Dealer labor costs?

[kytten]

I took my Spyder in for it's first maintenance yesterday and received it back yesterday evening.

I paid $260(ish) for an oil change and a few updates (warranty). The costs outlined were $198 in labor and $71 for the oil change.

Is this -normal-? For those of you who don't do your own maintenance -- what did you pay for the first one? What do your dealers charge for labor?

(Edited to change my typo of 360 to 260)

[MarkZ28]

You got ripped off. The warranty stuff is free so that was all oil change costs with inspection. Its something you can do for less than $50 yourself. Its not that hard to do at all.

[bone crusher]

You got ripped off. The warranty stuff is free so that was all oil change costs with inspection. Its something you can do for less than $50 yourself. Its not that hard to do at all.


That's not true. The 600 mile maintenance can cost about 250.00...that's about right...the extra 100.00 he paid, I'm not so sure what the heck that is for. I'm not sure his math is adding up as 198+71=269.00...a bit high but not too far off...

[happyspyder2039]

I took my Spyder in for it's first maintenance yesterday and received it back yesterday evening.

I paid $360(ish) for an oil change and a few updates (warranty). The costs outlined were $198 in labor and $71 for the oil change.

Is this -normal-? For those of you who don't do your own maintenance -- what did you pay for the first one? What do your dealers charge for labor?

sounds like a good price for the oil change but labor cost is out the door. back when i had mine done it cost me 175.00 for all. plus they checked and tried to adjust the belt & ended up replaceing with a new one at no charge. The price may depend on location of where you live to from what i hear.

[boborgera]

You got ripped off. The warranty stuff is free so that was all oil change costs with inspection. Its something you can do for less than $50 yourself. Its not that hard to do at all.

:hun:
Why is that a ripoff ? You ask the dealer [first] What will the 600 mile cost, Then if you think that's too high go some place else. Or at the very least ask him if he'll work with you on the price.

Besides there's some fuzzy math in that, [ish] :dontknow:

[aka1004]

seems bit high but not THAT much out of range.
typical oil change is 150ish and 600 mile involves more than just oil change. i am guessing they charged you little bit for some adjustment.
dealer labor is, my last dealer anyway, 118 bucks an hour so it adds up really quick. i would ask or take a closer look at the invoice.

[PCBeachBum]

Last oil change I paid around $220.00

Labor costs $90.00 an hour and my dealer adjusts it over an hour. Some dealers add another hour in labor if they go even 10 minutes over 1 hour.

Every dealers labor charge is different, depending on volumn. Since many dealers are surviving on their service depts. with sales low.

My labor cost was $39.62 over the 1 hour.

Add in Tax, depending on what your sales tax is in your state $12.50

EPA/Waste Disposel. $12.88....Don't know if that's standard cost in every state.

Fliter was rounding off $15.00
Oil 5 qts $50.00

Check your invoice out cause to me that is too high for an oil change. If they did charge you an extra hour for labor, I'd checkout other dealers in your area and get some quotes. I was told it was around $200. for an oil change and he was very close. The difference is in the labor charge, of $129.62.

[M2Wild]

A bit on the high side but still seem to be in the ball park since different dealers charge different rates on labor any where from $75 to well over $100 per hour. There should be some kind of guideline from BRP on exactly how long different jobs should take and chargable hours. If the dealer can finish the job in shorter amount of time then they are ahead of the game but if they take longer, then they eat the difference. In these difficult times you rarely find dealers willing to eat the difference. They will likely try to milk as much out of their customers as they can to keep afloat knowing if you can afford to play with an expensive toy, you can afford to pay top dollars for the frequent services. It is with these outragous prices that some of us resorts to do most of the maintenance ourselves. I'd love to have my Spyder's oil changed every fall at Jiffy Lube for $19.95.

PS. Most time spent are for taking off and putting on the plastics. The oil change itself is actually pretty quick.

