[El Jay]

Originally Posted by ChevLoRay

Okay, here's an argument that some may not like or understand but suppose the restaurant you like to dine at charges more money than you like to pay.
So, you go to the grocery/delicatessen/etc., and buy what you want to eat, then take it to the restaurant and let them cook it and serve you. Wanna know what it's gonna cost you, IF they will do it? Same price as if you ate their groceries that they prepared for you.

If you're gonna take the parts to the shop to be installed on your vehicle, YOU and the shop owner/mechanic had better be on very good grounds. Then, if he/she does the work, don't expect any warranteed parts to be also replaced by them for no more money.

When I was in possession of my second car, a '56 Merc, the flex plate developed a "rattle". My mechanic uncle told me what I needed, and I then bought a new flexplate from a dealer, for $12. I went to a garage he recommended, taking the new flexplate. The labor to put it in? The same $43 that I would have paid if I had not taken any parts. The shops are in business to make money and they make some of it off of the mark-up in parts. We don't always have to like it, but they have families to feed, too. Oh, this was in '66. I was making $1.15/hour bagging groceries for Kroger. It took most of my take-home pay for 2 weeks of work, figuring I was working on average 25 hours a week.

Great analogy.