GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk2 => Topic started by: streaky on 24 January 2011, 16:37
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Guys and gals
I went to get a tyre changed and got told that both my rear springs have snapped!
The car was lowered by the previous owner and I want to put it back to its normal ride height. VW say they don't supply the parts anymore...
Any recommendations on where to get standard springs for a 3 door mk 2 8v and how much it should cost to have them fitted? I've been quoted £300....
Cheers
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300 quid?! They're having a laugh! Unless they're made of gold, or they're charging £150 per hour plus parts.. I'd have thought more like 30 for the springs. I'd get 2 new shocks as well,build em up off the car then swap em straight over yourself. Very easy job, one bolt at bottom and a couple of nuts on top!! You can get 4 new shocks with lowered springs for less than 200 quid, and the ride won't be 2 bad either
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:grin: :grin:
Get down to GSF and get some boggo standard shock and springs. Also get a set of spring compressing clamps.
Rears are held on buy one bolt at the bottom. Can change them both in 45 minutes, easy peasy.
Do it yourself. LEARN.
Get the Haynes book of lies for instructions, or ask here if you are that unsure and we'll walk you through it.
1. Wheel brace.
2. jack.
3. set of spanners.
4. Spring compressing clamps.
5. set of rear shocks
6. set of rear springs.
7. Bricks jamming front wheels and removed wheel under car.
Undo all the bolts on the top mount (in boot) so you free the top of the shock.
iirc the bolts at the bottom are a 15mm for the nut inside the axle and a 17mm for the bolt head.
Put the spanner on the 15mm nut and brace against the inside of the axle, and then turn the 17mm bolt to undo.
Put a bit of weight on the axle - pushing downwards - and wiggle the bolt out.
Then the shock is free. It may drop downwards through the mounting bracket.
Put your foot on the axle and push down. Bring the shock back through the brackets an lift it over and down. Then you can twist the shock out from the wheel well.
Clamp the springs, remove spring plate.
Fit new springs onto new shocks. Clamp down springs and fit spring plate. Screw on retaing nut, release sring clamps.
Refit new shocks. reversal of removal procedure.
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:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
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if u live near northants u can have the 1s i just took off my mk2 when i put my coilovers on, they'll only end up down the tip anyway and it saves u a bit of cash if u cant afford new 1s
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Guys and gals
I went to get a tyre changed and got told that both my rear springs have snapped!
The car was lowered by the previous owner and I want to put it back to its normal ride height. VW say they don't supply the parts anymore...
Any recommendations on where to get standard springs for a 3 door mk 2 8v and how much it should cost to have them fitted? I've been quoted £300....
Cheers
He wants to put the car back to the OE ride height, Parts, labour and VAT, for all four springs, the car could easily tie up 3+ hours on a ramp, the £300 is not as daft as it sounds!
GSF should be able to get some Eibachs springs for you, though most garages don't fit self supplied parts..
Thom
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Thats news to me. All the garages I've used have been happy to use parts I've supplied.
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Thats news to me. All the garages I've used have been happy to use parts I've supplied.
Car stripped on the ramp, owner supplies wrong parts (happens all the time, got it cheap off ebay mate!) what do you do then? leave it on the ramp while you have another 4 or 5 jobs to do waiting outside, or put it back together so you can get it off the ramp, then charge an hours labour for doing nothing! on a car that still cant be driven.... just not worth the grief
Thom
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Well within that senario I agree. But I have always supplied brand new parts - typically from GSF - where they would get them from anyway. I've just saved them the phone call.
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Thats news to me. All the garages I've used have been happy to use parts I've supplied.
what happened to this part? :lipsrsealed: :grin:
Do it yourself. LEARN.
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Well within that senario I agree. But I have always supplied brand new parts - typically from GSF - where they would get them from anyway. I've just saved them the phone call.
Obviously any garage has to make some mark up on the parts, this is usually small, and fair, and to stay competitive, however there is one huge difference between lets say you and me phoning GSF, if you order the part, you get that part, If I order the part, I get the part and any likely variant of that part, just incase its been modified, and simply return if not needed..
Thom
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Thats news to me. All the garages I've used have been happy to use parts I've supplied.
what happened to this part? :lipsrsealed: :grin:
Do it yourself. LEARN.
:grin: :grin: :grin: cruel
Thom
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Well within that senario I agree. But I have always supplied brand new parts - typically from GSF - where they would get them from anyway. I've just saved them the phone call.
