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Re: [T3] Help


> Your guy will charge in the neighborhood of $45-60
> per hour, know what 
> the problems are and take care of the simple stuff
> (like busted 
> bleeders) without fuss. Your guy will encourage you
> to learn more about 
> the car and appreciate its simplicity and
> sturdiness; he would never 
> tell you to 'find another car' over stuff this
> minor.

I don't know what the living costs are are Prescott,
AZ, where you are, and I don't recall where the
original poster lives, but labor rates vary wildly
across the country.  Here in the SF Bay Area, an
expensive place to live, labor rates are $90/hour and
up.  Specialist places often charge $120/hour.  None
of these people are ripping anyone off at those
prices, it's just that expensive to live here.

Some mechanics also look at things in the hard light
of economics.  A T3 can be had in decent running
condition for $1500, so spending $1000 on fixing one
up seems foolish to some people.  Only 10 hours of
labor will hit that mark here, so I'd guess this guy
is simply trying to save some money for a client.

I'll agree that his estimates for what's wrong are
inflated, but it's also all-too-common practice to
inflate rather than low-ball and get burned when it
takes longer than you calculated, which only results
in less money for you or an unhappy customer or both.

Owning old cars is, IMHO, not a habit for someone who
can't or won't learn the basic mechanics themselves. 
Once these skills and some simple tools are acquired,
maintenance costs can fall dramatically on most old
cars.  Air-cooled VWs of every stripe are nearly ideal
cars on which to acquire these skills, as they're
simple and sturdy cars.  So, to the original poster,
if you have the time, the space, and the patience, get
this car back from the mechanic, buy a copy of the
repair manual and "How to Keep your VW Alive", and
start learning.



		
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