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I have a Suburban and needed the water pump and oil pan seal replaced. I did most of the work myself, I just needed someone to lift the engine and replace the oil pan seal.

I brought the Suburban to a mechanic who charged me 500 bucks to replace the oil pan seal, ANOTHER 500 to replace the timing cover and 150 bucks to replace the water pump (I had all the parts purchased myself already except for the timing cover). Is it legal for them to charge me 500 bucks for the oil pan and another 500 to replace the timing cover??? In order to replace the oil pan you need to take off the timing cover. I was going to check with the BBB but figured I would ask here first for some advice.

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    It is legal for them to charge a million dollars for the work but you have to agree to it before the work is preformed. They have to give you an estimate and once you agree they preform the work. If you didn't do your research or agreed to pay what they asked then it is your fault. You could have taken your truck some place else. – vini_i Dec 6 '16 at 0:12
  • This is not right. There is a book which shows the max amount of hours it would take to perform a specific task and they are not allowed to charge passed that amount. – Ericode Dec 6 '16 at 0:14
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    The book you speak of is a general guide line. In fact depending on the writer of the book (there are many) the times are different. Even if they were not allowed to charge more than the listed labor time the labor rate (dollars per hour) is flexible. If a job takes 3 hours i'll charge a million dollars an hour. Then it's up to you to say no that is too much! – vini_i Dec 6 '16 at 0:22
  • This type of question is going to get various opinions and debate because this site is not limited to one country or region. It is different in each country. I would suggest as a consumer, you should check around. Getting estimates from several shops gives you an idea what the job should cost. Of course, if you agreed to pay them to do the job before you checked around, you should pay them. If you find they over charged you, lesson learned. – CharlieRB Dec 6 '16 at 21:12
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Different shops have different policies. Some go by "book hours" (kinda referenced in the comments to this question) which state how many hours of labour a task is. Some charged actual hours spent. Some make up a number they think you will go for.

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  • This is so true. I have also seen where mechanics will charge extra for someone who brings their own parts and has done most of the work themselves. – CharlieRB Dec 6 '16 at 21:18

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