Hey guys, I haven't posted on this in awhile but the issue is actually not about my A4 but rather my friend's '99 Mustang and how an independent shop ripped her off.

So last weekend her alternator goes so she takes it into a shop that is apparently part of the BBB. On Tues, they call her and quote her 280 for a new alternator and 100 labor! 280 for an alternator!?! So I tell her to look online buy a part from Autozone or something and bring it in. She calls back and says that is what she plans to do. we find one for like 150. Today, this shop calls her back and says if you bring a part in, we'll just add however much to your bill for the profit we wouldve made on selling you the part, and if you want it towed, we'll charge you 60 for estimate and 35/day for the time your car was here. WHAT A RIPOFF! have any of you heard of anything like this?? So she just went ahead and told them to fix it, but is there anything else she could do!?

 

She should have gone to a different shop. Mustangs are pretty common and easy to work on. There's got to be a few shops in the area that she could have called. As far as the pricing, most alternators are around the $300 mark and the labor depends on the going rate at the shop and how much time they think it will take. In my opinion, $100 is a little high. It should take them no more than an hour to do on a Mustang, which means the houly rate would be $100 per hour. From my experience, most indy shops are anywhere from $65-$80 an hour, with dealerships over$100.