[kjg2015]

Hi all,

Probably not the first time this has been discussed but currently getting some quotes for some service on my 2009 E90 335i xDrive 6MT as we approach fall/winter and am blown away at how expensive servicing this car is getting.

Before i get into it, yes, i know its a BMW and i will gladly pay good money to service this car, i knew this was the case prior to purchasing the vehicle.

My observation is more around the labor costs sky rocketing. I am currently planning to do some routine maintenance such as OFHG and Intake Walnut Blasting. A few years ago, the going price for a Walnut blast was $400-$500 from a reputable indy shop (maybe 2015 ish). I have now spoken with three shops in metro Atlanta and the price has nearly doubled to around $900 for a walnut blast.

The OFHG is around $900 as well, which isnt as shocking, but still high for a 3 hour job with $50 in parts. I may just do this one myself considering the pricing here.

That being said, how on earth can shops justify $900 for a walnut blast? Its a 2-3 hour job. From what i know its pretty simple with the fitting attachment, and the equipment to do the job is not terribly expensive (you could buy the blaster for less than $320 on FCP euro).

Am i crazy or are these shops charging 50-60% more than they were just a few years ago for this labor? I didnt get hourly rates on the phone but it seems excessively high to pay $2k for a job i could do in my driveway for about $500 total (most of that cost being the equipment).

I know im probably in the wrong here but am i just calling the wrong indy shops or has inflation really had this significant of an impact on the labor rates for these mechanics?

- KJG

[HondaRC51]

I might be able to explain from the inside perspective from working at several different shops. Everything the "Shop" charges the customer is because everything is coming out of the total profits from the sales and/or service they provide.

1. Parts availability, price of parts going up, quality of parts dropping so they have to warranty parts out of pocket some times and eat the labor. Therefore the cost gets put on the customer in the long run.

2. All shops are loosing technicians left and right which is a HUGE deal. I can talk for hours about why but I don't feel like typing out a 9 page report. The cost to keep good techs on AND hire new techs cost the shop and in turn cost the customer. That's why I tell everyone, you need to find a good tech willing to work on the side for cash and/or frosty beverages.

3. Cost of Over-Head keeps going up. Insurance for shop and/or employees goes up. Business maintenance going up (building, equipment, office supplies, etc). Lease and rent keep going up (greedy landlords, property tax, business tax, etc). So in order to keep profit margins up the cost goes to upping the labor rate to the customer.

4. This pertains to Dealerships and not so much independent shops. Dealerships charge a certain rate for warranty work to the manufacturer (Ford, Chevy, BMW, etc). Lets just say $150/hr for hypothetical reasons. The Manufacturer says "Ok we will pay you $150/hr to fix our screw ups AS LONG AS the customer off the street pays the same rate". Of course the dealership says "That's ok with us! Warranty work is guaranteed work. We'd rather take a loss with less cash customers and make up for more warranty work that will be guaranteed $$$." Of course this is also the reason why ALOT or body shops only deal with insurance companies now and don't want the "small" cash jobs. They'd rather charge the insurance company $600 to paint and install a new bumper cover than they would charge $250 for cash customers off the street doing their own work. And thus turns the price to do business with that shop to go up.

Key take away point-Find yourself a good tech to do the work on the side for cash. Same quality work you get at the shop but with less overhead price to be charged!