Complaint Review: Goodyear Auto Service Center - Thorndale Pennsylvania

Anytime you have work done on your car, you shold always get a price first. Know what the charge will be before allowing them to work on your car. If their rates are too high, call around and see if you can find better. I know it's ridiculous to charge an hour's labor for something they can fix in 15 minutes, but that's how they operate. It's important to realize that when you deal with them.

I have dealt with Goodyear before and from my experience, they are outrageously priced for repairs. When bringing my car in for an oil lube and filter special, they did an inspection on my car and showed that I need brake work. I allowed them to do an estimate, and there is no way that I would have the work done through them. I called around and found much cheaper prices elsewhere.

Come on now, don't you realize that's how mechanics MAKE their money?? If the labor rate for a job is an hour and they get it done sooner, they make more money. Goodyear is a business, plain and simple. Like every other business out there, they're out there to make money. It's not a "shady" practice. Every other mechanics shop out there has THE SAME PRACTICE. I agree, if you don't want to pay the going labor rate, do it yourself. Don't blame Goodyear. It wasn't their fault.

So, why didn't you just go back to where you got the O2 sensor and buy that $30 socket to change it with? And then pay to go to school to learn how to do it, then pay to buy a scanner to read and clear the codes. Some people are just too stupid to live. It is getting worse by the day too. Just the fact that you let a parts counter person diagnose your problem proves this. People like you just kill me. I see this mentality every day as I work at a major truck dealership in the service dept. Do you know what it costs just to open the doors for business each month? It costs us over $40,000 a month just to open the doors for business! Shop lease, utilities, insurance, employees, equipment, etc. Very expensive. And, MOST shops have a minimum charge. Ours is $55. If I change a light bulb, it costs you $55 labor, plus the bulb. You can always do it yourself. You are too stupid and/or lazy to do it so you expect us to do it for free, right? You see, that $55 pays for the service advisor's time to write up the repair order, the printer and paper to print it, and the utilities to run the printer, etc. [See the big picture here]? Then we have the liability insurance to pay in case we damage your car, or in case you damage it and blame us. Then we are paying the mechanic about $22/hour, plus benefits. Then there is the shop lease, and equipment. Then there is the cost of training employees. Retaining employees. Hiring new employees that cannot change a light bulb, etc. Are you seeing the big picture yet? I doubt it.

do you know why it only took 15 minutes to change the O2 sensor? because the mechanic has special tool, O2 sensor socket, knows how to replace the O2 sensor, and has a lift to raise the vehicle up. tools and experience cost money. shops need to charge by either "book" time or "real" time. if a mechanic is good they will beat "book" time. it's like paying a flat fee for a ride to the airport and the driver knows a short cut.......same price.......shorter trip. i hope this helps to explain how shops work. Frank

do you know why it only took 15 minutes to change the O2 sensor? because the mechanic has special tool, O2 sensor socket, knows how to replace the O2 sensor, and has a lift to raise the vehicle up. tools and experience cost money. shops need to charge by either "book" time or "real" time. if a mechanic is good they will beat "book" time. it's like paying a flat fee for a ride to the airport and the driver knows a short cut.......same price.......shorter trip. i hope this helps to explain how shops work. Frank

do you know why it only took 15 minutes to change the O2 sensor? because the mechanic has special tool, O2 sensor socket, knows how to replace the O2 sensor, and has a lift to raise the vehicle up. tools and experience cost money. shops need to charge by either "book" time or "real" time. if a mechanic is good they will beat "book" time. it's like paying a flat fee for a ride to the airport and the driver knows a short cut.......same price.......shorter trip. i hope this helps to explain how shops work. Frank

do you know why it only took 15 minutes to change the O2 sensor? because the mechanic has special tool, O2 sensor socket, knows how to replace the O2 sensor, and has a lift to raise the vehicle up. tools and experience cost money. shops need to charge by either "book" time or "real" time. if a mechanic is good they will beat "book" time. it's like paying a flat fee for a ride to the airport and the driver knows a short cut.......same price.......shorter trip. i hope this helps to explain how shops work. Frank