from:http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060217/od_afp/britaintransportautooffbeat_060217140423;_ylt=As.qx1zAl9eG9iXYTK4JMQCs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3NW1oMDRpBHNlYwM3NTc-

Car mechanics in Britain pricier than lawyers

Fri Feb 17, 9:05 AM ET



LONDON (AFP) - Car mechanics in Britain can be more expensive to hire than lawyers or doctors, a magazine reported.


A mechanic works on a car in a garage, February 2004. Car mechanics in Britain can be more expensive to hire than lawyers or doctors, a magazine reported(AFP/File/Abdelhak Senna)

Customers frequently pay more than 100 pounds per hour for labour by mechanics at franchised dealers, according to "What Car?" magazine.

Variable across Britain, hourly labour rates are predictably cheaper in Scotland, where Vauxhall charge 49 pounds, and more expensive in London, where BMW charge 140 pounds, according to research carried out by the magazine, published Friday.

The report said a "locum" doctor -- one who stands in for a regular doctor and charges between 350 and 500 pounds per day -- is cheaper, while even a junior criminal lawyer will charge a comparatively low rate of 30 pounds an hour.

The publication said "consumers could save hundreds of pounds if they shop around and do their research. Quite simply, dealership labour rates for repair bills are just too high."

What Car? researchers discovered that technological advances have made previously simple jobs more time-consuming, and it is car owners who are bearing the financial burden.

For example, to replace a main-beam bulb on an Audi A2 can cost as much as 66 pounds, though the bulb itself costs only 3.96 pounds.

The magazine said consumers should be aware that they can use non-franchised dealers and still keep their warranty. In order to protect their warranty, customers should make sure the car company used is VAT-registered, uses manufacturer's parts and follows their guidelines for the work.

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Note: to Convert any currency into US Dollars or vice versa go to: www.xe.com/ucc/

Damn.  I guess learning how to take care of your car yourself is a must in the UK.

Quoted: Damn.  I guess learning how to take care of your car yourself is a must in the UK.

1.00 Pound  = 1.74124 USD

No crap, you ever try to work on a British automobile?
They dont call him "Lucas the Prince of Darkness" for nothing (Lucas is the company that makes the electrical system for most British cars, and they suck ass). A friend has a Jag that he can never get the electrical system working 100% on, as soon as he fixes something, another portion breaks.  He's currently living without power mirrors because he fears what might break if he fixes those.

Kharn

Lets hear it for the Socialist UK !!!

It really sucks to be you guys!

Quoted: Tell me about it!!!! A 14k service on my 2.0 Litre Merc costs me £380! and takes less than 2 hours An 18k service on Mrs Vito's Honda SUV is £200 and takes about 2 hours too... ANdy

Wow Andy. Those prices are insane!  

Please tell me I have my car-nicknames right Merc=Mercedes?

Quoted: Lets hear it for the Socialist UK !!! It really sucks to be you guys!

I see you've piped up again with your usual words of wisdom

Quoted: Tell me about it!!!! A 14k service on my 2.0 Litre Merc costs me £380! and takes less than 2 hours An 18k service on Mrs Vito's Honda SUV is £200 and takes about 2 hours too... ANdy

Let's see....1lb = $1.74 US Dollars...

380*1.74 =  $661

Hmmmm....maybe Britain would be a good place to go to open up an Autoshop....

Thanks Andy.

Car repair costs are insane here too.  Good thing my dad's a mechanic.  He does his own work on his cars.  Except on new stuff, he leaves that to the warranty.  

Well, at least mechanics provide a valuable service. What do lawyers do, besides fracking things up for everyone?

Insane...


My local independent Benz shop charges $50 an hour on all labor.

Quoted: Quoted: Lets hear it for the Socialist UK !!! It really sucks to be you guys! I see you've piped up again with your usual words of wisdom

Well he's not wrong.

Socialism, and its inherent powers to erode liberty, is the most destructive plague in our time. And my jackass politicians seem to be emulating yours.

