TheSamba.com :: View topic

Tue Nov 17, 2009 3:49 pm

I have a good mechanic in my area, but you never know when he'll get to your vehicle. He doesn't give you a bill...just a general idea of how many hours he's put in. There's another guy who at least will work on my cars, but doesn't feel real comfortable about it. He works at a gas station and does a lot of foreign car work...I'd say they charge about $50/ Hr. Lastly, a place that does good work, about 45 miles away and they charge $90/Hr. Wish I had deeper pockets.

Tue Nov 17, 2009 3:55 pm

Do the work yourself.......what are you trying to fix?? There is a ton of help on this site. I am no mechanic but have done some pretty major repairs on my bus, all thanks to the people on this site. Whatever it is you are trying to fix, just do a search and you are sure to get the help you need. Going on 5 years with no mechanic!!

Cheers!

Tue Nov 17, 2009 4:00 pm

My shop rate here in Alaska is 75.00 hour and Iam cheep compaired to other shop's around here (80 to 110) I help out guys who want to work on them themself's but I tell you I have many who try then I see it and it cost alot more to redo the job right.

Tue Nov 17, 2009 4:01 pm

The day I pay someone to wrench on my bus will be the day I pay someone to be a husband to my wife.

In short, it aint gonna happen. Theres nothing that cant be done yourself.

Tue Nov 17, 2009 4:02 pm

Cost depends on location, big city=big bucks, podunk nowhere=cheap.
Do it yourself= free + the gift of knowledge

Tue Nov 17, 2009 6:55 pm

timo78 wrote: Cost depends on location, big city=big bucks, podunk nowhere=cheap.
Do it yourself= free + the gift of knowledge

I do all my own work, and it's never free. I pay for the parts, then I have to watch my wife spend the same amount on something that she likes. Never, never, never free. :(

Tue Nov 17, 2009 7:10 pm

Specialty labor here (ACVW is now considered 'specialty') run about $75/hr.

Tue Nov 17, 2009 8:27 pm

I pay myself exactly $1 million per hour, but it all gets sucked up in my overhead costs.

Tue Nov 17, 2009 8:41 pm

Moses says, "It's not really "free" if you spend half the day under our bus, when we could be schwimmin"...He likes his lake/river/ocean time.

I would suggest as an old hippie dude, that if you plan on really using and traveling in your bus, learn to fix it...I have met so many folks that say, "We used to have a bus, but we couldn't afford the upkeep, so we sold it".

Here in lies the truth...buses are great fun, and even more fun when you can stop and fix it on the side of the road. 30+ year old vehicles need a LOT of attention...

good luck! :D

Tue Nov 17, 2009 8:44 pm

I picked up an alternator a few weeks ago from a VW shop in Seattle, and they had a sign up stating $90/hr for labor.

Wed Nov 18, 2009 4:12 am

check with your local club or other VW peeps around the area. im a tech and can tell you that alot of people know about cars in general but there is alot you cant do yourself and alot you can. it would cost you more to buy the proper tools to do the job and sometimes. i mean do you really wanna go spend $45-hundreds on a tool you may only use a few times and get dirty,greasy and spend an hour or more to do it or pay a tech $300 and get it done quicker with less headache. i was a dealer tech(for a loooooong time) and i dont think they are worth the money($110+ per hr) and they have no care for older cars(actually most techs refuse to work on them and it will get handed off to a newer young tech due to the money making potential vs. time spent on the job.)

Wed Nov 18, 2009 5:45 am

Unless your bus is in very good shape then paying someone else to fix it is going to kill you financially. You really need a different mind set if you are going to successfully drive around in a 30+ year old car. Juryrigging is for cars you don't plan to keep, fixing it right almost no matter the cost is what you need to do with an older classic. Tools are cheap in the long run. A couple of hundred dollars in tools will get you a good start and then just buy what you need as your vehicle demands. These things don't require much in the way of specialty tools.

I hate to think how many times I have heard people say something like this. "This repair is going to cost $500 which is more than I paid for the car, therefore I am not going to do it." Then they end up paying $5000 to buy another used car that may still need $500 in repairs. Why is it better to spend $500 to fix a more expensive car?

