Harry0 Loc: Gardena, Cal

https://www.rockauto.com ~*MY goto place for parts*~
Dealers and stealers complained about DIY and OTC cat converters. Yeah, the cheap ones only lasted @ 5 years- but they were only @ $70. Inspections are 2 years apart- so pass 2, then replace before the next one.
We barely passed the last inspection; the cat is slowly clogging. I could not find a replacement for less than $800. It's a monolithic, 6 bolts and 2 gaskets to replace it. I am legally prohibited from doing it myself. Oh, and there's a "certification" fee. That's not a smog test- that's extra. This means another mechanic looked at the work, they both believe it was done right, and they print out an official paper for my glove box in case anybody asks. ?!?!
I visited my kid in Arizona, and I bought a replacement for $119. I bought spark plugs for his car, and kept the receipt- in case anybody asks why my car runs cleaner.

Around here, you could pay $100+ just to get your cars data port plugged into the machine and get a printout. The dealer won't give you the raw data, he hems and haws and prints out an "interpreted" version, with his recommendations, For $60 I have a nice data port analyzer that transmits to my phone. I can watch tthe dials, read the sensors, and see the error codes. EZ Peasey

Dannj

I’ve been fortunate to have a local mechanic who does great work at reasonable prices. He’s a young guy...30-35?...who apprenticed under his uncle and took over the business. He’s upfront and honest and relies on word-of-mouth referrals and very good telling you what “needs” to be done as opposed to what “should” be. He’s also upfront if there’s something he can’t handle rather than just going thru a series of attempts that a lot of mechanics try.

Collhar Loc: New York City.

Businesses have the expensive of paying for lights, taxes, insurance state fees. Also matching SS and Medicare for their employee's.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

You can buy those glucosamine & chondroitin tablets for about $30 on Amazon and they work just as well. That’s where my vet told me to get them. The same product is about $50 at Pet Smart. They work, too. My old gal could hardly get up a couple of steps and would fall on a slick floor before I started using these supplements. She eats them like candy and can jump all over the place.

Sirsnapalot Loc: Hammond, Louisiana

On changing brake fluid, Consumer Report recommendation is to follow the instructions in your owner’s manual. Many dealers offer to replace brake fluid as an extra service, but it’s not really necessary unless the fluid is dirty. But you should top it off if you see that the level is dropping. That will prevent air bubbles, which can reduce a pedal’s responsiveness.

chippy65 Loc: Cambridge

Brake fluid is I believe hygroscopic, unless they have changed the formulation. Particles of rusty debris in a brake system is probably not a good idea?

Better safe than sorry.

The one that gets up my nose is an additional charge for inflating your tyres with Nitrogen !!.. Really HiTec !! Try telling them that atmospheric air is 80% nitrogen.

bit extra on the bill and they dont need to run and maintain an air -compressor. Probably gives a slight edge to Grand Prix cars.....but for normal use......over the top!

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

DirtFarmer is correct in his assessment of the need for a business to cover all of its costs and make a profit so that it can continue to provide services to their customers. Small businesses fail at an amazing rate and only a few are actually profitable. Thankfully we live in a free market society.

Prices have not gone up, the products and services remain the same. What has happened is that the value of the dollar has gone down. It now takes more dollars to buy the same goods and services and of course, these increases need to be passed on to the consumer.

When the $15.00 minimum wage becomes the norm, expect to pay unprecedented prices for everything. Things we buy are like "links in a chain". Each link gets passed on to the next, and the next and the next until you or I become the end of that chain.

Those of us on a fixed income will feel the most impact. Those that are still employed will get adjustments in their wages via union contracts or from the owner who must compete for employees.

My biggest rub is not with my local businesses and their employees that live in my community, it's with goods that come in from foreign countries that have what I believe to be insane prices. Want a classic example? Go to a department store like Dillards, Famous Barr, or a name band shoe store and look at the prices of women's shoes.....made in China or a third world country.

Indi Loc: L. I., NY, Palm Beach Cty when it's cold.

Would you mind telling us the name, and possibly the address of this place in Hallandale? We have a condo in Boynton & if I needed something like tires, I wouldn’t mind saving a few bucks. I’m sure the drive would be worth it.
Thanks.

AirWalter Loc: Tipp City, Ohio

You also forgot the insurance that businesses have to have to protect themselves and their customers. It is a Government nightmare out there. Everybody wants a piece of everybody's money.

Indi Loc: L. I., NY, Palm Beach Cty when it's cold.

$12 IS ridiculous to roll the tires a total of 20 feet when they’re already off the car.
On the other hand, it costs me $28-$30 here on Long Island to rotate the tires.
Everybody’s got a racket.

AirWalter Loc: Tipp City, Ohio

Then don't use it. It's like comparing flying first class or flying coach.

Jim Plogger Loc: East Tennessee

Were the tires not already off to do the caliper and rotor work? Was that not included in the brake work labor? Putting the tires back on in a rotated position cost absolutely nothing in labor or costs.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

I should also note that the cost of the car is not limited to the capital expended to purchase it. The cost has to include maintenance. I generally figure 1/3 to 1/2 of the price of the car has to be put into maintenance over the lifetime of the car. (For me, the lifetime of the car extends to the point where I have to spend more on maintenance than I think the car is worth. That is usually more than 10 years).

And brakes are a feature that I really like to have in my cars. I want them to work when I need them to work. My wife picked up a used car for $6K. Within a couple months I spent another $1K on brake maintenance. I have no regrets for the money spent. It's part of the cost of running the car.

Too many people consider that once they buy the car it should run forever without any further input. I knew a woman who bought a new car. About 3 years later it was toast. She never even thought about changing the oil.

The cost of gas is maybe $3/gallon (currently in CT, within about 10%). If your car gets 30 mi/gal it costs $0.10/mile to run your car. So with $6/gal gas that you might find in high cost areas like CA, $0.20. Last time I had someone change the oil it was $70, after about 4000 miles. Less than $0.02/mile. Yet the federal mileage rate for business purposes is $0.58 /mile. Why do you think it's not just the cost of gas and oil?

OK, if you can do the work yourself, more power to you. It's true that the parts can be obtained at reasonable cost. And that they can be obtained at even more reasonable cost if you buy a lot of them and distribute the cost over several vehicles, like if you were doing this as a business. But, if you were working on cars as a business, I would expect that either you were charging $50-75/hour for your work or you were not in business for long.

PS: cars are generally a special case. I have bought several farm tractors. One I bought new, the others I bought used. The used tractors cost me more than they cost the original owner. The cost of owning a tractor is the maintenance, not the capital. There are tractors now in daily use that were built in the '30s. Cars seem to be considered worn to the point of scrap after around 10 years. True, cars are driven longer distances than tractors. But tractors do get heavy use.

unlucky2 Loc: Hemet Ca.

Just be glad you don't live in Sacramento California . Jerry your lifestyle would be illegal. It is illegal to work on your own car on your own property. A bit of an overreach I think.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/sacramento-county-says-its-illegal-to-work-on-your-own-car-in-your-own-garage/ar-AADOizD?li=BBnbfcL

Hope the link works, it did not post blue.

retiredsgt Loc: Red Lion Pa.

tomcat, Tell me this is a mistake. Tell me this "Shop" is Actually located in Pennsyltucky, PLEASEEEEEEE !