Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Is my local garage taking the piss!

110 replies

Sam9769 · 09/01/2026 11:48

Hi,

Brought my car into my local garage yesterday as a speed sensor needs to be replaced.
The speed sensor is £40 plus VAT but they are charging £90 plus VAT for labour which they say will be approximately and hour and a half.

When I queried the hourly rate the young girl behind the counter said that this was cheap and the "industry standard is £150 per hour!"

AIBU to think that £90 plus VAT per hour is excessive?

OP posts:
HelpMeGetThrough · 09/01/2026 12:35

Oldgoatinaboat · 09/01/2026 12:31

But it isn't £90 per hour is it? They said £90 for hour and half. So that's £60 an hour. That's a good price

Good point! So same price as what my OH pays.

You can’t complain OP, that’s bloody excellent.

Grumblies · 09/01/2026 12:32

£60 an hour seems very very cheap!

HelpMeGetThrough · 09/01/2026 12:32

It’s a good price. My OH uses a place that charges £60 and are really good, funnily enough they are always stacked out. I couldn’t believe it when I looked at the invoice.

Place we used to go charge £150.

GasperyJacquesRoberts · 09/01/2026 12:32

Meadowfinch · 09/01/2026 12:29

£90 for an hour and a half is £60 an hour.

That has to pay the mechanic, plus his pension and NI. Pay for their workshop, tools, insurance, business rates, rent and utilities It's a bargain.

I had someone out to fix my boiler before Xmas. £99 for about 12 minutes. 🙄Oh well, easy come, easy go !

It's the classic thing - you didn't pay £99 for someone to twiddle a screwdriver in your boiler. You're paying £99 for someone to know that a bit of the boiler needed to have a screwdriver twiddled at it.

Oldgoatinaboat · 09/01/2026 12:31

But it isn't £90 per hour is it? They said £90 for hour and half. So that's £60 an hour. That's a good price

Meadowfinch · 09/01/2026 12:29

£90 for an hour and a half is £60 an hour.

That has to pay the mechanic, plus his pension and NI. Pay for their workshop, tools, insurance, business rates, rent and utilities It's a bargain.

I had someone out to fix my boiler before Xmas. £99 for about 12 minutes. 🙄Oh well, easy come, easy go !

Jc2001 · 09/01/2026 12:26

I think that's pretty reasonable. How much do you think you should pay, bearing in mind they have the cost of the tools, premises, experience and all of the other costs associated with running a business like that.

Do you think thats £90 per hour clear profit for the business?

Shittyyear2025 · 09/01/2026 12:22

They have the experience, training and tools to complete the job, which will take time to complete.

Could you do the job yourself? If not you'll need a professional to do it for you, which costs money.

£90 for an hour and a half labour is REALLY good OP

GasperyJacquesRoberts · 09/01/2026 11:55

Presumably they're not holding you at gunpoint so you're free to shop around. But I doubt you'll find anywhere significantly cheaper. Good mechanics aren't cheap and the specialist tools they need to do their jobs these days are eye-wateringly expensive. It's been a long time since all they needed was a socket set, some feeler gauges and a hammer.

NemesisInferior · 09/01/2026 11:49

No, that's pretty cheap.

Swipe left for the next trending thread