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Home › Articles › Your Automobile › Cutting Car Costs

Cutting Car Costs

Tips for Spending Less When Caring for Your Vehicle

By Kyle Busch

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The cost of vehicles and their related repairs are expensive. Although the tips provided in this article will not eliminate such expenses, they will help you to take control of vehicle repairs and thus lower their costs.

Dealers vs. Garages
We have all seen commercials on TV touting the "great vehicle service" provided by dealer service departments. They know your vehicle better than anyone else, they use original replacement parts, etc., etc. But at what cost is such great service available? Well, usually at about $75 to $95 per hour.

In many instances, vehicle repairs can be completed for substantially lower hourly rates. Many independent garages employ ASE certified and licensed mechanics. These garages generally charge about $40 to $50 per hour.

Finding the Right Garage
If you are unfamiliar with independent garages in your area, it can be useful to talk with your friends about which garages and mechanics have repaired their vehicles. Be on the lookout for the names of garages that are recommended over and over by numerous people.

Next, visit a few of the garages, talk with the owner and ask about the hourly rate charged for vehicle repairs. Be sure to inquire if the rate charged for the repairs is a "straight hourly rate" or a "book rate."

Getting Straight on Rates
A straight hourly rate involves the amount of time that it actually takes a mechanic to do a vehicle repair. On the other hand, a book rate involves the customer being charged an amount of time the book specifies a repair should take.

For example, installing new front and rear brake pads on a vehicle could take one hour. Using a straight rate of $50 per hour, the repair would cost $50 for labor, plus the cost of the brake pads. The book rate might specify that it "should" take the mechanic one and a half hours to do the work. Thus, the customer would be charged $75 for the labor, plus the cost of the brake pads.


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