[NancysToy]

I'm not sure how the numbers add up to the extra $100, but the labor and parts for an oil changes seem typical. The flat rate labor for a 600 mile service on an RS is 2 hours, I believe the RT may be more. At $75-$125 an hour labor, that means $150-$250 in labor charges would be typical. four quarts of oil at $12 is another $48. A filter and seals will cost $20-$40, more if you have an SE. They do not usually charge anything but labor for the computer diagnostic or the belt inspection. You may have additional charges for belt adjustment (although I would not pay for Service Bulletin adjustment on a new Spyder). If you get out of a 600 mile service for less than $200 you are getting a bargain. If you pay more than $300, you got fleeced...IMO.

[kytten]

Thank you for your answers.

My initial 360 number was a typo and I meant 260(ish) is what I paid. So I'm glad to hear they're in the ballpark. All the same, I may try and do my next oil change myself despite not being at all mechanical. We'll see.

[M2Wild]

Thank you for your answers.

My initial 360 number was a typo and I meant 260(ish) is what I paid. So I'm glad to hear they're in the ballpark. All the same, I may try and do my next oil change myself despite not being at all mechanical. We'll see.
If you can unscrew a few dozen screws and don't mind getting your hands dirty, you should be able to do it without any problems. Read up in the how-to section by Lamonster, and you will be good to go.

[boborgera]

Thank you for your answers.

My initial 360 number was a typo and I meant 260(ish) is what I paid. So I'm glad to hear they're in the ballpark. All the same, I may try and do my next oil change myself despite not being at all mechanical. We'll see.


Just go slow and easy, and '' don't '' over tighten any thing.
Even a Caveman can do it, :thumbup:

[Sarge707]

I took my Spyder in for it's first maintenance yesterday and received it back yesterday evening.

I paid $260(ish) for an oil change and a few updates (warranty). The costs outlined were $198 in labor and $71 for the oil change.

Is this -normal-? For those of you who don't do your own maintenance -- what did you pay for the first one? What do your dealers charge for labor?

(Edited to change my typo of 360 to 260)

Nows the time to check your oil level per the owners manual and make sure they did not overfill it.:dontknow:

[scudrunner]

I was told my 600 mile check was going to be a flat $300 for everything. They made it sound like a bargain! Oh, and then the charge for installing the CB/ICOM. I'm probably going to be charged the labor for removing the plastic even though it will be off.

[ARtraveler]

I have worked with the same dealer here in Eagle River AK for about 6 years now. They charge about $350 for a servicing on the Spyders. They have serviced my 2008, 2009, and 2010. Labor here in AK is a bit more than the lower 48. I am happy to say that I have a good dealer where the service department does things right. I have never had to take a bike back for correction, and they have always treated me well. When driving the roads of AK you don't want to break down--it can be a long wait for a tow and big bucks for servicing. I consider what I pay for service to be good insurance against mechanical breakdowns.

[sledhead]

I did my 1st oil change last night per LAMONSTER's very detailed instructions. It indeed was a piece of cake. Took my time.. made sure I had the right tools and enough cold beer. 2 hours later it was all reassembled and ready to go. Barely a drop of oil spilled I might add!!!! I figure I saved myself at least $100!!!

[MarkZ28]

$200-300 is way too much to pay for an oil change that any person with any mechanical skills can do for a third of that price is a ripoff. The 600 mile inspection may be within that range due to labor but most of that a normal person can do also. The dealer makes more money off the after the sale stuff than they make on the original sales of the bike. Theres more profit in service bills than sales, same with the car dealers. BMW and other high end luxury car dealers charge $100 an hour or more, but they are a lot more detailed and have a lot more complex electrical systems, engines, bodies, etc than a Can Am of any kind. Wonder how much Ducatio or Aprilla charge for labor rates? Have no idea how much the Japanese makers charge either since I do all my own maintenance or repair.

[NancysToy]

$200-300 is way too much to pay for an oil change that any person with any mechanical skills can do for a third of that price is a ripoff. The 600 mile inspection may be within that range due to labor but most of that a normal person can do also. The dealer makes more money off the after the sale stuff than they make on the original sales of the bike. Theres more profit in service bills than sales, same with the car dealers. BMW and other high end luxury car dealers charge $100 an hour or more, but they are a lot more detailed and have a lot more complex electrical systems, engines, bodies, etc than a Can Am of any kind. Wonder how much Ducatio or Aprilla charge for labor rates? Have no idea how much the Japanese makers charge either since I do all my own maintenance or repair.
Ducati, Aprilia, and BMW dealers charge similar labor rates. The flat rate hours for any of these machines involves removal of the bodywork to do even a simple oil change. This is something that doesn't have to be done on cars. At least the BRP dealers are not charging separately...and up front, for the computer diagnostic, something that the car dealers soak you $75-$100 for. I, too, do my own maintyenance wherever I can, but it is not in everyone's capability. Just because you and I don't want to pay $200-$300, doesn't mean it is not justified or typical. A "rip-off" would be charging $500, IMO.

