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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!cca!emacs!pz
From: pz@emacs.uucp (Paul Czarnecki)
Newsgroups: net.auto
Subject: Re: dodge omni repair bill
Message-ID: <129@emacs.uucp>
Date: Mon, 29-Jul-85 09:45:34 EDT
Article-I.D.: emacs.129
Posted: Mon Jul 29 09:45:34 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 20-Aug-85 00:14:16 EDT
References: <119@emacs.uucp>
Reply-To: pz@emacs.UUCP (Paul Czarnecki)
Organization: CCA Uniworks, Wellesley, MA
Lines: 249
Keywords: omni repair dodge shaft
Summary: very long omni repair summary

I'm the original poster on this one, here's a little more info and some
replies to replies.

--- edited original article ----
oo 1981 Dodge Omni, 63k miles, 2.2l
oo 
oo I had it repaired at the local Dodge Dealer (Silver Lake Dodge,
oo Wellesley, MA) and I think the bill was way too high.
oo  
oo         Transmission Fluid/Filter      $66.30   ;labor
oo         Check Brakes                    70.20   ;labor
oo         Misc Materials                  25.95
oo         Shop Materials                  13.65
oo                                        ------
oo                                        176.10
oo 
oo         Coil/Wires Installed            97.50   ;labor
oo         Cables                          22.62   ;parts
oo         Coil                            30.80   ;parts
oo         Sealer                           4.38   ;parts
oo         Shop Materials                   9.75
oo         Tax                              2.89
oo                                        ------
oo                                        167.94
oo 
oo I wanted the transmission (manual) fluid replaced ...  I couldn't do it
oo myself because there was no drain plug!  The was a fill plug up high on
oo the side but no drain.  I presume they took the side off and watched the
oo fluid spill out.
oo 
oo The second bill was to solve the "stumbling/stalling when wet" problem.
oo I have had the wires, distributor cap replaced before to no avail.  They
oo said the bad coil could have caused the cap/wires to fail.  The sealant
oo was used to "waterproof the computer"  (can you imagine spraying
oo scotchguard on your vax? :-)
oo 
oo 					pZ
oo 

> Surely you jest!  You might as well have went for a walk in Harlem at
> 2am on a Saturday night with a few hundred bucks in your pocket.  It
> would have been easier.

Yeah, It wouldn't have taken 4 days also.   

> Let's see, to change the trans fluid (certainly a good idea for any car)
> would probably cost you $15.95 + $15.00 for the filter at AAMCO.  To
> check the brakes this would probably be about 14.50 (an over-estimate).
> I am assuming that they did just a check and not a replace.  This price
> would be too much for an entire brake job.  As far as shop materials go,
> this is a new found fad in ripoffs these days.  I read an article which
> stated that auto shops are starting to charge for things like paper
> towels and soap so the mechanic can wash his hands.  For $13.65 this
> must have included the gold sequined paper towels and the extra heavy
> duty toilet paper for him to...nevermind!  This is an outright ripoff.
> And what the hell is 'Misc.  materials'?  Maybe a pan gasket for the
> trans, but for $70+ I would think this price included that.  Oh well.


It looks like the misc charge is my front end alignment, and the shop
materials is towellettes to wipe their slimy hands upon.

> As far as the ignition stuff...well, I won't go into it but you got
> yanked bad!  Please tell me that this is a joke, I hate to think that
> there are people on the net who go out and get ripped off by a factor of
> 4 or so and they ask their peers, "Did I get taken?"  If you think you
> got ripped off call the BBB and scream, then call Chrysler and scream,
> then call your mother and scream.  Don't let it happen again.

Maybe I should have put a :-) in the Subject line.  I knew I was taken
but still wanted a sanity check.

I have 4 letters out to the local dealer, the Northeast Chrysler center,
the Nation Chrysler center, and the Boston area BBB.  Coincendentaly, a
Silver Lake Dodge rep called me 2 days after I sent the letter wanting
to know if I was happy with the service.  This was NOT in response to my
letters.  I sent another copy of my letter to the person who called me.
I have had no further replies

> In my opinion, it pays to buy a shop manual and do the work yourself,
> even if it means screwing something up a bit.  There is no way that an
> average person can **** up a car as bad as an average mechanic.
> Steve Rosen

Also, when I first worked on the parking brake the car pulled to the
right when braking hard.  I don't own the shop manual but I do have
Chiltons'.  The instructions for draining the fluid are most
informative.

	1) place pan to can the fluid
	2) drain the fluid
	3) replace the fluid
	etc...

Grrrrrr....


> Are these the "wires" that were installes?  If so, the price
> sounds high.  I just bought a high-performance set from
> Direct-Connection (Dodge's performance arm) and only paid $25.
> 
> Gregg Mackenzie

sniff sniff...

