Garage bill help...
Discussion
Hi, I received the bill for my car and it seems a bit much. I was hoping someone could tell me if it sounds about right? I don't want to argue if it's about right, it's just an awful lot of money for a vauxhall Corsa. When I originally took the car to the garage they said it would be around £800, but then said it would be a bit more after they found out they needed to skim the head. I actually got my car back for a few days when it started to overheat again. It turns out the water pump was cracked and they never realised! They agreed not to charge me any more time for the extra work, but there's no time breakdown... Please help, I have not a clue! 
Any particular corsa ? What engine ?
Why was the work carried out in the first place ?
And you say they didnt predict needing a head skim....nobody in their right mind with a notion of removing a cylinder head from a car for ( insert whatever problem you're claiming there was here but not telling us ) without it needing to be skimmed.
Although that aspect in itself is minor really compared to overall cost.
And just because it's a Corsa...should there be a different rate ? What did their initial £800 quote cover ?
The only thing that perhaps seems high is the number of hours. But as you dont say which engine etc....who knows. Some will be easier to do in a set time than others.
But overall, nothing looks totally unreasonable in the breakdown for a proper garage other than that, even if it does add up to a rather large amount.
The most sickening part is the £240 vat the government steal for doing absolutely nothing.
Why was the work carried out in the first place ?
And you say they didnt predict needing a head skim....nobody in their right mind with a notion of removing a cylinder head from a car for ( insert whatever problem you're claiming there was here but not telling us ) without it needing to be skimmed.
Although that aspect in itself is minor really compared to overall cost.
And just because it's a Corsa...should there be a different rate ? What did their initial £800 quote cover ?
The only thing that perhaps seems high is the number of hours. But as you dont say which engine etc....who knows. Some will be easier to do in a set time than others.
But overall, nothing looks totally unreasonable in the breakdown for a proper garage other than that, even if it does add up to a rather large amount.
The most sickening part is the £240 vat the government steal for doing absolutely nothing.
22 hours labour to remove a cylinder head and replace it on a corsa seems a bit much for me, and 200 quid plus vat to skim a cylinder head is a total joke, considering they surely have just paid someone else to do the job and vat already. I was recently quoted 80 quid inc vat to skim and pressure test a head
orangefzr said:
200 quid plus vat to skim a cylinder head is a total joke, considering they surely have just paid someone else to do the job and vat already. I was recently quoted 80 quid inc vat to skim and pressure test a head
To be fair it depends what they did exactly, if they stripped it, skimmed, cleaned it and reassembled like you should it wouldn't be far off, the problem is many garages don't bother....227bhp said:
To be fair it depends what they did exactly, if they stripped it, skimmed, cleaned it and reassembled like you should it wouldn't be far off, the problem is many garages don't bother....
Most cylinder heads can be skimmed without a problem with valves and cams left in .... Why go to the trouble taking them out if not needed Modern pent roof combustion chamber 4 valve heads require a strip down in order to skim them or you will clip the valves, in any event you cannot skim a head - any head.. correctly without a total stripdown and rebuild with seal replacement , all are necessary.
However £700+VAT to remove and refit the head seems excessive.
Dave
However £700+VAT to remove and refit the head seems excessive.
Dave
227bhp said:
You need to learn how to take pictures, but yes they've ripped you a new one.
Hi, I really appreciate everybody taking the time to reply to me. I think I'm going to go and argue my case. From being given an estimate of £800 to it going to be 'a bit more' for skimming to £1430 is big jump! Ljkk said:
Hi, I really appreciate everybody taking the time to reply to me. I think I'm going to go and argue my case. From being given an estimate of £800 to it going to be 'a bit more' for skimming to £1430 is big jump!
Was that quote £800+ vat, or without ?And what exactly was that initial quote for ? Surely with such extra cost they discussed this with you first ?
And you also mention some of the cost was work after...of which another hundred or so of that is water pump etc.
The original quote was when they thought it was a cracked gasket ( I believe. it was my boyfriend who spoke to them, first mistake!). The 'bit more' was when they had to send it off to be skimmed. The water pump was their mistake. I was annoyed that it had been missed as it was the original cause of the overheating and I could have wrecked the car again. They agreed only to charge me for the pump as it was their mistake. Do you think 22 hours is reasonable to do this job? I want to be fair. If it genuinely took that much work, fair enough. I'm don't think I would have spent this sort of money on the car if I had of known...
Ljkk said:
The original quote was when they thought it was a cracked gasket ( I believe. it was my boyfriend who spoke to them, first mistake!). The 'bit more' was when they had to send it off to be skimmed. The water pump was their mistake. I was annoyed that it had been missed as it was the original cause of the overheating and I could have wrecked the car again. They agreed only to charge me for the pump as it was their mistake. Do you think 22 hours is reasonable to do this job? I want to be fair. If it genuinely took that much work, fair enough. I'm don't think I would have spent this sort of money on the car if I had of known...
And again...you havent specified what engine etc to give an estimate of time.And for any garage to remove a head and not intend to skim the head..even more so on a suspected overheated engine is just bizarre.
That is standard practise and should have been in any initial quote.
And until the repaired the head/head gasket, it's hard to diagnose the cause of a problem until it is running again, unless there really was some major failing with the pump to make it very obvious.
Ljkk said:
The original quote was when they thought it was a cracked gasket ( I believe. it was my boyfriend who spoke to them, first mistake!). The 'bit more' was when they had to send it off to be skimmed. The water pump was their mistake. I was annoyed that it had been missed as it was the original cause of the overheating and I could have wrecked the car again. They agreed only to charge me for the pump as it was their mistake. Do you think 22 hours is reasonable to do this job? I want to be fair. If it genuinely took that much work, fair enough. I'm don't think I would have spent this sort of money on the car if I had of known...
This all sounds a bit odd.The car had an overheating problem, so they diagnose head gasket failure? It would be very unusual for a head gasket failure to cause overheating. It may well be that the head gasket had failed and the water pump had also failed (which would cause overheating).
I'm not sure on the book time, but 22 hours sounds excessive to replace a head gasket on these.
OP, did you take the car to a main dealer (expensive) or was it a small independent (cheaper) garage?
and yes I am on the tools for a living , its not even close 
AdamIndy said:
Holy s
t!lol yes, they are taking the piss there. £200+vat for a head skim? When I had my xflow head done, it was £80 all in. That included a pressure test, a couple of new valve collets and stem seals.
Maybe the Labour they are charging you for is waiting for the head to come back!
A head with no cam for starters, that's a lot more stripping down also with the valve angles the valves may HAVE to be removed for skimming (its 16 years since I had one apart) which they won't in a bathtub chambered X-flow, plus cast iron is easier to do than alloy.t!lol yes, they are taking the piss there. £200+vat for a head skim? When I had my xflow head done, it was £80 all in. That included a pressure test, a couple of new valve collets and stem seals.Maybe the Labour they are charging you for is waiting for the head to come back!
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