[M2Wild]

Wonder how much Ducatio or Aprilla charge for labor rates? Have no idea how much the Japanese makers charge either since I do all my own maintenance or repair.
They are about the same since most Can-Am dealers also sell Jap and Euro brand bikes. Bottom line is they figure these are toys, so if you wanna play (and don't want to get your hands dirty), you gotta pay.:D Which is fair in my opinion (noticed I said "fair" not "agree").

[boborgera]

Ripoff, I hear that word alot here. A ripoff is when you ASK the dealer how much is this service going to cost? He tells you 300$, you say OK go ahead.
Then when you come back to pick up the Spyder he hands you a bill for 500$, That's a RIPOFF.
Sure you can do it your self alot cheaper than 300$ But do you have the over head that a dealer has?

It's not always greed that sets prices, it's OVER HEAD!
It's too easy to say i do it my self, you got ripoff:lecturef_smilie:

[MarkZ28]

It doesnt take me an hour to do an oil change, not even the first time on a Spyder. Shouldnt charge an hour or more if it doesn't take an hour or more. Car dealers do the same though. Private owned shops also have overhead and they charge less than dealers do, and they don't have the sales side to help offset any deficits in service expenses.
The dealer I took my Spyder to(for warranty belt replacememnt and recalls) also sells Suzuki and I think Honda. Didnt know if they paid different rates for different brands.
I didn't mean to say anybody who doesnt do their own work is bad. To me its too dang expensive to have someone else do something I can do for a lot less. I have never taken any vehicle to a dealer or service shop except when I had no choice(warranty, recall, or machine shops type stuff) and I hate having anyone else touch my stuff, lol. I'm pretty anal with my vehicles so I hate having no control over what happens with my cars/bikes.

[M2Wild]

It doesnt take me an hour to do an oil change, not even the first time on a Spyder. Shouldnt charge an hour or more if it doesn't take an hour or more. Car dealers do the same though.
One time my Lexus dealer charged me $45 labor for putting on two $3 wiper blades. They said the service guideline indicated that it takes 10 min. for each wiper all though they admitted that it took the tech only 5 min. for both. I was ripping mad and told them to either remove it or they will never ever see me servicing or purchasing any of my vehicles at any of their dealerships ever again. They removed it ... but I was still mad that they have the balls to even attempt that kind of horse shyt with me.

[BajaRon]

Unless you know what it acutally costs the dealership to perform the work "Overhead" as mentioned before, it's hard to know if the dealer is ripping you off or not. As long as the overall cost is in the ballpark for the work being done.

But no matter how you slice it, $250 is a lot of money. You can get a great MC helmet, 1/2 an exhaust or 1-1/2 rear tires for that amount.

I'm too tight. That's why I do my own work whenever possible.

[hondaman]

If the motorcycle shops are like how I get paid to work on cars its on a book time.I do everything from rebuild an engine to just change oil.On a oil change I only get .3 of an hour to do it.Thats to get the keys,pull the car in,do the oil change,check the car over,brakes,tires,leaks,suspension,wipers,lights etc etc.pull the car around,fill out the paper work.From start to finish it takes 30 min+
So I will do about 5 oil changes a day so I work for one hour for free!There are lots of other things we work on and loose money on.I have even had some days that I have worked all day and made nothing.But no one cares about that.I have to buy my own tools that I have spent well over 75k on.
Now there are some things that I will beat the time on and someone might get mad but I have 16 yrs of this under my belt.I think I should beat the time.The last few years we have had out labor times cut many times and if they cut much more I will be finished.

If someone gives you a price and you dont like it then go somewhere else.There is allways someone cheaper but it might not be better.....

