Glad I don't have you for a customer.


Start doing stuff day in/day out like that .. and your tune will change quick.




Joe

 

All I can say is a buddy and I installed my RE 3.5 kit in 2.5 hrs. That's from start to finish. It can be done if you plan and know what you are doing. Any competent mechanic should be able to do it in 3 hrs unless they run into rust issues and bolts breaking and so on. I am luck I don't live in the rust belt and all my bolts come out with ease.

$80-$100 an hr is pretty fair since install a lift is hard work and if you are to lazy to do it yourself you should pay a premium. I for the life of me can not imagine buying an offroad rig and not be able to do my own work. It's one thing to not be able to weld but if you can't work on your own rig you have no business owners an off road rig. Just my 2 cents.

 

Amen to that!!! im only 18 and i do most of the work on my jeep myself, except for the more complicated stuff.......wait nothin complicated has happened yet so.....Knock on wood!

 

What if you can't do the work your self because your a police officer who works long hrs and single father. I don't think of myself as lazy, there's just not enough time in the day. So yes I'll pay someone to install the kit for me. Does that mean I should not have a XJ???

 

We all have different circumstances. I say if you want to pay and can, then by all means do it. But don't be the one on the trail that doesn't know your rig and how to fix it. Aren't many shops where I wheel, and I doubt that there are any where others wheel.
A compitent mechanic should be able to tell if a bolt is rusty or not. Should also know that you don't quote a price without looking at the underside of the vehicle before the work begins.
I am in a "service" trade and anytime I have to quote a price I give a minimum and a maximum, or I tell the customer that I will charge X amount per hour. If they don't like it then they can go someplace else.
JMHO

 

Oh i guarantee i'd say up front what i would charge and it would be far more than 150 bucks. Lifting a jeep can be hard work. I'm not gonna quote a price then jack it up afterwards. Thats not cool. It sounded to me like the guy said 150 then when he was done he wanted more. I would gladly pay someone if I had to but i have friends who can do it just as good as a pro so i'm good there.

 

I usually give a range ... and I explain to the customer that if anything out of the ordinary happens, that they will pay the prices accordingly.


As a "family friend" ... I think he took the assumption that you knew that. Most of my regular customers already know that as well.


There are times I have to eat extra labor ... but they are usually because of other issues/circumstances.


Joe

 

I agree on that i wasn't trying to say that i wouldn't pay more but the guy said 150 up front and then wanted more after it was done. I wasn't trying to sound like a douche in my first post.

 

Let me start by saying hello my name is Mike.Yes I am am new CFbut buy no means new to jeeps.I am on my second cherokee may the first one r.i.p.Back in 1990 a was hit by a car wich left my partialy peralized(I know my spelling sucks).I was the guy that always did everybodys lift or what everelse they needed done.Now I have all the know how but I just can't anymore so yes I had mylocal shop put on my lift.I built my cj5 took it every summer on the Rubicon.

 

Did that make any sense.I'm at work and doing three things at once. I just wanted to see what you thought any questions?

 

It took me and 2 other people about 7 hours to put the lift on mine and that was at a shop, with a lift and air tools, with no problems

 

Welcoem Mike.
Don't worry man, noone checks spelling here....

 

Well, I finally settled the bill today. I was charged for 6 hrs of labor and $28 in shop fees. The total came to 597.00. the price is a lot more then what I was quoted but they did spend much more time on it then they charged me for. All in all, the lift looks great. The shop is going to go through all the bolts one more time to make sure everything is tight. Then the tires go on. Thanks for everyone's input. Overall I'm happy.

 

597.00 isn't bad at all but he quoted you 150 so thats still shady as hell in my book!

 

As someone who does lift installs i would never quote a price of $150.. he seriously quoted too low a price. The $597 is more inline with your typical fee.

However, there was a quote and it was quadrupled. I wouldnt have the nerve to do that. A slight raise in price i could do if i underestimated the job, but i would only ask this.. not demand it.

But in the end if your happy and dont mind the total to keep a good repor with a qualified technician them who's to argue?

I'd tell him i expect a front end alignment as well if he didnt do so already.