Decent mechanic near Camberley

[davek_964]

I've had a fairly ridiculous quote for replacing a door mirror on one of my cars. I accept that the electrical connector is behind the door panel, and I accept a few other bits need to be taken off once the panel is removed. I don't accept that it is therefore 2 hours labour at a total cost of £190 + VAT (plus the cost of the part).

Obviously I can - and probably will - do it myself. But for the times I can't be bothered, I think I've reached the point where I would rather use a skilled mechanic for generic jobs and just leave the annual service / stamp in the book to the £100 an hour specialists.

So - who do you use near Camberley, and what hourly rate do they charge?

(I'm sure it's been asked before but I couldn't find anything recent with a search).

[davek_964]

edc said:

If it's not a car or job they've worked on regularly before then they will check the Autodata book time then apply their hourly rate. Best bet is find a local marque specialist for that sort of thing.

A marque specialist is who I usually use. But I simply don't believe that having to take a door card off means a job takes 2 hours.
Even if it did, I'm pretty sure there are decent mechanics who are capable and charge £50 an hour not £100?

[davek_964]

Cheers, might look them up.

Maybe I need to stop being lazy and start fixing more stuff myself.

[davek_964]

Mr Tidy said:

OP you don't say what the car is, but from other posts I think you may have a BMW?

If so I would recommend TWG Automotive in Frimley - my 2 always go there! Will, the proprietor, is ex-Sytner.

Rate is £75 per hour (inc. VAT), but the beauty of using someone who knows the cars inside out is they will do the job quicker than a non-specialist!

Nope - I'm browsing BMWs and may shop for a Z4 but the specific car in question is an AM Vantage. I already have specialists I use for servicing, but was trying to avoid their (what seem to me) inflated prices for generic work.

Thanks for the suggestions - but I think I have now concluded I simply need to start doing more to my cars myself. The quote that started this thread was to replace a wing mirror because it wasn't always folding out properly (although I've since dismantled it and lubricated it, which seems to have solved it for now). I was told it was a 2 hour job because it was "quite involved and includes removal of the door card" - and two different specialists told me that, with almost identical justification.

Since then, I decided to see just how hard it was to remove the door card. It took me under 10 mins - in fact, it was the simplest door card I've ever removed. Removing the mirror from the mounting arm is ~1 minute (two screws). Removing the arm - which you need to do if you are going to replace the mirror to be able to get the wiring through - does involve a bit more than just removal of the door card - but not 50 mins more, plus another 50 mins to re-assemble.

So my conclusion is, on some jobs even respected specialists are taking the p**s - and if I can do it myself, I will (and in this case I definitely can if / when it needs doing).

Thanks for the tip on the BMW specialist though, that may come in handy in future....