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ThatsMyBarack Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Aug-21-10 09:01 AM
Original message
$100 an hour? WTF?
This past week-and-a-half, I've had to leave my car behind for some minor body work (passenger door was banged shut!). To make a long story short, the estimator at the body shop told me he made a $100 an hour and that's what he would charge if the shop was open Saturdays so I could get my car back.

Seriously? Who makes $100 and hour these days? :wtf:
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Dyedinthewoolliberal Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Aug-21-10 09:04 AM
Response to Original message
1. He might have said that so he didn't have to work Saturday!
:)
In many states auto repair is regulated but I've not head of it being that high. :shrug:
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cbdo2007 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Aug-21-10 09:05 AM
Response to Original message
2. He doesn't "make" $100 an hour
That's the amount they charge for labor, but that isn't their take home pay.
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Skidmore Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Aug-21-10 09:07 AM
Response to Reply #2
3. If I remember correctly, the body shops charge for materials
in addition to the "labor" provided.
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exboyfil Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Aug-21-10 09:19 AM
Response to Reply #3
7. Charge includes
direct labor, benefits, and some overhead assigned to all labor. The overhead would go for the capital equipment, the building, the rent, to keep the lights on, to pay the supervisors and other non-line workers (clerk who handles the billing etc).

Same reason a school teacher making $40,000/yr has a class room full of kids that are being funded at $220,000 (assuming $10K/kid for 22 kids).
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Catshrink Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Aug-21-10 11:11 AM
Response to Reply #7
14. 22 kids?
Try 35, 38, 45...

Sorry to interrupt - yesterday was a bad day in education land for me.
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ThatsMyBarack Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Aug-21-10 09:24 AM
Response to Reply #2
9. Now I understand.
Thanks! :hi:
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MineralMan Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Aug-21-10 09:10 AM
Response to Original message
4. A $100 /hour labor charge isn't that unusual in the auto repair
industry these days.
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dipsydoodle Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Aug-21-10 09:22 AM
Response to Reply #4
8. That's because
it isn't just labour. The figure covers all overheads too - running the shop including rent whatever. Equivalent figure is pretty much the same in Europe.
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MineralMan Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Aug-21-10 09:43 AM
Response to Reply #8
10. Yup. The labor charge pays for everything. The actual mechanic
working on your car doesn't get nearly that much...even if it's a one-person shop and the owner is the mechanic. My father owned a one-person auto repair shop for many years. I know for an absolute fact that he didn't pay himself even half of his labor charges.
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dkf Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Aug-21-10 09:12 AM
Response to Original message
5. That is the labor charge.
Last time I noticed what the charge for labor was I think it ran $79 an hour but that was years ago.
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Gold Metal Flake Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Aug-21-10 09:16 AM
Response to Original message
6. I just had some work done at a custom shop.
These guys work on classics. I had to have some rust excised, patches welded in and dents smoothed out by manual means. Lots of hand work, very little filler. Labor was $75/hr. In Los Angeles county. For an insurance shop that either uses replacement panels or pounds of bondo in their "repairs" and that processes dozens of cars a month to charge that much is a rip-off.
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Statistical Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Aug-21-10 10:41 AM
Response to Original message
11. $100 per hour is the shops rate not his personal compensation.
Thus shop charges $100 per hour of labor but that covers

* building lease
* utilities
* insurance
* tools & tool replacements
* any required permits
* manufacturer requried training
* inspections
....
* couple hundred other things
* wages
* benefits

The mechanic probably clears $30-$40 per hour plus benefits depending on experience.
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Scuba Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Aug-21-10 11:04 AM
Response to Original message
12. Insurance company execs make $500 per hour in some cases
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WolverineDG Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Aug-21-10 11:08 AM
Response to Original message
13. I charge $300/hour
billed in 6 minute increments. Of course, I'm running my own office, paying my own dues & bills.

dg
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NYC_SKP Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Aug-21-10 11:12 AM
Response to Reply #13
15. Same here, home office.
$100/hour, $1000/day for out-of-town work or events that require day-ahead prep or follow-up.

Self employed, overhead, taxes, etc. it's the going rate for freelance consulting work.

My regular job pays less.

:P
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laughingliberal Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Aug-21-10 11:18 AM
Response to Original message
16. I believe the going rate here is about $95/hour. That's not all going to the employe
I believe the going rate here is about $95/hour. I'm pretty sure that's not all going to the employee.

My husband's shop rate (cabinet and furniture finisher) is $65-85 an hour but I assure you we are not pocketing anything like that once we pay shop rent, gas for pick ups and delivery, utilities, a phone for customers to reach us, equipment purchases and maintenance, supplies....
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sylveste Donating Member (126 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Aug-22-10 01:22 AM
Response to Original message
17. my laywer
much to my chagrin he makes more than $100 an hour.
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