I paid $500 for my Bay years ago. I have put maybe $10,000 into it over the years and have driven it about 200K miles. That's only 5 cents a mile, show me a new car, especially a multi-purpose passenger vehicle, that can be driven that cheaply.

Wed Nov 18, 2009 9:06 am

I am so lucky to have a mechanic, trained in Germany on VW's having a shop in my city. He's around 70 years old but his son works with him. $40.00 an hour plus they know what they are doing. Oh yea, I'm in Frederiton New Brunswick.

Wed Nov 18, 2009 1:37 pm

as much as wildthings is right about fixing some stuff a few hundred in tools will only allow you to fix general items(a good timing light with cost upwards of $150). its when you get into larger problems that you may not have the expertise to work on it and need rebuild tools. press', case splitters, dial indicators, torque wrenches, tap and die set, ETC. it all adds up after a while you might have more $ in the tools that is worth it for a GENERAL consumer. unless you work on ALOT of cars and can get your money back from the use of the tools multiple times. my point is get a good size basic tools set do minor work yourself and the major stuff take to a reputable shop.

Wed Nov 18, 2009 3:06 pm

I've decided this time I'm going to do the work myself. Even though it's getting cold in Michigan now, I can heat the area with a new propane heater. The parts will be at least as cheap as they would charge me at the shop and with the money I save, I can buy some extra goodies for the bus that I've been thinking about getting anyway. The total price will be about the same, but I'll have the heater, the headlights and the cigarette lighter outlet. Thanks for your input as always. Elman
I'm putting off my heart cath 'til December.

Wed Nov 18, 2009 3:50 pm

$0/hr + $inf for parts. Well as many parts as I can afford. That's the hassle with owning a 30+ year old vehicle that has somehow been providing service with a large number of its components missing.

Wed Nov 18, 2009 9:22 pm

I do every thing I can my self, with the help of bently andsamba folks time permitting, the shop i go to on occasion is $70.00.

Wed Nov 18, 2009 9:54 pm

Everything I can myself... BUT Bus is in the shop right now at $90/hr. I looked around and I don't trust normal places.

Wed Nov 18, 2009 11:27 pm

CombatBus wrote: as much as wildthings is right about fixing some stuff a few hundred in tools will only allow you to fix general items(a good timing light with cost upwards of $150). its when you get into larger problems that you may not have the expertise to work on it and need rebuild tools. press', case splitters, dial indicators, torque wrenches, tap and die set, ETC. it all adds up after a while you might have more $ in the tools that is worth it for a GENERAL consumer. unless you work on ALOT of cars and can get your money back from the use of the tools multiple times. my point is get a good size basic tools set do minor work yourself and the major stuff take to a reputable shop.

Unfortunately what I have found out about shops is that they often do not have the tools they need, even dealerships. Instead they jury rig and come up with ways to get by without buying the needed tool. Often the tool doesn't even cost that much to start with, they just don't have it and don't want to buy it for a one time use. You end up paying gobs of labor and get a job that isn't all that well done to boot.

Thu Nov 19, 2009 12:38 am

It's simple. It's either big money or big time. Which do you want to give up? It takes one or the other to have a good ACVW. Your choice. If you skimp and cut corners you won't end up with a good ACVW.
The only thing I get stuck in paying someone for is quality machine shop work. And then there was press work to R & R the bus ball joints. O-yea, buying a quality rebuilt trans. That's all. There's very little that you can't do at home. Main thing is doing it all correctly. Pay attention to details. If you yourself do, or pay for, a slop job that's what you end up with- slop. Get, study, and learn to follow manuals. If you don't know what to do find out before you do it. Very little expense in buying tools that you will need if you go about it wisely. Don't waste money on a $150 timing light. There is no need and nothing to be gained. A $25 dollar one, a $100 air compressor, and a $25 floor jack will be a handier investment.
Shops doing good work are hard to find. And there are many shops doing real crap work. Because you pay $60-$120/hour doesn't mean it was even worth $10/hr.