Installing a passenger side mirror?

[Hootie]

some dipshit kicked/punched my side mirror off and I had to go to ebay to buy a replacement...

I am not savvy enough (I'm a dipshit) to install it myself and I am getting a little bit of work done tomorrow at an auto shop and I'm going to bring the mirror with me and ask them to install it for me...

how much should I be expecting them to charge me for that labor since I have already bought the part?

[Chiefaholic]

There shouldn't be much to it. I'm not familiar with your vehicle, but there should be one screw on the inside door panel you can remove behind the mirror. Take that off and there should be three studs that protrude from the mirror that fit through three holes on the door. Just tighten the three nuts, replace the plate that covers them, and you're done.

[KC native]

Originally Posted by Exoter175

I quoted a bunch of your posts so I can help explain a few things for you, since you are extremely misguided about how the auto repair business works, so I'll be highlighting a few points here, hopefully it'll enlighten you, and the rest of the community so they don't get the foolish notion that "Since they are already doing work, maybe they'll do this for practically nothing".

First things' first, bringing a part in will not earn you a discount. In fact, it is almost insulting to every business out there, and a good majority of them WILL NOT install "your" part for a number of reasons, but make no mistake about it, the largest reason they will not, is because they cannot mark the price up. The next biggest reason is because the manufacturer of that part probably doesn't adhere to the same quality standards that the repair facility (usually dealerships in this case) will stamp their warranty work on.

As most places will have a general warranty coverage on all work done, we're not going to warranty a used part, and we certainly aren't going to warranty a cheap reproduction or reman part from an inferior quality supplier and add our warrant to it.

Also, since we aren't making a single CENT off of your mirror, we won't be obliged to discount the time it takes to put your mirror on. Most places, as it turns out, are going to charge you a MINIMUM 1 hour labor to do ANYTHING on a car, short of a flat rate service (Oil Change, Brakes, Exhaust, etc.)

Depending on where you live, that labor hour could be anywhere from 50 dollars in labor (BFE midwest) to 95 dollars an hour (KC metro stealership)



Minimum, unless the tech or manager are a close friend.



This is the next bit that I'll touch on.

First, you sound like a cheap ass. You sound like the individual who will fight me (the mechanic or manager) tooth and nail for your business because you don't want to pay what I'll charge everyone else, because you can't afford it. I'll try to fight for your business to a degree, and you'll try to drag me to that point and then go further. I will have a line I won't do the work for, and you're likely going to get me to that line, or just above it. Once we've established that, I'm not cutting you a discount on ANYTHING ever again.

Second, 100 dollars is NOTHING in the automotive repair business. Generally speaking, that's about 1.5 hours of labor or just a little under at most "mom and pop" shops.

I don't even think I can go anywhere in the KC metro and get all 8 of my plugs changed in my mustang for 100 bucks. I'm not sure what your service is, but I've written tickets for an Oil Change and Air Filter for nearly as much as you're spending, and those are 15 minutes In and Out all day long.

I realize 100 dollars is something to you, but understand that 100 dollars is NOTHING for a business that needs to earn it.

What you don't understand is that labor hour generally goes to paying a huge portion of the business, as a lot of the parts barely have any true "room" to make up that kind of "markup".

Say I sell you a distributor for $250 dollars, chances are I picked that distributor up for about $210-220, but I'm probably going to charge you an hour to put that on, 16-24 of that is going to my mechanic to put it on, he's only going to take about 20 minutes to do it, and the 40-50ish remaining goes back to the shop. In most medium sized repair facilities, I'm going to have to have about 5 of YOU a day, to pay for my business all said and done.

So to answer, no, you aren't being reasonable.



The next issue I have, and this will be true enlightenment.

Just because something takes 7 minutes and 24 minutes to install for the trained professional, does not mean I should be charging you 7 minutes and 24 minutes of my labor hour.

You didn't pay for his training, you don't pay for the facility, you don't pay for the advertising, you certainly don't pay for overhead at all, yet, you think you should only be charged for the time it took to repair?

When it comes to repair of ANY KIND, you're paying for the service, not the time. If the service calls for 3.5 hours, you'll get charged 3.5 hours. But, should your trusted repair facility employ some very knowledgeable, very fast mechanics who can get the job done in 1.7 hours, you aren't going to pay less because they are that much better and efficient.

You'll just get your car back that much sooner and be on your way to the life of whatever it is you do, that much quicker.

If repair facilities charged you for the actual time it took them, they would be out of business, or............you'd see labor hours doubling or tripling the current labor hours, just to get back to the same "profits" they have right now, but you'd see a new breed of mechanics that are rushed and more mistake prone.

