Not to belittle Dave.
But he brought his own eggs to the diner..(smart move, makes sense to me, better parts choice.)..
There was no parts profit in the deal..or minimal.
The first thing people hear is the dollar amount. If they feel the amount is reasonable, they don't complain. The hours are irrelevant.
THE MAJOR ISSUE is the dollar amount, and inflation causes it to keep rising,along with every thing else. Everyone remembers when it used to cost less.....
All repair shops are selling their TIME. It doesn't take longer than it used to to complete the job. It just costs more because of inflation.
It's sticker shock.
Lawyers get about $300.00 an hour +++. Your "A" technician is lucky these days to see $25.00 a flat rate hour. Don't forget, that 4 hours includes everything! Finding the car in the lot, setting it up on the lift, making the repairs, clearing the computor codes, cleaning up the mess ,throwing out the garbage,writing the repair order,road test and quality check. COME BACKS ARE VERY UNPLEASANT FOR A TECHNICIAN.
And he also lost the 1 hour diagnostic fee. That cuts repair time down to 3 hours.
Beleive me......you wouldn't want his/my job...........1 other thing, I have invested $70,000.00 + in tools to repair autos, and still spending, and I DON'T OWN the buisiness.
How much do you spend out of your pocket to be able to perform your job to best of your ability???