drain plug isn't enough. This is spelled out in both your manual and at Messick's photo tutorial.

 

[Cami]

@Bird: That 10% ordinance is an interesting idea but seems a bit arbitrary. While I believe that part of being a competant tradesman is being able accuratly estimating the work, a one-size fits all rule makes me nervous.

 

[Bird]

@Bird: That 10% ordinance is an interesting idea but seems a bit arbitrary. While I believe that part of being a competant tradesman is being able accuratly estimating the work, a one-size fits all rule makes me nervous.

Many, many years ago the city used to get a lot of complaints about auto repair shops charging a lot more than was estimated. So that ordinance was what resulted after lots of meetings, discussions, etc. I didn't have anything to do with it. In fact, the police department was not the enforcement agency for that ordinance. Could there be a better way? I don't know. Maybe. But I don't know what it would be.

Of course auto repair shops aren't the only ones who do such things. In the Fall of 1992, I went to one of the supposedly super duper hospital/clinics in Texas for a complete general physical and to check on a couple of little problems I was having. You start by talking to an Internal Medicine Doctor who writes up all the tests he thinks should be done and he schedules them over the next few days. Then he told me that I could take his list to the business office and they could tell me in advance what it was going to cost. I did that. The lady in the business office looked everything up, told me a general physical usually cost around $1,100 but that he had scheduled me for some expensive tests and it was going to be about $1,700. I said that was OK. One of the things was for a dermatologist to remove (freeze) a growth on my head (he did a halfway job that I had to get another doctor to finish later). The other little problem I had was occasional severe itching on my arms for no reason (they had not idea what caused that). And when we finished, with them finding nothing and doing me no good whatsoever, the business office gave me a bill for $3,015. Would have been nice if they'd been limited to 10% over their estimate.