I have a Volvo XC90 (SUV) with 58k miles.  The wife takes it to the Volvo dealership, against my recommendations, to get the oil changed and they tell her she needs a brake job very soon.  They also tell her the 60k mile service is due and she needs new wiper blades. The wife calls me from the dealership before having any work done, per my instructions, and told me what needed to be done.  I basically told her to tell the dealership to go F themselves.

Are the dealership's prices out of the ballpark or are they reasonable?

Prices:

Wiper Blades $75.

Brake Job $599

60K service $600.    

Thanks.

;D

I think the prices are very fair.Tell your old lady to go ahead and take it in for service : After you win the lottery costs like these are just pocket change right?

Are the dealership's prices out of the ballpark or are they reasonable?

While they're not the greatest prices, they're comparable to similar services from other makers' dealers.  

$600 for a standard brake job (just change the pads, machine rotors, etc..) even for a Volvo seems way overpriced. Heaven forbide you need new rotors.  

Wiper Blades $75.00??????????

Are those the ones made with 24K gold? Change your own and save $60.

I agree with Eddie, those prices seem a little high for the brakes.

Falcon

Holy crap! Do those wipers balance your check book too?

Unless my car is under warranty it never goes to a dealer. I can get as good or better service from a good local mechanic.  I have a Chevy TB and I do my own oil changes and brakes (pads for my TB are the most expensive for any car I have ever owned). I probably spend about $100 on parts, for doing all brakes, and when needed, a little extra to get someone to machine the rotors for me.

As for the $600, I would have to see what that covers.

Dealer labor rates are usually a lot higher than a local mechanic. Finding a good local mechanic can be a tough thing to do though.

Are the prices reasonable. Well, can you work on it yourself? Let's examine the issues:

Wiper Blades $75.: You can buy them & install them yourself. Great ones will run $18 per pair.

Brake Job $599: Can you find someone to turn rotors? Are you able to examine the mechanics of the brake system? Can you install pads? If this price includes new rotors, probably not bad, but I don't know for sure.

60K service $600.: What do they do for the 60K service? Can you do any of it yourself.

I've worked on my own vehicles for 37 years, which in effect, means nothing, but I've kept them well maintained and running at all times. My current Toyo Tacoma ('99) is coming up close to 300K. I plan to get 500-750K out of her before her demise becomes imminent. Still runs like new. It is very dependent on what YOU can & can't do on your vehicle. If you don't know how to work on it, you are at the mercy of someone who does. IF you know what is wrong, you are at a better level & can evaluate if the work is required, or if you may want to attempt it yourself.

Brakes should not cost you more than $150 serviced....or $50 to do it yourself.I just recently did my girl's for just under $50.

Wipers...$5-$20 per, depending on what brand and kind....do it yourself...they are easy!I have to change ours every year after winter.Ice damages rubber easily.so i opt out for the cheaper brand.

60K miles service....sounds like a common tune up...shouldn't run you more than $100-$200 depending on what's to be done.

Sounds like the place is trying to rob you guys since the most target easy people to screw over are women since many don't know the pricing of the parts and labor.

Ask them for an itemized estimate and compare prices of OEM parts online.

Unless you were getting 4 new rotors, the brake job is over priced.

the 60k would depend largely on what they do.

quickly pulled off of a volvo forum:

  Replace

Oil & Filter Change

Air Cleaner Filter Change

Replace Spark Plugs

Replace pollen Filter

Then they just inspect a bunch of stuff and would charge you more for parts and labor.

Since I know for a fact that you are male, you should be able to change three filters, add oil, and replace plugs. Dont know how much parts would cost but it couldnt be more than $150

Factory breaks are high, even if you get them from a parts store.  However you can get good quality breaks without getting the factory spec ones.  I would get an itemized list though man.  The wipers shouldnt be anywhere near that high.

Unless the car is still warranty, there is NO reason to use the dealer, unless there are no independant shops near you that you trust.

Finding a reputable mechanic is a whole other thread.......

BTW, I'm a mechanic.

Wiper Blades $75.00??????????

Are those the ones made with 24K gold? Change your own and save $60.

I agree with Eddie, those prices seem a little high for the brakes.

Falcon

It's called flat rate. The minimum charge is $75. Doesn't matter if it takes 10 minutes or an hour, it's $75 an hour. Plus, the guy lives in WPB Fla. maybe find a Volvo dealer in Ocala or Okeechobee.

Hey Bassin, I own A repair shop in Royal Palm Beach that specializes in European vehicles. Royal Palm Auto Spa, 11503 Southern Blvd. If you wanna stop in Ill give you a 2nd opinion, and definetly save you some money.

Thank you for all the responses.  I spoke to a mechanic I somewhat know and he laughed when I told him the price of the blades.  I think the dealership was adding labor to the blades because the inserts shouldn't be more than 20 a piece.  I can and will do the blades myself.  

I can also do the oil but they only charged $29 so I let them do it.  I don't imagine I'd save too much on the oil change and then finding a place to dump it.

The wife told me she had the tires rotated/balanced and a front end alignment done too.  They charged her $120 for the alignment and $65 for the balance and rotation.  What a scam.  They charge to rotate tires when they have to take them off anyways to balance them.

