Hours of labor - exhaust manifold gasket for a 1987 Volvo 740 Turbo

I was recently charged 11 (ELEVEN) hours of labor for changing the
exhaust manifold gasket on my 87 Volvo 740 Turbo.

They told me 3 studs broke, and that this is the kind of job that you
don't want to rush.

With 192,000 miles under my car's belt, I feel I was robbed.

The damage is done (i.e., I paid because I needed my car), but what do
you think about the 11 hours of labor for this job?

Thanks.

Best.

 

Who performed the repair for you A Volvo Dealer or a independent repair
shop. As a Volvo technician this sounds excessive even with three broken
studs
Glenn
--
"*-344-*Never Forgotten"
Is for the New York City Firemen who lost their lives on September 11,2001.
The official count is 343, but there was also a volunteer who lost his life
aiding in the initial rescue efforts. And I will never forget them as
long as I live,
nor should any American.

 

If three studs broke I'm surprised it didn't take longer than that. With
no breakage it's an hour or two to replace the gaskets, but broken studs
are damn near impossible to get out without removing the head and even
then you have to be very careful not to damage the aluminum casting.

 

Glenn,

The repair was performed by an independent repair shop (exhaust &
radiator specialists).

Thank you for replying.

 

Now perhaps you will learn a valuable lesson. Only take your Volvo to
someone who works on Volvos all the time. They will know the issues and
tricks. I cannot imagine an experienced Volvo tech spending 11 hours on
that job, but I can imagine someone who doesn't often work on Volvos
doing so.

John

 

An equally important lesson is "never have work done without
an estimate." I don't hold them to a precise number unless I get
it in writing or they quote a precise amount, but if they say two
hours and try to charge for 5, they don't get it.

 

Yes, always have them tell you beforehand how many studs they plan on
breaking! Maybe they usually do it by just breaking two studs, but
they saw you coming alone naively without an estimate, so they thought
they'd bill you for breaking another one. Robbers!

 

I see that you somehow forgot to include the part where I
wrote that I don't hold them to exact figures when they give a
rough estimate. I'm sure it had nothing to do with that negating
your point. ;-)

 

Lesson learned.