Obviously any garage has to make some mark up on the parts, this is usually small, and fair, and to stay competitive, however there is one huge difference between lets say you and me phoning GSF, if you order the part, you get that part, If I order the part, I get the part and any likely variant of that part, just incase its been modified, and simply return if not needed..
Thom
Now, if I discoverd a garage was making a margin on parts I'd be horrified. All the garages I have used have always been like for like on parts and make their money on the labour.
Cowboys. :angry:
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Thats news to me. All the garages I've used have been happy to use parts I've supplied.
what happened to this part? :lipsrsealed: :grin:
Do it yourself. LEARN.
Followers of Elvi would know from my posts that there have been occasions where I have had to use my local garage, as a last resort.
The only two were:
1. siezed caliper at MOT time. I got a new one, they fitted it. Then completed the MOT
2. I had purhcased new Brembo pads and discs, and a full exhaust system. Not having a ramp, it only made sense to use my local garage fit them all at the same time. This in no way say that I am not competent to do the jobs myslef.
In point of fact, I have done all these jobs when previously I had access to a ramp, so nothing for me to learn.
As my local garage is owned and run by a school friend, I know I get a good service.
Jonathan.
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Well within that senario I agree. But I have always supplied brand new parts - typically from GSF - where they would get them from anyway. I've just saved them the phone call.
Obviously any garage has to make some mark up on the parts, this is usually small, and fair, and to stay competitive, however there is one huge difference between lets say you and me phoning GSF, if you order the part, you get that part, If I order the part, I get the part and any likely variant of that part, just incase its been modified, and simply return if not needed..
Thom
Now, if I discoverd a garage was making a margin on parts I'd be horrified. All the garages I have used have always been like for like on parts and make their money on the labour.
Cowboys. :angry:
Most garages charge list price for parts, but get them at a discount from the suppliers (anywhere from 5-30%). So although they're not charging more for the part than the punter could get them for, they aremaking a small profit on each part..
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Well within that senario I agree. But I have always supplied brand new parts - typically from GSF - where they would get them from anyway. I've just saved them the phone call.
Obviously any garage has to make some mark up on the parts, this is usually small, and fair, and to stay competitive, however there is one huge difference between lets say you and me phoning GSF, if you order the part, you get that part, If I order the part, I get the part and any likely variant of that part, just incase its been modified, and simply return if not needed..
Thom
Now, if I discoverd a garage was making a margin on parts I'd be horrified. All the garages I have used have always been like for like on parts and make their money on the labour.
Cowboys. :angry:
Cowboys.... really?!
What if I could get parts from lets say GSF again 10% cheaper than any other garage in my area, simply because I spend a huge amount of money with then every year, overheads costs of a garage are astronomical, before you even open the doors, or pay the staff, surely that save 10% is better being put back into the business, and used to keep the garage running in lean times, while still providing a fantastic level of service to loyal customers, from loyal staff...
Cowboys, I don't see how that even enters the equation!
Thom
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Well within that senario I agree. But I have always supplied brand new parts - typically from GSF - where they would get them from anyway. I've just saved them the phone call.
Obviously any garage has to make some mark up on the parts, this is usually small, and fair, and to stay competitive, however there is one huge difference between lets say you and me phoning GSF, if you order the part, you get that part, If I order the part, I get the part and any likely variant of that part, just incase its been modified, and simply return if not needed..
Thom
Now. To be fair. On reading that it is fair to assume that it meant charging the customer more for the parts. Hence my reply.
If however it is garage profit from discount, then I have no beef.
Jonathan.
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This is what I don't understand then with your replies, if its OK for us to make a profit out of the extra discount we get, then why cant the garage that doesn't make it put 10% on to help make ends meet... It seems to be a common misconception these days, that anyone that owns/runs a garage is ripping people off, do you question the price when you go to GSF about the price you pay, their mark up, is most likely considerably higher than ours...
Thom
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All garages i've ever used always mark up prices on parts, and by quite a bit.
They also don't like fitting parts supplied by the customers.
Not that i use garages much :smug:
In point of fact, I have done all these jobs when previously I had access to a ramp, so nothing for me to learn.
What's wrong with just using a jack and axle stands?
I'm better than you today :tongue:
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today you can directly go to the parts supplier of your service supplier. For heating/plumbing you can go to The Parts Centre. For builders you can go to screwfix or a builders merchant. For car parts you can go to GSF etc..
I cannot see any justification as to why plumbers/builders/garages should put a mark up on prices when ALL they are doing is phoning up and ordering stuff.