Only thing left for the tune up is plugs, filters and maybe a couple of small things but know way $600 worth.  

I also didn't think brakes would be so much.  Hopefuly the rotars just need turning and not replaced and then the shoes.  I can't do brakes so I have to find a brake guy. But not $600.  

And like Matt 5.0 said, I live in rip off West Palm Beach who most everyone tries to turn a 10 dollar job into a 30 dollar job.  NOTHING is done around here on a handshake anymore.

Hawk- I appreciate it and I'll probably be stopping by.

I haven't owned my own car since my divorce in 1994.  I am fortunate to have a company car and company mechanic so I have been out of the car repair game quite a long time.  

Bassn,

The Stealership is not the place for ANYTHING, unless you're having warranty work.  My wife has a Saab convertible and they wanted $500 for brake replacement  :'(. I think Palm Beach Auto works on Volvo, give them a call.  

I took our Taurus in for new tires at Sears a couple weeks ago. They told me I needed new wiper blades. I had just put new ones on two days earlier....The more you can educate yourself about your car and do yourself, the more you can avoid getting screwed.

Hey Bassin, I own A repair shop in Royal Palm Beach that specializes in European vehicles. Royal Palm Auto Spa, 11503 Southern Blvd. If you wanna stop in Ill give you a 2nd opinion, and definetly save you some money.

Go see hawk !

Those prices are very high, I just put rain x latitudes for 40 less 15 rebate.

I only have professionals work on my cars and trucks ( I owned 4 at one time big Macks and Gmc generals) recourse is the name of the game.  Do the work yourself and get a bad part, now you have to uninstall , go back to the auto parts store and then reinstall.  Pay a few bucks more and get the job done right.

Tire Kingdom , $29 oil change with free tire rotation.

Many places where I live in Florida it's against HOA to work on your car in the driveway, cept washing.  In the garage is fine.

When you buy the wiper blades, Bosch Icon.  Best money you can spend.

As for the brakes, most rotors these days aren't worth turning.  They're either too thin to start or too Chinese to fool with.

Sounds like you are on your way Bassn. One thing i would recommend if you are in the mood. Pick up a book for your car. The day my vehicles go out of warranty I will go to the nearest auto parts store and pick up a book for my car. I have probably enough tools to do about 70% of what needs to be done on the car.

Unless I do not have time, or if it falls in the 30% range for tools I do not have, I always do it myself. It is cheaper, I actually care about my car and it allows me to check other stuff while I am under there. I found one of the boots on my axle blew out probably a week after it did, before it did any damage that way.

Course, it is an investment in your time and if you cannot make that investment, yo uwould be great to find a good local mechanic. BTW, if you have a Discount Tire near you, they are not bad. Good prices, free rotation, free patches, and good service (at least in Gastonia)

I took our Taurus in for new tires at Sears a couple weeks ago. They told me I needed new wiper blades. I had just put new ones on two days earlier....The more you can educate yourself about your car and do yourself, the more you can avoid getting screwed.

To this day, I refuse to go to a Firestone store. I took my car to one, years ago, for a front end alignment. The mechanic put the car up on the rack and started taking off tires.  When I asked him what he was doing he said it was a free service inspection, they do it for (to) everyone.  He said everything was fine (which I knew) until he got to the front ball joints and tie rods. With the car in the air, he proceeded to twist the tie rod and showed me how much play there was in the ball joints and that I needed a new set.  

If I had not known what I knew about cars, (I used to work on my own) I probably would have believed him. I'm sure many women were taken in.  >

Unless the car is still warranty, there is NO reason to use the dealer, unless there are no independant shops near you that you trust.

Finding a reputable mechanic is a whole other thread.......

BTW, I'm a mechanic.

p.s. The wipers were the end of the story. It's tough, but

women should never have any work done on a car if at

all possible. It's not just your wife, all women get "special"

treatment and the "female pricing and replacement" deal.

>

Unless the car is still warranty, there is NO reason to use the dealer, unless there are no independant shops near you that you trust.

Finding a reputable mechanic is a whole other thread.......

BTW, I'm a mechanic.

p.s. The wipers were the end of the story. It's tough, but

women should never have any work done on a car if at

all possible. It's not just your wife, all women get "special"

treatment and the "female pricing and replacement" deal.

>

Just for the record. Some men are as bad if not worse than women when they come in for repairs.

which volvo did you go to? my friend is the service manager at a volvo dealership. i will ask him tonight.

Years ago I worked part time at one of those national chain stores. I saw first hand the crap they pulled on customers - especially women. It's the only job I've ever been fired from, because I wanted no parts of it. I walked out laughing after they canned me.

Let me make this clear: Not all of them are crooks and some have fine mechanics working for them BUT watch your behind if you choose to use them. They are expected to sell X amount of repairs per location per week. Don't fall for the "free 18 point safety inspection".

Really, the best way to find a decent mechanic is word of mouth. Some of the best wrenches in my area don't even advertise, they don't need to. Ask friends and family where they get their work done and if they're happy. It's as simple as that.

which volvo did you go to? my friend is the service manager at a volvo dealership. i will ask him tonight.

The one on Okeechobee Blvd.  Thanks.