Dead Bike

So the battery refused to stay charged so I changed the battery. Still no good.
Dead bike. So I do search of the area (I've receintly moved to Finsbury Park) and find 'The Pit Stop' on Holloway Road. So last week I wheel the bike to them and just got the bike back today. Asked for a general sevice and for the battery prob to be sorted. On the phone the guy says that there were some probs with the brakes, a mixture of brake fluid and dust has built up and needed to be cleaned away as it was pushing the discs forward and messing with the brakes. This took a long time they said. Anyway, the bikes running beautifully - but the bill!

Breakdown:

1 regulator/rectifier - £90

1 set front breakpads - £45

2 spark plugs - £15

engine oil = filter - £35

airfilter - £25

rear brakepads - £21

Labour - 5 1/2 hours @ £35

Total - £424.00

Now before the battery issue I was going to do the oil and spark plugs myself (You lot have inspireded this new found confidence )

But as they had the bike I fought I'd just let them get on with it. It's the labour I'm not sure about and the brake pad thing. Have I been done/? Or have they just done a good job? I've no idea.

[lukemillar]

Originally Posted by seandixie

So the battery refused to stay charged so I changed the battery. Still no good.
Dead bike. So I do search of the area (I've receintly moved to Finsbury Park) and find 'The Pit Stop' on Holloway Road. So last week I wheel the bike to them and just got the bike back today. Asked for a general sevice and for the battery prob to be sorted. On the phone the guy says that there were some probs with the brakes, a mixture of brake fluid and dust has built up and needed to be cleaned away as it was pushing the discs forward and messing with the brakes. This took a long time they said. Anyway, the bikes running beautifully - but the bill!

Breakdown:

1 regulator/rectifier - £90

1 set front breakpads - £45

2 spark plugs - £15

engine oil = filter - £35

airfilter - £25

rear brakepads - £21

Labour - 5 1/2 hours @ £35

Total - £424.00

Now before the battery issue I was going to do the oil and spark plugs myself (You lot have inspireded this new found confidence )

But as they had the bike I fought I'd just let them get on with it. It's the labour I'm not sure about and the brake pad thing. Have I been done/? Or have they just done a good job? I've no idea.

I don't know whether garages mark up parts - never really used one, but I know that the cost of the plugs and pads seem on the expensive side unless they swapped them with sintered pads and iridium spark plugs.

£35 p/h is pretty standard for labour. As for time, I don't know. It does seem a tad much (time wise) but then I don't know to what extent they 'cleaned the brakes up'. I spent quite a while completely overhaulling mine fairly recently - but then I'm not charging myself an hourly rate!

i would serioulsy argue the toss over the bill,

a lot of those items are extremly over priced... and 5.5 hours.. thats a stupid amount of time for that work, i could do all that, strip the calipers and re build them for less time than that.

maybe i have no idea what garages do charge but i would at least say its a little excessive.

some London comparisons:


Garage that I go to charge £40 p/h - that's Farringdon.

T'other day I bought an oil filter for £6 (OEM one) & semi-synth oil for either 6.99 or 8.99 a litre & the sv is what - jsut shy of 3 litres?

That only seems to add up to £266?? Am I missing something?

[Bluepete]

Yes, the other 4.5 hrs of labour charges!

Originally Posted by Warthog

That only seems to add up to £266?? Am I missing something?

The other 4 1/2 hours labour...

[Luckypants]

Originally Posted by Warthog

That only seems to add up to £266?? Am I missing something?

the labour.... 5.5x35 = 192.5

[Biker Biggles]

You missed the other 4.5 hours labour.
It does seem dear but that seems to be the way of things if you let bike garages loose with a just fix it instruction.I always do the simple stuff like oil and filter changes myself and if I need a garage to do anything I leave strict limits on what I want done.Live and learn.

I think they mean the labour charge