Crazy service prices.

[explorer 542]

Re: Crazy service prices.

Truck shops and car dealers get over $100 an hour. I am with those that support dealers. Even with those rates it is hard to make money. Risks are much bigger than you imagine, and management of mechanics is horrible. I ran a 20 bay truck shop. Wouldn't wish it on anybody.

Thats why car dealers are going out of business it cost to much to get anything fixed at the dealer and the quality of repair is not any better then the small shop down the street.

 

[WIMUSKY]

Re: Crazy service prices.

no one said boating was cheap but $165.00 for a oil change for a single outboard is crazy

I agree. I'm assuming that's a 4 stroke w/LU change?

that's $100 for one hour labor and the $65 is for materials (oil, filter, gaskets, oil disposal fee), that's an average price but I think its a lot too but that's the going rate so its not higher then average

Yet I can get my car oil changed for $30. Doesn't make much sense except it's used for recreation and it's gouging as stated by another member. Instead of boat insert, snowmobile, motorcycle, ATV, jet ski, 5th wheel trailer etc, etc......

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Crazy service prices.

There was a time when if you had fuel and spark you could just about get anything running but with all the computers telling the engines what to do and when to do it if something goes wrong with your engine you have no choice but to take it to the shop

That is just a matter of perspective, and to some extent, a generational thing. Although I'm fairly adapt at working my way around a carb and points, I have WAY more fun, control, and ability when it comes to a computer controlled engine. I run firmware that I developed on my vehicle, and I can do nearly anything I want to the engine, all from the comfort of a laptop. (Don't even have to be in the vehicle!)

Being a gearhead is a hobby, my professional background is a computer programmer though, which tends to help!

 

[keith427]

Re: Crazy service prices.

I always love how people say a DIY'r doesnt figure in how much his time cost. If I take off work to repair something, then that is a valid point because I'm not "making money". But if i'm just dragging my butt up off the couch to fix something, it's not costing me a dime. My leisure time at home cost nothing. Just my opinion.

 

[dingbat]

Re: Crazy service prices.

Here is the part I do not understand....yes people have bills to pay and overhead for their facility but....I work in a multimillion dollar machinine shop with many 250,000.00 CNC machine centers along with numerous other machines for removing metal. No way can we charge 100 per hour, we would be out of business as no one would pay it.

Your trying to make sense out of comparing apples to oranges.

Regional price and cost variances are huge. The median household income where I live is 400% times greater than your area. With that in mind, do you think a 30% premium in the cost of our local services is out of line?

A good fiend of mine owns a HVAC company. Asked how he prices a job, I look at the cars in the driveway.....

 

[JoLin]

Re: Crazy service prices.

I agree. I'm assuming that's a 4 stroke w/LU change?

Yet I can get my car oil changed for $30.

Yup, and if I'm a Jiffylube with 5 lifts I can do I can do that 10-15 times an hour, year-round, on property that isn't taxed as waterfront, using a guy who makes $10.00 an hour.

I don't like the pricing, either, but there's some justification for it. I sympathize with the guy who somehow has to get the oil filters off my packed-in motors. I've tried it- I can't do it.

My .02

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Crazy service prices.

Here is my breakdown of $100/hr shop rate (based on friends businesses):
Hourly wage - $18-24
Benefits - $7-10
keeping the lights on, heat/AC, tools, incidentals, business insurance, SG&A, and not to mention the building - $40-$80

Whats left is profit

I just repaired a leaking lower unit prop seal for a friend of my wife's. I charged $200. Dealer estimate over the phone was $240. The kicker for me was I was willing to work on the boat while the owner was back up in New York. For him, peace of mind knowing the motor is done and ready to go was priceless. Did I make any money - not enough to cover the fuel for 2 trips to the Johnyrude dealer, parts, lube, incidentals, etc and labor. Guessing I probably made $15 per hour. I did it simply because my beautiful wife asked me to do it as a favor. For many things I compare the cost of time away from my family to the cost of taking it in to a trusted mechanic. Many times I take my own stuff in.

It comes down to its a BOAT - Break Out Another Thousand

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: Crazy service prices.

I boat and fish year round. I own an indoor dry slip and pay HOA fees, but my boat is out of the water, never bottom painted, and no bird poop. The marina shop rate is $85 per hour. They will happily put my boat on a maintenance rack for me to work on and I generally do cleaning, but they detail it once per year. They rinse the hull and flush the motor after every use. Now, I could do some of the work instead of boating or fishing just as I could do some or all of my yard work. I prefer to do neither. Sure I wince at my monthly bill sometimes, but I'm going to play all I can,,,, so I'm going to pay too. It's all in priorities~~~~

 

[BrianNJ]

Re: Crazy service prices.

Does anyone else here for hire prices as an excuse to buy new tools?

I rarely miss an opportunity to brag to my wife how much money we saved on a DIY project.

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: Crazy service prices.

X2 and the business pays tax, don't forget the tax. Anyone who thinks those numbers are high might be "high" themselves.
OP, Own your own business someday and you will know how much it cost to run one.

You realize that your $81 in fluids cost you a lot more than that. Fuel costs. Time to get there and back. Wear and tear on your vehicle, etc.

What's your 6 hours of labor worth if you had to pay your own health and unemployment insurance, vacation and sick leave costs, the mortgage and still put food on the table at the end of the day?

While it might sound like a lot of money, nobody is getting rich off those prices.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Crazy service prices.

