I just got an invoice for the ATTEMPTED repair of (2) hydrualic cylinders. I'm not sure it matters but they were for a 96" wide snow plow blade branded as Bobcat and sold at the Bobcat dealership. The attempted repair was ended before the units were even disassembled. They could not even get the head gland off. The head gland has some sort of locking ring (kind of like a cotter pin) that is inserted into the side of the barrell. I assume that once this pin is removed the head gland is threaded. The mechanic called me to tell me that he could not get the head glands off of either unit and that he "made some calls" and heard that this style of cylinder (the type with the retainer ring) are known to be difficult, and usually not cost effective, to remove/repair. When I dropped off the cylinders, for repair, the owner of the dealership tried to convince me that I would be better off to replace vs repair. The original sympton was that they were leaking fluid from the head gland during storage (discovered when I got the plow out to prep for winter). The rebuild kit was $60 for each unit and I estimated that it would take a qualified mechanic about an hour to repair each cylinder. Their shop rate is $90/hr so I came up with $300 to repair. New cylinders cost $400 for the pair. The originals were not used very much and, other than the leaks, showed no signs of wear. I decided not to waste $100 so I asked them to dis-assemble the units and we would decide after we saw what was wrong.
Now to the matter at hand. I was charged 3.12 hours ($310.00) to attempt to remove the head glands. I have a hard time imagining how it could take that long to NOT dis-assemble anything. I would think that (1) hour would be reasonable, not (3) hours. I know that the mechanic is very "Jr." in his experience and this contributed to the situation. When the owner suggested new parts, vs repair, he did not mention his mechanics lack of ability as a factor in his suggestion. Does anybody else see the problem here or am I being un-reasonable in my expectations?
Now to the matter at hand. I was charged 3.12 hours ($310.00) to attempt to remove the head glands. I have a hard time imagining how it could take that long to NOT dis-assemble anything. I would think that (1) hour would be reasonable, not (3) hours. I know that the mechanic is very "Jr." in his experience and this contributed to the situation. When the owner suggested new parts, vs repair, he did not mention his mechanics lack of ability as a factor in his suggestion. Does anybody else see the problem here or am I being un-reasonable in my expectations?