[boborgera]

Now there are some things that I will beat the time on and someone might get mad but I have 16 yrs of this under my belt.

:agree:When a customer would say to me you did that job fast, would charge me less than the agreed upon price i just tell them. You pay me for what i know not just what i do.


If someone gives you a price and you dont like it then go somewhere else.There is allways someone cheaper but it might not be better.....
:agree::agree:

[bone crusher]

I pay the dealership to do the scheduled maintenance for me...why? Because I don't have too much time to fiddle around with the bike and I don't mind keeping my dealership in business. Most of my mods I did myself and/or with a friend, but for service, I gladly go to the dealer.

Sure, a lot of people want to save the buck and do the work by themselves...that's cool...but there are plenty of us who are quite busy and don't have time to play around with the bike...and if something goes wrong, certainly don't have the time to deal with those issues.

[kytten]

I admit that I didn't ask the cost when I took it in. Having no mechanical abilities to speak of, nor any motorcycle experience previous to my Spyder I didn't even consider the option of changing my own oil much less the rest of the checks that needed to be done.

I didn't necessarily think the dealer was being unfair with his charges. I just recognized that I dropped a lot more money for that oil change than I ever have for an oil change on my car. I also looked at the price of the actual items they used vs the price they charged for labor and was concerned about the fact that labor was so much.

Having read through the instructions for changing the oil and read a few people's takes on getting the body panels off... *shrug* I may try it once myself. Otherwise, the oil changes are probably infrequent enough, given that I'm not a huge mileage rider at this point, that dropping a couple hundred on one now and then isn't going to even come close to the amount I'll spend on mods, etc.

Provided the price seems fair and comparable to the other prices being charged I don't really have a problem with paying it. Though I suppose if I wanted to be a good consumer, I'd shop around.

[M2Wild]

I admit that I didn't ask the cost when I took it in. Having no mechanical abilities to speak of, .... , that dropping a couple hundred on one now and then isn't going to even come close to the amount I'll spend on mods, etc.
Wait til you get prices for installing mods from dealer. That will make oil change look like peanuts. Same thing with mods, determination, patience, ability to follow instructions and of course the right tools (nothing fancy) will let you do it yourself and save $$$. I did all mine by myself with basic tools. Did it over winter lay-up so I don't have to finish it in one day.

[scudrunner]

I used to do all my own maintenance, preventative and repair. I had a 1952 MGTD for 28 years that only saw the inside of a shop once and that was for paint. But as I get older, there are things I just can't or don't want to do any more. I'll pay the young guys to do it. At $85 an hour labor, it gets pricey just to remove plastic. I'm really tempted to shed the cover and ride it bare to the shop (4 miles) for any maintenance. But for that matter, just an oil change wouldn't seem that difficult after shedding the skin.

[MarkZ28]

I have worked as a mechanic and know how they get paid. Its flat rate and it flat sucks, lol. Thats how a lot of mistakes are made with techs trying to beat the time and forgetting something or breaking something in a rush to get done. Fortunately I was able to get out of that line of work. Its even worse now with all the computerised crap that you have to work around.

[scudrunner]

Its flat rate and it flat sucks
Quite a few years ago, I had a 300ZX that needed a new timing belt. I got a shop manual and got into it. Reading the book and doing the work as a novice, it too me 6 hours. Book time at the Nissan dealer was 6 hours, but any mechanic worth his salt (according to the service manager) could do it in 4.
I had a water pump replaced on a Ford once, and asked them to replace the lower hose too. That would cost me an extra .8 hours labor. I asked why, since they had the hose off, just put a new one back. Nope, the book called for only removing one side of the hose, not the whole hose.
The flat rate will get you every time.

[krb1945]

skinned knuckles, cuts, bruises, dirt, grease and a number of things I forgot about. These are all things the mechanics deal with on a daily basis and as stated above some work all day and don't make much and sometimes make nothing. The mechanics in my area only receive a small portion of that paid bill... the dealership gets the lions share and need it to cover overhead, profit and provide jobs. And I too do most of my own service and other jobs on the spyder, motorcycle, sedans and trucks. The only thing I won't tackle is working on a transmission but I well remove it and deliver it to the tranny shop. /Ken