Cambelt replacement pricing

[TNHSTI]

Hi guys i got a quote from Nelson Bays Motor Group for a cambelt replacement on my V7 STI (only Subaru dealer in Nelson) - of $1546.85 this is including all parts and labour - is this about right? 

[willisnz]

I recently went through this for a BP legacy in Auckland,prices may be cheaper up here and others will be able to comment on whether the layout of the STI means the labour is more/less intensive...but I was getting quotes of $1100-$1300, with ~1100-1200 being from specialist Subaru mechanics and the $1300 being from a mobile mechanic.

 

No idea what the dealers (e.g. Winger) up here would charge....

[GC8E2DD]

Did they itemise the quote?

[SpeedySub]

I have been quoted for a SOHC BP9 cambelt replacement in Christchurch:

Stubaru - $1200

Car dealer I bought car from: $1000 (they said that was at cost price!)

Crowesport: $950

[TNHSTI]

13 minutes ago, GC8E2DD said:

Did they itemise the quote?

 

Yes they did I shall post it

[TNHSTI]

[RAYDEO]

Labour cost $95 per hour?!?!!

Screw that for a joke!
 

Parts all seem fair prices. buy them and spend the rest of a trip to Wellington and ill do it for you - still cheaper.

[TNHSTI]

Just now, RAYDEO said:

Labour cost $95 per hour?!?!!

Screw that for a joke!
 

Parts all seem fair prices. buy them and spend the rest of a trip to Wellington and ill do it for you - still cheaper.

 

haha yeah I thought that was too steep too

[Dairusire]

3 minutes ago, V7STI1992 said:

 

haha yeah I thought that was too steep too

 

Well if you learn how to do it yourself (not hard), you can drop the 1 off the front of that cost....

[RAYDEO]

but seriously, when I was a young feller, i couldnt justify paying $60 per hour, thats what drove me to learn to do this sort of work my self.

Its not a hard job, but its something you dont want to get wrong.

find somewhere with a lower hourly rate, but use the genuine parts from a Subaru dealer.

[RAYDEO]

1 hour ago, willisnz said:

I recently went through this for a BP legacy in Auckland,prices may be cheaper up here and others will be able to comment on whether the layout of the STI means the labour is more/less intensive...but I was getting quotes of $1100-$1300, with ~1100-1200 being from specialist Subaru mechanics and the $1300 being from a mobile mechanic.

 

No idea what the dealers (e.g. Winger) up here would charge....

Minimal change in layout/appearance for all quad cam EJ engines, however when talking about a SOH Cam engine then there is substantial differences in appearance.

[loner]

Definitely on the expensive side so shop around. Don't allow unqualified forum members to work on your car either.

[Andy_Mac]

Atleast skip the A/C and Alternator belts, thats an absolute rip at $115 plus whatever portion of they labour they're allocating to that. 

Get them for next to nothing elswehere and fit them yourself.

[A_J_T]

1 hour ago, RAYDEO said:

Labour cost $95 per hour?!?!!

Screw that for a joke!
 

Parts all seem fair prices. buy them and spend the rest of a trip to Wellington and ill do it for you - still cheaper.

Haha you should try getting a professional service for less. IMO charge-out rate is not over the top. If the mechanic is qualified and working for a reputable business then he should be charge-out at a decent rate. Just time taken to do the job is a little excessive and they are wanting to replace literally everything they have to touch which could be considered good service or a ripoff. 

[RAYDEO]

I agree, if you are qualified then you should be paid more for that experience, however in my opionion, $90ph is almost twice what I would call acceptable.

[GC8E2DD]

The mechanic won't get paid anywhere near that. Qualified or not.

[Guest]

46 minutes ago, RAYDEO said:

I agree, if you are qualified then you should be paid more for that experience, however in my opionion, $90ph is almost twice what I would call acceptable.

