If you were given an estimate to replace a water pump on your car, would you recognize if the price was fair? Could you trust the price? What about for a tie rod end, mass air flow sensor, or an evaporative emissions sensor?

The majority of us do not know what these are, never mind the price. Yet its components like these which are commonly used to overcharge you, the car repair customer.

We no longer live in an age of trust, so how do we guarantee that our auto repair costs are legitimate.

How often have you suspected that you paid too much, but couldn’t prove it? How many times did the price seem exorbitant for even simple repairs?

To illustrate simply how “At Risk” the everyday auto repair customer is to excessive car repair prices, here is a recent real life example from a “reputable…?” dealer.

A client brought her Audi to an authorized Audi dealership for a standard timing belt maintenance service.

The price for this service averages $1575 at the dealership level, (such as pulleys, water pump…etc) and around $1275 at the independent repair shop level.

Yet the woman left the dealer with a bill for $2025.68.

What transpired?

Based on the repair order, there were no abnormal circumstances, no problems observed by the technician such as rust or any other extenuating circumstances that would have perhaps increased the labor, or added parts.

In short, it was a simple service, but the bill was $450.68 higher than it should have been. There is merely no legitimate reason to have “that much” discrepancy.

How’d they get away with it?

The answer is very simple, and it’s a point that I do not want anyone to miss:

They get away with it because they can!

Look at it. The average individual doesn’t know how much auto parts cost. And who knows how much labor time a repair should take? To what sources does one go to uncover this info? Who even has the time to investigate!

On examination of this woman’s repair order, it was discovered that she was charged a full 4 hours “more” than the standard labor time. At $100 per hour, this added another $400. The outstanding $50.68 came from the parts, which were billed greater than MSRP.

She was quoted $2,025 for a repair that tops out at $1575. The woman did not know. She just paid the bill and left.

How many times do folks just pay the bill and leave? Pretty much that’s all a person can do considering the fact that there is no accessible information for the car repair customer to properly question a repair bill. In addition, hardly any even know what questions to ask!

The auto repair industry has been over-charging for decades-sometimes subtly, sometimes boldly, definitely frequently. The evidence for this is overwhelming; yet, there are no easy solutions available for the car repair customer.

Government agencies can’t help. The Better Business Bureau can’t do anything. Even supposed “car repair experts or advocates” are lacking the comprehension of the breadth and insidiousness of the car repair business at all its levels.

A dealership operates differently than an independent repair shop, and a franchise, like Midas, is completely unique. Who really is aware of what goes on in the underground of such a diverse and complex industry?

The Solution?

First of all, car repair customers require access to information on car repair prices. Without it, they have got absolutely nothing tangible in which to ascertain reasonable costs. They likewise need to manage to navigate the maze of parts and labor charges for car repairs and maintenance.

Like everything else, information is the main element to ensure fair treatment. Without it, the car repair customer will continue to “swim with the sharks” without any protection.

[youtube:7Jt5c92Blb0?fs=1;[link:Wheeling Auto Repair];http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Jt5c92Blb0?fs=1&feature=related]

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