OK, here's a new thread because I've realized I didn't fully appreciate how these guys work. This springs from my other thread about the pinion seal on the rear diff.
I always assumed that the dealer service center pulled the time for a job out of the FSM (in hours) and multiplied that by the shop rate (which right now seems to be about $80/hr for Toyota and $120/hr for Lexus). I've spoken to a service manager at one of my local dealers, and he says this is how it works for warranty work, and that the labor rate multiplier is lower for warranty work as well.
Now, here's the issue: to drop the rear prop shaft and replace the pinion seal, two different dealers are quoting me 1.5 hours of labor. A third says 2-2.5, and the fourth says 4 hours! The guys quoting 1.5 hours say they are pulling it from the manual, and the other two have "talked to a tech, and this is what he said it would take."
Is this stuff not standardized? I thought that we paid more for repairs than Toyota on warranty work because the multiplier was different. But now I'm finding that these guys are basically charging labor times well in excess of what I would actually think it would take them. (The total P/L for the exact same job at different dealers has ranged from $145 to $380).
I'd love to hear from you guys inside the dealerships, and find out what's going on here.
I always assumed that the dealer service center pulled the time for a job out of the FSM (in hours) and multiplied that by the shop rate (which right now seems to be about $80/hr for Toyota and $120/hr for Lexus). I've spoken to a service manager at one of my local dealers, and he says this is how it works for warranty work, and that the labor rate multiplier is lower for warranty work as well.
Now, here's the issue: to drop the rear prop shaft and replace the pinion seal, two different dealers are quoting me 1.5 hours of labor. A third says 2-2.5, and the fourth says 4 hours! The guys quoting 1.5 hours say they are pulling it from the manual, and the other two have "talked to a tech, and this is what he said it would take."
Is this stuff not standardized? I thought that we paid more for repairs than Toyota on warranty work because the multiplier was different. But now I'm finding that these guys are basically charging labor times well in excess of what I would actually think it would take them. (The total P/L for the exact same job at different dealers has ranged from $145 to $380).
I'd love to hear from you guys inside the dealerships, and find out what's going on here.