 

Times have changed. Labour rates for a professional business are 75-90 odd then genuine dealers 120 odd both plus gst. Usually lower in hick towns or goon workshops. Theyve just gone up relative to everything else.

 

 

[Dairusire]

31 minutes ago, RAYDEO said:

I agree, if you are qualified then you should be paid more for that experience, however in my opionion, $90ph is almost twice what I would call acceptable.

 

To be fair here, and @Subirex Automotive and @PBMS will hopefully back me up on this, is that Mechanics are typically undervalued increasingly by the Gen pop. 

They've got to deal with idiots who don't know how to drive properly, let alone change their oil or cambelts. So yes, while $90-95 is expensive, how are they meant to cover the expenses of a workshop if they charge at $50 an hour and work a 40 hour week (most pull nearly double that because they have to)? Paying for a building, power, any random consumables, S*** that goes wrong.

 

I'm swinging in here to advocate on that comment because I've seen and been on the receiving end of that with Dad owning his shop. 

[1randomkiwi]

I've seen quite a high variance in hourly labour rates but most seem to be $80-90/hr.
However, most of those businesses offer discounted rates on quoted work.

 

For big jobs, I generally shop around for quotes.
It also pays to remember that outside the main centres (AKL, WGT, CHCH, DUN) parts aren't as readily available and may have to be shipped to the workshop which is usually included in the parts cost.

[Andy_Mac]

Also, have they given you the option of what parts/brand you want? Big difference in cost between the bargain basement gates option, oem, and the gates racing blue option.

[RAYDEO]

On 11/3/2016 at 1:19 PM, evowrx said:

 

Times have changed. Labour rates for a professional business are 75-90 odd then genuine dealers 120 odd both plus gst. Usually lower in hick towns or goon workshops. Theyve just gone up relative to everything else.

 

 

Times have changed indeed, this is why I do my own stunts.

[loner]

On 03/11/2016 at 1:19 PM, Dairusire said:

 

To be fair here, and @Subirex Automotive and @PBMS will hopefully back me up on this, is that Mechanics are typically undervalued increasingly by the Gen pop. 

 

lol. I don't think they will back you up being employers. Fact is that wages are set by the market like anything else and are based on level of qualifications, experience and availability. Being a mechanic isn't as hard as being a brain surgeon, and the wages reflect that. There may be a shortage of good experienced mechanics in NZ...  I don't know, but if there was, the wages would reflect that too. 

Edited November 4, 2016 by loner

[Subirex Automotive]

On 05/11/2016 at 9:05 AM, loner said:

 

lol. I don't think they will back you up being employers. Fact is that wages are set by the market like anything else and are based on level of qualifications, experience and availability. Being a mechanic isn't as hard as being a brain surgeon, and the wages reflect that. There may be a shortage of good experienced mechanics in NZ...  I don't know, but if there was, the wages would reflect that too. 

Just like to input my views. its called overhead. if we dont get this we will have to close our shops and become employees for other firms . 

On the other note 6.5 hours to do a cambelt kit?? thats ridiculous. a full 100k service takes 5. 5 hours to finish on subarus unless there is any upsell. we normally finish our cambelt repalcements in around 3.5 hours. someone in the dealership has a lazy tech. they should really justify how they getting that labor. FHI recomends 5.5 hours for a manual subaru 100k service.

[94 Leone]

If there's anything quite tight on it it can take a while, when I did the cambelt on my rex, it ended up taking just half an hour to undo the bolt on the crank pulley.
in saying that, its really only an hour to get S*** off, give yourself an hour to align, replace water pump etc, then another hour to put stuff back on/top up fluids, at most with complications maybe 4.5 hours, say of the cam pulley's are playing tough when you go to replace the seals. etc.

 

-though actually looking- that's a quote and they'll over-estimate so as to not charge you the extra 10% fee that you'll see noted down.

-also, go to mot, see if you can't get a quote from stevens auto if they aren't too busy this time of year. Not sure on the pricing-as I always did my own but they're a good bunch and should see you right.