I feel your pain.

you know why the british don't make watches?
because they couldn't figure out how to make them leak oil.

Quoted: Tell me about it!!!! A 14k service on my 2.0 Litre Merc costs me £380! and takes less than 2 hours An 18k service on Mrs Vito's Honda SUV is £200 and takes about 2 hours too... ANdy

Things aren't that much cheaper here.  My boss's 15k service for his Mercedes E55 AMG was over $1k.  The first service (I don't remember the mileage) on the BMW he had before that was more than that.  The local Honda dealer recommends major service visits at 7,500, 22,500, 37,500, 52,500, 67,500, 82,500, and 97,500 miles.  They charge $200 for it plus rip-off prices for any fluids or bulbs they top-off or replace.  Most of my employees don't get out of the dealer for less than $300.  That doesn't sound like much, but that's almost as much as they gross for the week ($8/hour * 40 hours)!  More often than not when I have an employee ask for an advance, they need it to keep their Honda running.  The BMW's and Mercedes are worth spending the money on, but I'll never understand why someone buys a Honda.z

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Lets hear it for the Socialist UK !!! It really sucks to be you guys! I see you've piped up again with your usual words of wisdom Well he's not wrong. Socialism, and its inherent powers to erode liberty, is the most destructive plague in our time. And my jackass politicians seem to be emulating yours. I feel your pain.

You're wrong, the fact is he's anti-British and usually comes up with something along those lines everytime there's a similar topic on here.

BTW I don't have any pain living here, or being British (or Irish) for that matter.

As for the labour rates....those quoted are an extreme example and the average charges are usually somewhere between £32-£50 per hour

Mark

What is the article really saying?...
That UK auto mechanics are overpaid there, or that doctors and lawyers are underpaid?
,,,,,,
If I may dare say so--in the US there is free-market in medical care, so it's more profitable.
And being a lawyer in the US is rarely a poorly-paying job, unless you remain a public defender your entire career.
~
(edit:) I am not really well read on the degree of socialism in UK medicine; is it a rationing system like Canada uses?

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: The BMW's and Mercedes are worth spending the money on, but I'll never understand why someone buys a Honda.z My Merc routinely breaks down or has things drop off and I'm on first name terms with the Service Manager. Mrs Vito's Honda has never had a penny in repairs spent on it in 4 years... it's the most reliable car I've ever known! ANdy

I've heard Merc and BMW's quality has suffered as of late. I've also heard they are both finicky. You have to service them exactly when they specify or suffer the consequences, and sometimes even that doesn't help.

If you have the cash, I like that Audi diesel V8 turbo. Looks nice and gets pretty good mileage for a V8.

Quoted: As for the labour rates....those quoted are an extreme example and the average charges are usually somewhere between £32-£50 per hour

Its basically the same here for auto shops. Like the article states, most dealers will strip you clean.

My biggest gripe with auto repair is that I can't count the number of times I've spent lots of money for a repair and its done wrong Why is it that I can fix it properly when its the first time I've ever done it and the 'pros' can't

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: The BMW's and Mercedes are worth spending the money on, but I'll never understand why someone buys a Honda.z My Merc routinely breaks down or has things drop off and I'm on first name terms with the Service Manager. Mrs Vito's Honda has never had a penny in repairs spent on it in 4 years... it's the most reliable car I've ever known! ANdy

Thats becuase you have a C-class (w202 or w203 after 2000?).  Get yourself a 20yr old S-class (w126) or a 15yr old E-class (w124 or w201 190E) and you won't have those problems.  Its not the fault of the people who design them, its the fault of the accountants who took the company away from the engineers in 1994.  

And go to www.mercedesshop.com/shopforum to get some pointers on stuff you can do yourself and save a few bucks.  TONS of knowledgeable people there.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Please tell me I have my car-nicknames right Merc=Mercedes? Yep, Merc = Mercedes. I'm selling it this year and probably buy myself a Honda too. ANdy

What? No Mini Cooper,


no Morris Minor?


no Austin?


No MG?