I always love how people say a DIY'r doesnt figure in how much his time cost. If I take off work to repair something, then that is a valid point because I'm not "making money". But if i'm just dragging my butt up off the couch to fix something, it's not costing me a dime. My leisure time at home cost nothing. Just my opinion.

that's a good point but there's a middle ground. Taking off from work to do a project, you can easily quantify the cost of time. Doing something you enjoy with the time on your hands, the "cost" doesn't matter b/c it's made up in enjoyment--and that includes the satisfaction from the completed job. And there's satisfaction in feeling like you didn't pay someone to do what you can do and probably do it better.

But when it comes to the scut work that is a pain to do, or takes you away from boating or family or other quality time, or keeps you from doing something else, it's a real cost. But it's personal and subjective as to how much.

What gets most DIYers is the one hour job you are willing to spend an hour doing that becomes the 8 hour nightmare. That's when you wish you'd hired someone and in hindsight should have. We tend to forget that the job may take an hour if you've done it 20 times before but if you are new to it, it will take 8 hours and you will likely screw it up. I see that often here as an inherant flaw with advice such as how long it takes to rebuild a transom.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Crazy service prices.

I am hands on all the way and honestly won't hire anything done because while I MAY take longer I will likely do a far better job than the guy I hired... It burns my @$$ to no end the few times I decide "this is one for a professional" only to get a shoddy job done by someone who figure's I'm too stupid to know better and I have to fix what he screwed up....

What amazes me is the people that can AFFORD to pay those prices.. If I had to pay for maintenance on my boat it would be a 14' johnboat instead of a 30' cruiser..... I'm not too good to pass by the sanitation dock, put on latex gloves, push a button, and pump my own tank for all of 2 minutes to save $100...... and I can change the oil in both engines and drives in an hour for $75 so I saved what $225?
I don't make $225 tax free dollars doing anything else for an hour

BTW FWIW If you cut the top with handle and cap and 1/4" of the side of a 1 gal antifreeze or oil jug it makes an excellent drip pan to put under your oil filter when you remove it from your boat. and if the oil filter is upside down, poke a hole in the top of it with a screwdriver as soon as you shut the engine down before changing the oil... it will drain to the pan and not make a huge mess when you remove it

 

[pckeen]

Re: Crazy service prices.

A lawyer wakes up one morning, goes into the kitchen to make his coffee, and hears Ann annoying 'drip drip.drip sound'. He looks around, and realises that his tap is dripping.constantly.

Being a lawyer, he picks up the phone and calls a plumber. The plumber comes out crawls under the sink, fiddles with something, and the dripping stops. He gets up, wipes his hands, then hands the lawyer a bill for $250.

The Lawyer looks at the bill in disbelief, shakes his head, and says $250? Good grief? I'm a lawyer, and I can't charge $250 for five minutes work, even on a house call!

The plumber nods, and says....."I know. When I was a lawyer, I couldn't charge $250 either."

 

[pckeen]

Re: Crazy service prices.

Ok. Jokes aside, prices for this type of work reflects what it costs to do it. Anyone who has read 'zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance' knows both why people are prepared to pay the dollars it costs....and why others will pay the time that it needs....

 

[sublauxation]

Re: Crazy service prices.

Does anyone else here for hire prices as an excuse to buy new tools?

I rarely miss an opportunity to brag to my wife how much money we saved on a DIY project.

You took the words from my mouth. The "savings" on my last 2 brake jobs bought me a new Ruger! The new drill was thanks to the savings from replacing my own trailer axle. The list goes on. Last month my neighbor who pays for everything he needs done just commented with a strong hint of jealousy about all the goodies hiding on my tool shelf that have been acquired through this process.

Unlike that neighbor who likes to watch TV in his spare time I like to stay busy. I consider these projects entertainment and entertainment costs money so technically I'm saving money there too!

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Crazy service prices.

I think he meant the other way around. I can do a project myself "free" if I buy a $150 tool instead of paying someone $75 to do it. Sure, use the tool twice and it's paid for in that example. But it's also an excuse to accumulate tools--that was the point.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Crazy service prices.

Does anyone else here for hire prices as an excuse to buy new tools?

I rarely miss an opportunity to brag to my wife how much money we saved on a DIY project.

Yup, that is how I started rebuilding my own transmissions. First one saved a bit of money, the next couple were really cheap.

 

[agallant80]

Re: Crazy service prices.

I have a few thoughts on doing the work myself.

1. I have PTO so it does not cost me money to take a day off
2. I enjoy the work
3. I have peace of mind knowing how things come apart and go back togeather
4. I can use the money saved on more gas,bullets, lumber or what ever I feel like doing
5. It counts twards household work
6. There is an amount of pride you have when you do your own work and take care of your own things

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Crazy service prices.

I have a few thoughts on doing the work myself.

1. I have PTO so it does not cost me money to take a day off
2. I enjoy the work
3. I have peace of mind knowing how things come apart and go back togeather
4. I can use the money saved on more gas,bullets, lumber or what ever I feel like doing
5. It counts twards household work
6. There is an amount of pride you have when you do your own work and take care of your own things

Sounds good, so why did you start this thread?

 

[agallant80]

Re: Crazy service prices.

Sounds good, so why did you start this thread?

Sticker Shock. I never really looked in to having anyone else do my work until I noticed the "Fall Specials" at Marine Max.