You don't wan that, wise up.



Forget it then.

I'm guessing that your car is a shitbox based on the aforementioned repair costs, that, or you are getting preventative maintenance done.

But I'll give you an idea of a real life scenario.

A friend of mine had his mothers' car come into MY business to get a tune up and to replace her sway bar. After all was said and done, I think we knocked the car out in like 2 hours, but HE (the friend) also brought in a mirror to have it replaced at the last second. He asked me for a quote and gave me the number to call her to get the go ahead on the purchase.

I quoted her in the neighborhood of 115 dollars to remove and replace the mirror.

Do you know why?

The labor hour came out to about 1.5 hours, I had to remove the door panel (wasn't easy, required special tools that I had to buy because this is the business I am in), and re-pin (I did this for free) the connector to her heated mirrors.

Therein lies the issue in some cases. Newer cars cost more to fix. She was driving a 2011 fully loaded Acura TSX, this thing had Heated, Power Mirrors, Power door locks, everything, which is more shit for me to remove and/or **** up when I take her door panel off.

The connector in this case was broken, and I had to remove the connector (depin) and fix it (repin to the new one), I charge $125 dollars a labor hour for electrical work and/or invasive work. I did it for free because he brought me a ton of business my way.

Still, it cost her $115 to replace it. Do you know what other places had quoted her?

$400+ Dollars for 1.5 hours labor + 1 hour electrical/diagnostic

Yet you want that shit done for 20 dollars or "**** it, I'll do it myself"

$20 isn't shit anymore kid, I wipe my ass with 20's.


It is, especially when it is your part.

They'd certainly give you a labor discount had you bought their part or allowed them to source one for you, granted it would be marked up a bit, but you'd likely have paid significantly less on the labor.



A lot of this depends on the Year, Make, and Model of the car.

My mustang would take some time, but my 92 civic? 3 minutes flat.

Nothing wrong with any of this, but this is exactly why I turn my own wrenches whenever I can.

[LoneWolf]

Originally Posted by J Diddy

You pretty much are a dipshit. The same thing happened to my car and it literally was a 5 minute, 3 screw job and I am by no means a mechanic.

Depends on the vehicle. I had to replace my wife's passenger side mirror and it required removal of the door panel. It took me 45 minutes to remove door panel, unbolt old mirror and release the wiring, bolt on new mirror and run the wire, plug wire into plug on door panel, and reinstall the door panel.

Did you have to get off of your high horse when you changed your mirror or were you able to do everything while still in the saddle?

[ShortRoundChief]

Originally Posted by LoneWolf

Depends on the vehicle. I had to replace my wife's passenger side mirror and it required removal of the door panel. It took me 45 minutes to remove door panel, unbolt old mirror and release the wiring, bolt on new mirror and run the wire, plug wire into plug on door panel, and reinstall the door panel.

Did you have to get off of your high horse when you changed your mirror or were you able to do everything while still in the saddle?

I needed the horse to reach. I'm short.

Point is that it isn't complicated if you're willing to take the time.

Now my turn to ask a question. When you pretend you're some internet superhero do you wear tights and turn on a bat light to heighten the experience? Or do you just close your eyes and wing it?

[LoneWolf]

Originally Posted by J Diddy

I needed the horse to reach. I'm short.

Point is that it isn't complicated if you're willing to take the time.

Now my turn to ask a question. When you pretend you're some internet superhero do you wear tights and turn on a bat light to heighten the experience? Or do you just close your eyes and wing it?

Well, today my tights are at the cleaners and I use a Green Lantern instead of a bat light. Wasn't particularly white knighting, I just thought the dipshit comment was a little much.

I did just finish watching some stupid chick flick called The Lucky One with my wife, so maybe my estrogen level is up. Won't happen again.

[ShortRoundChief]

Originally Posted by LoneWolf

Well, today my tights are at the cleaners and I use a Green Lantern instead of a bat light. Wasn't particularly white knighting, I just thought the dipshit comment was a little much.

I did just finish watching some stupid chick flick called The Lucky One with my wife, so maybe my estrogen level is up. Won't happen again.

Lol, he called himself a dipshit. I was just agreeing with him.

No harm, just some playful nudging.

[Moon§hiner]

So I guess I can't take this 1 1/2 thick t-bone that I picked up at the store to Outback and order a baked potato and have them throw this on the grill since it's warmed up anyway???

[Exoter175]

Originally Posted by Chiefaholic

There shouldn't be much to it. I'm not familiar with your vehicle, but there should be one screw on the inside door panel you can remove behind the mirror. Take that off and there should be three studs that protrude from the mirror that fit through three holes on the door. Just tighten the three nuts, replace the plate that covers them, and you're done.

