I have just been having a conversation with a friend about labour rates and how they can effect customers choices on where they take their vehicle for work.
I myself work in a BMW main dealers (previously Mercedes) where each job has a book time and the cost is worked out from that for the labour charge.

Do tuners/garages on here work on the same principle as above or do they/you try to be competitive by pricing the job as the job, as an example a first service is £99, second service £199 etc

If the Garage/Tuner charges by the hourly rate, if you don't mind me asking what do you charge per hour? Im not sure what BMW charge but IIRC Mercedes where £110+VAT per hour.

Thanks

 

Place I used to work made it up as he went along.

 

My mate owns a garage in south London, they price like main dealers.
Per hour and book time.
They charge £50 per hour plus vat.

 

i use autodata or personal experience if it takes longer or can do it quickly and price acordingly charge around 45 hour

 

I work in a vauxhall main dealer think there about £70.00+vat an hour

 

i work as a mobile mechanic and just charge per job what i think us reasonable.

 

when I fix mates cars it is priced by the job

 

30-35 per hour but sometimes just got to price accordingly/competitively to get work in

 

At 1320mini we charge 60inc vat.

We also offer packages to help out with costs.

I'm not sure how garages/tuners last working for 35 ish?

 

£25-£50 per hour but price per job in a competitive rate to try keep work flowing.

 

I don't currently work for myself but if I do I will do

Percentage of job
Hourly rate
Monthly rate for duration of the job

Then do an average of all three with extras by the hour

 

Its a hard one, I have owned a garage for 6 years, to price a job we do fixed pricing for service, like £50 + VAT labour plus parts then when it comes to gearbox jobs or head work etc its a what we think price, like a clutch about £150-300 depending whats involved, like taking the front end of a Vivaro to get the box out etc, by the way hello im new here lol

 

In the garage i work in, we charge £45 +vat PH, my private work i charge £25 PH

 

I know garages that have a low labour rate but put a mental amount on there parts !

 

My labour rate is £50 per hour + VAT, if it is a particularly big job or a longstanding repeat customer then I will discount.

 

fuck me you guys are cheap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

we've gone from using ford vans to vauxhalls because ford were charing £120/hour and vauxhall are only charging £100/hour

 

Cheap!!!

I work in IT and we are charged out at £65 plus vat an hour! That is for third line support.

I understand people need to make money but £120 an hour is taking the piss!

 

I have taken my galaxy for the timing belt to be change just because I cant be bothered to do it with the weather ,to change the belt,tensioners and water pump £80 I supplied the parts

 

Don't understand how some people can pay main dealer charges in excess of £100 + VAT when you have competent if not better independents/specialists that charge much less than that.

 

My BMW main dealer is only £10 more than my BMW Specialist on servicing a M3

 

How do you know there are better specialists than in the dealers?

The only way to work out your labour correctly is to base it around your costs and against your yearly operating profit margins.

 

when I cant be bothered fixing my own I take it to a friend who has his own garage and has done for 30 years he is a mechanic where as most dealers are simply fitters hook it up to a computer and replace rather then repair,once took a astra gsi to Vauxhall they replaced 3 sensors before they found the right one and charged for all 3 saying they where damage while being removed

 

There rent/rates out goings would be massive, a specialist will generly be smaller so can charge less and still make good money.

Mark

 

If I do work - I'm fussy about what I do, then I generally charge £25 PH and with my discount I get a bit of mark up on parts too. This is just spare time stuff - not a garage.

 

I do hate it when people suggest main dealer techs/mechanics just plug a computer on read what it says then replace what it says.if i did that id be charged for every sensor i changed untill i fixed the problem.i dont know what other dealers are like.But the one where work isnt like that at all.
Also agree with mark main dealers have massive overheads compared to a run of the mill garage or specialist.i work in a relativly small dealership bit we have 12 techs in the workshop then 3 prep lads.then theres probly 10 or so people in the bodyshop ten probly the same sales stall then all managers and people who work in the back offices ect

 

I'd love to see all the people who think main dealer technicans just plug a computer in and just fit parts as a FITTER come and have a go at it. Your so wrong

 

Your wasting your time on that, I gave up arguing it years ago, I have worked in both, primarily dealer for over 20 year, from cleaner to manager, compared to the independant it's seriously hard work.
Thats where the difference is between mechanics and technicians

 

Most people just say its a posh word for a mechanic haha I've had the arguments with mates before but until there put in a dealer workshop and snowed under with complex electrical faults with management and the customer on your case every half hour they'll never no the difference mate