'Well, where that two and a half hours comes from is your car and what an average tech with a good set of tools takes to do that job.' They're going to say, 'OK, that job takes two and half hours and the parts are 60 bucks,'' said Mark Larsen, a franchise training manager for Car X. 'Let's say you were going to go in and get a water pump job done. The guides survey mechanics all around the country to come up with figures and average times to do repairs. The rate of $80 to $100 an hour is based off of several national labor guides that are published annually. Why does a mechanic cost $100 per hour? How much of that does the mechanic take home? How is that figure determined? The more you understand how a repair shop breaks down and calculates their labor charges, the better chance you have of making sure you are getting a fair shake.
After analyzing a bill that could also include expensive parts, many auto repair shop customers are left scratching their heads and wondering if they are being ripped off. The going average hourly rate for a mechanic ranges from $80 to $100 an hour.