If your car is pre-99 sure, or pre-96 for most German/European cars.

However, like I stated earlier, every car is different. The more options you have, the newer the car, the more intricate it is going to be. Not to mention the higher the quality of the product nowadays. Cars are being put together with much better quality and precision these days, and with that, repair requires precision. With precision, comes precision tools, etc.

If you own a 2012 BMW M3 , are you going to take your flathead to your door panel in the attempt to fix your car? Or are you going to fork out the cash because you can afford the repair, and let someone trained to repair it, do their job?

Its a different world in a 1992 honda civic

Originally Posted by KC native

Nothing wrong with any of this, but this is exactly why I turn my own wrenches whenever I can.

Same for me, but there comes a point where you can realize you'd be in over your head, or that you'd probably mess something up and pay more in the end. It all depends on your comfort and how mechanically inclined you are.

Originally Posted by LoneWolf

Depends on the vehicle. I had to replace my wife's passenger side mirror and it required removal of the door panel. It took me 45 minutes to remove door panel, unbolt old mirror and release the wiring, bolt on new mirror and run the wire, plug wire into plug on door panel, and reinstall the door panel.

Did you have to get off of your high horse when you changed your mirror or were you able to do everything while still in the saddle?

That's what many cars are turning into nowadays.

Originally Posted by Moon§hiner

So I guess I can't take this 1 1/2 thick t-bone that I picked up at the store to Outback and order a baked potato and have them throw this on the grill since it's warmed up anyway???

This guy gets it.

[Hootie]

dude I could barely even make it through half of that long ass post

first thing; my car is a 2002 Audi that has 211,000 miles on it...I don't give a ****ing shit about this car. It runs really well, it was free; that's it.

Secondly...I never haggle on price. I don't even care. I was told by one of my friends who manages the junkyard that this would take him 2 minutes to do and he'd do it for free. I figured if it was that ****ing easy, and I was taking my car in perhaps the place wouldn't mind if I gave them $20 to do something that was that simple so I didn't have to waste his time...I made this thread so I could make sure that wasn't an offensive offer.

Apparently it would have been. So awesome! I am glad I made this thread so I can save myself that embarrassment.

and I understand $100 is nothing to this place...I get that. Every time I get a ****ing oil change in this car it costs $150 because of the synthetic oil it takes...

every time I fill up gas I have to pay for ****ing premium gas...it pisses me off.

I forget what happened to this car 6 months ago but I took it to the Audi dealership and they had to replaced two plugs of some sort and it was $1400.

Honestly...it was just a ****ing question. I went to the doctor for my knee the other day and, while I do have insurance, I'm sure that 10 minute appointment if I was uninsured would have cost $1500. That's the going rate I guess.

So congrats dude...I'm sorry that you were offended that I wanted to pay $20 for a 5 minute job. I didn't mean to upset you.

[Hootie]

Originally Posted by Moon§hiner

So I guess I can't take this 1 1/2 thick t-bone that I picked up at the store to Outback and order a baked potato and have them throw this on the grill since it's warmed up anyway???

JFC



God forbid I thought someone might do a simple favor...I forgot.

honestly, it was only a question

I'm not going to pay $100 for someone to install a side mirror for me...I'll save my $20. My ****ing Christ some of you are just angry people.

from what I've google'd since I made this thread, it'll take me probably about 15 minutes to do it myself. So whatever. I apologize to everyone for wasting your precious evenings.

[Hootie]

and I wouldn't have gone out of my way to buy my own mirror if I was planning on paying significant money for repair...

I'll just go down to little Mexico and give a Mexican $20 to do it and probably do it faster and better than your "professional" lackeys, exoter.

I bet he won't complain as much as you, either. And if he does I won't understand him so that's ok with me.

[Hootie]

my friend got rear ended and some mexican was like 'amigo I'll take care of that for $150'...and he was like 'bro I only got $75'...

boom, done.

Mexican workers > American workers

less entitled, better workers, less complaints

I don't know what I'd do without 1-800-callamexican

[Moon§hiner]

I'm just glad I found this thread before I made a fool out of myself at Outback.

[Hootie]

Originally Posted by Moon§hiner

I'm just glad I found this thread before I made a fool out of myself at Outback.

because an auto shop is going to have a 2002 Audi Allroad side mirror in stock...

[Bugeater]

I don't think I've ever removed a door panel and put it back on with every fastener it came off with. Worst one I ever did was on a 98 Camry, something with that damn door lock had me hung up for ****ing ever. There's not much on a car that I dread more than pulling one of those things.