There’s a common misconception about car repairs that has a lot of folks asking “Why are Car Repair Services So Expensive?”
Why are Car Repair Services So Expensive?
Naturally, there are a lot of overhead costs associated with the repairing of automobiles.
The building you park outside as you pull up has to be paid for, whether it’s rented or bought. It also has utility bills, property tax, insurance, and equipment costs which add to the overhead expenses. Labor costs have climbed over the past few years. Cars have become more advanced and shops need more expensive equipment to work on them.
The person at the front desk that you check in with has to be paid a livable wage for his time at work, like anyone else. The mechanic servicing your vehicle also needs to be paid for their time, and (hopefully) a little extra for the tools they need to purchase weekly in order to continue doing their job. The shop owner, in turn, must be paid as well. All of those people are (probably) wearing uniforms adorned with patches and accolades sewn together and cleaned by a uniform company, who also charge the shop for those services.
Generally speaking, the bigger the building and the more employees working in that building, the higher the labor rate. This is due to the larger overhead expense.
So, if you want to save money on car repairs, the first thing you should do is look for a small, trustworthy, and knowledgeable independent shop like ours!
After that, there’s the cost of parts and supplies. Those things add up quickly, too! A car is the first or second most expensive thing most people own, and it’s basically a sum of it’s parts. Naturally, replacement parts aren’t exactly cheap and you probably wouldn’t want the cheapest ones available, since they’re not known for quality.
The shop definitely doesn’t want the cheapest ones available, since they need to get you back on the road safely and warranty the repair so that it covers parts and materials used in the repair and the labor required to complete the process.
So, that’s more or less a summary of “Why are Car Repair Services So Expensive?”
What does this mean for you?
Routine maintenance and repairs on an average car cost around $0.10 per mile. So, if you drive an average 14,000 miles per year, you should expect to spend around $1400 annually.
Considering the average American spends around $1100 on coffee every year, a $1400 car repair budget to keep your vehicle ready to hit the road doesn’t seem so bad.
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