[Paul_Cooper]

I contacted my local mini dealer today to obtain an estimate for fitting some parts; i was horrified to be informed that the labour cost per hour is £94.80 + VAT (£111.39 p/h) . That is daylight robbery!

The dealer in question is Benham MINI in Stockport (Greater Manchester)

I understand that labour charges vary from dealer to dealer, what does your dealer charge?

[Restyle]

The Motor Trade does seem to have rather Extortionate hourly rates, & always has done.

I think you may find that an "ordinary" local Garage may charge around £55 - £75 per hour.
Therefore, given the choice between an "Ordinary" & "BMW" Garage to fix your Pride & Joy, you may find a price differential of between 20 - 35%.

Given the choice, I think I`d still stick with BMW to fix any problems for ...
...Peace of Mind
...Warranty of Parts & Labour
...Non-Cowboy(esque) Workshop Behavior
...They Know what they`re Doing, having almost certainly far greater Knowledge & Experience than any other Garage on their own Cars
...& not forgetting, The BMW Stamped Work Receipt .. A very important piece of paper when it comes to selling your Car

[ned78]

It might sound expensive, but we do have to buy extremely expensive diagnostic equipment, special tools for each model, and send our Mechanics out on regular training courses that cost the earth. But at the end of the day, you get trained Mechanics who can work on your MINI, in the least possible time, while still giving it the care and attention it deserves.

I would hazard a guess that an 'ordinary' mechanic might take an hour or two longer to complete the more complex tasks, thus negating the overall dealer costs. But I would say that, I'm a dealer!

[MOCKSY]

labour is expencive. im a mechanic i should know. if your confident with oil changes and stuff and just need help with complex stuff then sneak into the dealers workshop and ask if anyone wants a private job for some pocket money. some will even do normal services on pjs. most will prob say yes. just don't get caught!!!

[Cooper76]

That's insane and I pay U.S.$102 an hour!

YIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKES!!!

[mikeythemini]

Makes my £46 per hour look good

[CooperSAZ]

Quote: Originally Posted by Cooper76

That's insane and I pay U.S.$102 an hour!

YIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKES!!!

WOW! The local dealership here will install a pulley for me for US$115/hour! And they say, "that job is 4.5 hours!" The advisor did not think it was really funny when I asked him if that came with a complimentary case of vaseline!

[Cooper76]

Quote: Originally Posted by CooperSAZ

WOW! The local dealership here will install a pulley for me for US$115/hour! And they say, "that job is 4.5 hours!" The advisor did not think it was really funny when I asked him if that came with a complimentary case of vaseline!

HAHAHAHAHA!!! That's a bold thing to say!!! HAHAHAHA!!! I'd love to have seen his face! Hee-hee!!!

[cooper_s_flyer]

Quote: Originally Posted by CooperSAZ

WOW! The local dealership here will install a pulley for me for US$115/hour! And they say, "that job is 4.5 hours!" The advisor did not think it was really funny when I asked him if that came with a complimentary case of vaseline!

Its $94 an hour here.

For that I envision....

...Once the non-warranty covered job at hand is accomplished by the dealer and they bring me the car after I pay the ticket, a babelicious "Mini Cooper stewardess" massages my shoulders and neck while another sprinkles gold dust in my hair. Then they both give the "complimentary lap dance"... A bit later they bring out the meal I missed while waiting for my car...

I usually "wake up" before the meal part....

[CooperSAZ]

Quote: Originally Posted by cooper_s_flyer

Its $94 an hour here.

For that I envision....

...Once the non-warranty covered job at hand is accomplished by the dealer and they bring me the car after I pay the ticket, a babelicious "Mini Cooper stewardess" massages my shoulders and neck while another sprinkles gold dust in my hair. Then they both give the "complimentary lap dance"... A bit later they bring out the meal I missed while waiting for my car...

I usually "wake up" before the meal part....

LOL! That is awesome! Good story!

[MOCKSY]

Quote: Originally Posted by Restyle

The Motor Trade does seem to have rather Extortionate hourly rates, & always has done.

I think you may find that an "ordinary" local Garage may charge around £55 - £75 per hour.
Therefore, given the choice between an "Ordinary" & "BMW" Garage to fix your Pride & Joy, you may find a price differential of between 20 - 35%.

Given the choice, I think I`d still stick with BMW to fix any problems for ...
...Peace of Mind
...Warranty of Parts & Labour
...Non-Cowboy(esque) Workshop Behavior
...They Know what they`re Doing, having almost certainly far greater Knowledge & Experience than any other Garage on their own Cars
...& not forgetting, The BMW Stamped Work Receipt .. A very important piece of paper when it comes to selling your Car

personally i wouldnt believe all of your points. most dealer mechanics work on bonus rate. the more cars they get through the more money you get. Think about it!

[cooper_s_flyer]

Quote: Originally Posted by CooperSAZ

LOL! That is awesome! Good story!

Just a little "sexist" humor... but all the gals have to do is reverse the genders and the roles in this "fairy tale"... and voila... they have their own tailor-made version...

On a more serious note...

I am stunned and very pleased with my local dealer.

Went in for a scheduled appointment today for 1) dashboard creaks/rattles (center/sides), 2) steering noise, 3) reprogramming of the ECU for EPA guidelines and poor fuel economy(23.6mpg avg.), 4)power steering fan shield install, and 5) aluminum (aluminium... for those Brit Mini brethren out there) full skidplate install.

I assumed the first three on the list were "warranty items" (my Mini is at 6740 miles) and that the "friendly service folk" would charge at least an hour for the "custom stuff".

Here is the "stunned part"... They actually fixed all the problems satisfactorily (they may return, but are fixed for now at least)... and they installed the PS Shield and Skidplate "as a courtesy" absolutely for free... gratis.... nada.... zero bucks. My jaw dropped when the service asst. brought me my key and said "see you next time"...

No massage, no gold dust, no lap dance or meal... but plain and simply... a nice gesture.

That my good sirs and madams, put a big smile on my face all day long.

[EBMCS03]

Quote: Originally Posted by ned78

But at the end of the day, you get trained Mechanics who can work on your MINI, in the least possible time, while still giving it the care and attention it deserves.

HAHAHA I wish that was the case... I've known some Horrible cases where they wreck more than they fix.

$110 USD an hour here for labor