> They made out like bandits. Wow if I could make that kind of money doing
> those kind of repairs, I would be a mechanic instead of a progrmammer.
> Tranmission Fluid and Filter change I would think $25 is what I would
> expect to pay (that is what I paid 6 months ago for SOHIO to do it).
> Brakes are kind of a touchy subject since there is alot of liability
> envolved in servicing them. However for the kind of symptoms you
> describe, I believe the bill would be around $70 complete for the
> brakes. So around $90 for the top bill would probably be reasonable. I
> feel that the second bill is equally high. Did they give you an estimate
> in writing that you signed ? I am not sure whether it is a state law or
> a federal law, but here in Ohio, service stations are legally bound to
> give you an estimate if any work to be done is over $50. In addition you
> must sign the estimate giving them permission to do the work. To sum it
> up I think you have been treated badly.  
> 
> 					Ed Thompson
 
Interesting point about the brakes.  No, I did not get an estimate.
Sigh, another graduate of the school of experience.

> I would fight them over the bill and file complaints with the BBB,
> Chrysler, etc.

See above.

> Some of the questions I would want answered are:
> What is their labor cost per hour?

$US39 / hour

> Can they justify the inordinate amount of time they must have said
> it took to complete these simple, short procedures?  

They claim standard shop tables

> What are these miscellaneous charges and shop materials? They should
> give you an itemized bill. Can they justify these charges?
> 
>                                 David Grooms

See above.

> How in the world can you go to a dealer where they have such OBNOXIOUS
> commercials on the radio? (SIlvER LAKE DodGE! (In Wellesley))
>         andy

Sorry about non-locals, but I had to repost this.  It made my day.  I
laughed so hard I almost fell off my chair.  Silverfish Lake Dodge is
only 1/2 mile from Uniworks, the "software hoarders".

>     Sounds pretty steep to me (about standard rate, these days)...
> 
>     To get the trans lube out, you don't need to open the case.
> You just go down to your local auto-parts store, and get an
> oil gun, or what ever they call it, when you get the oil. It's
> just a piston/cylinder arrangement, with a hose on the end, sorta'
> like a bakers icing gun. It can be used to suck the oil out the
> fill hole, at about a pint in 5 seconds, and used to put the fresh
> oil in without spilling a drop. Costs about $5 to $10, lasts a
> lifetime.
> 
>     Unless your coil is awfully hard to get at, $100 labor sounds
> high also. Changing the wires is about a 5 minute job, with no tools
> required.
> 
>     I do symphathize, tho'. Sometimes it just isn't handy to do the
> work yourself, so ya take it down to the local shop. And each time
> when ya get the bill, ya promise that's the last time you'll ever
> do it.
>				Benton Holzworth

Sigh...

> I own an '84 GLH and I am planning on having the transmission fluid
> changed eventually (probably between 10-15,000 miles).  ... I asked
> the shop manager shortly after I bought the car how much it would cost
> to have it changed, because at the time I was investigating using a
> synthetic fluid.  By the way, DONT USE a synthetic fluid.  The
> transmissions use an ATF which is already light weight an it is what
> the gears are designed for.  Anyway, he told me he didn't have an
> exact figure off-hand but said that it would run in the 25 to 30
> dollar price range total.  There is in fact no drain plug and they do
> remove the pan and then they must reseal it, which is why it would
> even cost this much ($30) to have this done.  

> I recently received a letter from Chrysler stating that my local
> dealer had beed awarded a citation for its above average repair work.
> The letter gave me the impression that Chrysler is very interested in
> improving their dealer's repair reputations, and if I had a problem
> such as yours I think I would write directly to Chrysler to make them
> aware of this situation.
> 
>         Barry Pangrle

I have, thanks tho.

> As to checking for bad wires, I put a neon bulb on a screwdriver and
> ground it.  Then slowly move it over the wires while holding the
> insulated handle.  If the bulb flashes, the wire is bad.  Another
> trick is to spray the wires with a "windex" bottle of water, if the
> engine sputters, the wire that you just sprayed should be replaced.
> 
> mikey at trsvax

Good hint!  (Again, sorry to repost but it is convenient to have it all
in one place.)


>>As far as labor rates go, I do my own work, so I'm not sure.  I
>>suppose it depends on the prevailing rates in your area.  Is it
>>around $18/hr or is it more like $27.50/hr?  More?
>>
>Huh?  $18/hr? $27.50/hr?!!!  This question made me curious about the
>cost of labor at dealerships across the USA.  My local Berkeley Chevy dealer
>charges $45.00/hour (it may have gone up recently) and I wanted to
>hear what the rest of the country is paying.  I'm not sure where the
>original posting was from, but WOW, I didn't realize the cost of
>GM, Chrysler, Ford or AMC DEALERSHIP labor (as opposed to local gas
>station labor cost) varied so much across the country...  
>-- 
>Mitch Che
>Pacific Bell

Mitch, the previous person was just speculating, I paid $US39/hour.  I
just read in Boston Sunday (the 28th) Globe that qualified auto mechs
are in very short supply.  Good one can make $US45,000 a year not
counting overtime.


And a bit of humor.  This is true.

My brother just bought a '74 Plymouth Van, 125,000 miles and no brakes.
Why'd he buy it?  He's building a house out in the backwoods of New York
and he needed a shed!  It only cost $50 so the price was right.  Maybe
he's found the perfect use for Chrysler products. 

					pZ
-- 
-- Laying here, Lyin' in bed.

   Paul Czarnecki
   Uniworks			decvax!{wanginst!infinet, cca}!emacs!pz
   20 William Street		emacs!pz@cca-unix.ARPA
   Wellesley, MA 02181		(617) 235-2600