I took my newly acquired (August this year) 89 Barth in to the mechanic for the first time today. I'm not a mechanic, and truthfully haven't paid much attention to part costs for trips to the mechanics on my other vehicles. I'm looking at the Barth as a place to learn, though, so I'm paying a little more attention.

I searched for the parts they used for the tune up, and found some part numbers that match Napa part numbers. The mark up the mechanic is charging seems pretty steep:

RR-171 Distributor Cap - Napa web site: $26.69, Mechanic bill: $48.95.

RR-173 Distributor Rotor - Napa web site: $14.49, Mechanic bill: $26.50

7975 Spark Plug - Napa web site: $2.88, Mechanic bill: $7.20

29210 PCV Valve - Napa web site: $3.99, Mechanic bill: $8.64

Etc.

Should I be irate, or is this standard?

I really like the owner and the 2nd in charge, they seemed genuinely excited to work on my rig, and they specialize in fleet and RV work.

There are a couple of other jobs I have to decide on whether to have them perform; the master brake cylinder is leaking (1 hr), and the drag link needs replacing (1 hr). Mark-ups are similar for those parts.

I'm also contemplating having them replace the front springs with heavy duty springs and omitting the leaking air bags. They have a custom spring shop that would provide springs for $322 and the mechanic is quoting 4hrs. According to the 2nd in command, the spring shop is very good, he's used them to make springs when he raced open-wheel cars.

Thanks for any input.

The markups aren't out of line. Oddly enough, I've had to prod my shop to take markups on occasion.

There can be a considerable amount of time locating parts and arranging delivery.

And while my shop is doing quite well, I make sure to give them the easy, profitable, jobs along with the nasty ones.

That said, I do get preferential treatment because I've used my credentials to defend them from nuisance suits, saving a bunch of money. However, I consider those incidents to be a sideline, used to protect friends.

Both prices and labor times for the MC (assuming it includes bleeding) and springs are reasonable, as are the prices for the springs. There is no way to shorten time for either - they're both tedious jobs.

Thanks Rusty. I'm relieved, because they are a 10 minute drive away and I got a good feeling dealing with them.

The parts markup seems a bit steep, depending on where their supplier is located. (Many will deliver the parts for a price to the shop)

That said, what is their hourly rate? Some have lower hourly rates and make it up on parts, some do it the opposite way.

The spring and master cylinder quotes seem OK overall. I have front spring replacement on my list, also.

So far I have done all the work on my Barth for several reasons. For one, as a kid growing up I was the gopher for my Dad who did everything himself. I learned how to do things from him and have been blessed/cursed ever since. (Sometimes I get into things and wish I could hire them out.)

Main reason is that I don't know of local RV mechanics that are near by and competent.

My #1 advice for any service: shop by reputation, not price. I always use those who have satisfied customers. Redos and poor workmanship will cost way more money and aggravation in the long run.

It took me a while to find my airplane mechanic and I always pay him well so we are both happy. I can show up any time and he always seems to get to my plane first and I gladly pay him what he wants and I tip him, too. Win/win for both of us. (He is sick of customers who whine about everything)

Good luck getting your Barth up to speed.

Based on our experiences building cars and the "normal" practice we encounter a shop charges the full retail price for each part they get. The shop will get the wholesale price that can be between 30% and 50% less on the parts. Delivery to most shops (we use NAPA too) is free. Then most will use an hourly shop labor rate of between $60 and $100 unless they have access to a dealer rate manual that manufacturers have developed for estimating the time it takes to make a repair. That manual is the limit for warranty repairs and if a good mechanic (who at a dealer is a commission employee) can make the repair in less time he gets a bonus and if he takes longer he takes a loss on his labor. Added to that are several small fees like disposal of used oil and chemicals, leasing of rags and and uniforms, and cost of consummables, like solvents. You should ask your shop how they charge, most will tell you straight up. If not shop around. Of course you are not going to find a shop rate manual for a Barth repair but they shaould be able to write up an estimate based on what your complaint is.

My mechanic gets parts delivered to his shop for free & always gets 10% to 20% off on parts . he charges me the full price on parts. he also quotes me a price in full, before doing any job. he is my cousin & still charges full price for parts , but hey, he has to make a living too . Bob

I recently had the springs redone on our Breakaway and found that there is more to it than I thought. The coach was listing on the curb side which meant that the rear springs had weakened allowing that side to be lower than the street side. The spring shop added new leafs as required and re-arced the springs to bring the height back into spec. Adding extra leafs required new shackles and some retaining clamps. The original estimate was about $800 and the end cost was $1,100. Most shops in our area are at $100-$125/hour for labor.

The coach is level now and looks much better.

I went ahead and told them to continue with the work and do the master cylinder, drag link and springs.

The springs vs new bags were a wash, and I'm hoping I'll be done with it, rather than expecting to replace bags in a few years.

The shop rate is $115 for RVs, but he's charging me $100. Before anyone freaks out at that, I live in one of the most expensive places on earth. Nobody does anything for less than $100/hr around here.

I called him and talked to him about the markup; I nicely asked if it was first visit markup and maybe I could get to a different tier on subsequent jobs. He didn't get belligerent about it, and that matters. Mentioned that as they work if they find little things they just go ahead and take care of it, e.g. some of the vacuum lines were cracked at the ends so they just cut and re-set them. Belt was squeaking, they just adjusted it.

They don't have any "shop equipment" add-ons either, which I like.

We'll see how everything comes out. I'm really excited to feel confident in the mechanical condition of the rig.

Hopeful that the springs are a big improvement (they should be, over flat air bags) and don't mean more work, a la Cantrade.

Once I get it back from the mechanic, it's time for me to get acquainted with pop-rivets. There are quite a few missing or still there but have failed. I have received a bunch of help on another thread for those.

I just have to say that this site is AWESOME, I've received so much help already, and I'm just getting started. We really hope to be able to make a GTG real soon!