Where is the added value to justify the margin?
People who accept such practices are either incompetent or mugs.
If you got a builder round to build an extension and he said it would take 500 breeze blocks. Would you be a bit annoyed if he charged you 80p a block when you could have phoned up the builders merchant yourself and bought them for 60p.
Garages are not retail. They don't hold stock to sell to joe public. They operate to fix problems. They order the necessary parts to fix the problem and are paid for their time and effort in doing so.
If a garage can get good discount at a parts supplier and make margin when charging me the same, then that is good business practice. But when a garage charges me more for the part than I can get it myself, I see no justification.
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also being in the trade what a lot of people don't realise is how much labour actualy costs ether. say if i employ a monkey there take home wages and what they actualy cost me to employ are significantly diffrent. as well as the cost of running a workshop.
when people ring me up to do somethign or bring there car tractor or whatever in they want it NOW being abel to do NOW, if everything was booked in a month in advance and turned up when it was sposed to i chould work for quite a bit less per hour, but i have to leave some time in the day to do the stuff that just turns up, and deal with callouts.
but customers being customers do as they do and generaly don't book things intill there broken and want it back today and if they do book it in they don't allways turn up when there meant to. so you have to budget in your hourly rate for that.
this morning i was planning to put a clutch in a mk4 GTi that was booked in and soposed to turn up first thing it rocked up at 3 in the afternoon, result it buggerd me up work wise till 11 oclock when parts for another car turned up i was planning to do in the afternoon. result me unpayed for 3 hours.
as for customers supplying there own parts i agree with thom, they are forever wanting to supply the cheepest shonky ebay crap that ether don't work don't fit right or is just plain wrong, well what the hell do you do with car while there sorting it out whitch can take a week or more with mailorder crap the answer is bill them for putting it back to a point it'll roll out the workshop to somewhere it can be left for howerver long and try tolerate it being in the way. and they moan when the cheep shonky part fails after 3 months and want you to swap it over for free.
some even bring 2nd hand parts well what the hell do you do when that 2nd hand starter has been a 3 hour battel to fit turns out to a duff one it's sort of hard to get payed when you say, yes mate starters fitted but it's worse than your old one.
even with new parts from a reputable source if it dosent fit or dosent work as it should theres not much i can do about it. if i order it i can ring them up and in a few hours a van drops the right bit off and if i order the wrong part ooops my mistake it cost me time but that my faut and i can deal with that.
also with parts you may be abel to get say a wishbone for £17.00 i can get that same wishbone for £12.00 but i am instead buyingg a wishbone for £22 as i know the one i can get for £12 is utter crap.
also we have to buy all those fecking stupid spectial tools to fit various parts ok we'll use them more than you would but a lot of them on't get used much and a very bad value for £ spent on them v's the value of work they do
the other thing is the garage is also provideing credit. with some customers often for a hell of a lot longer than nessasary
there rant over - today customers pissed me off
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Its quite simple really, most people choose to have their cars repaired by a garage they can trust, and are prepared to pay for the service, the minority choose to repair their own cars, which is fair enough, and luckily they are able to buy parts from the likes of GSF, and also luckily for that minority of people, they don't have to pay around 75k a year in rent, rates, gas/electric, phone services, various different licenses, accountants charges, laundry services, premises insurance, motor trade insurance/liability, burglar alarm services, vending machine services, water rates general property maintenance, the list goes on and on, and the money has to come from somewhere, and I've not even mentioned the staff getting paid! regardless of whether the garage is busy, or not, they still get paid the same... quite simply, the money has to come from somewhere, the mark up on parts is quite small, like I've already said, and is widely accepted by the general public as par for the course, clearly, otherwise we wouldn't be as busy as we are, with never having to advertise
Thom
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today you can directly go to the parts supplier of your service supplier. For heating/plumbing you can go to The Parts Centre. For builders you can go to screwfix or a builders merchant. For car parts you can go to GSF etc..
I cannot see any justification as to why plumbers/builders/garages should put a mark up on prices when ALL they are doing is phoning up and ordering stuff.
Where is the added value to justify the margin?
People who accept such practices are either incompetent or mugs.
If you got a builder round to build an extension and he said it would take 500 breeze blocks. Would you be a bit annoyed if he charged you 80p a block when you could have phoned up the builders merchant yourself and bought them for 60p.
Garages are not retail. They don't hold stock to sell to joe public. They operate to fix problems. They order the necessary parts to fix the problem and are paid for their time and effort in doing so.
If a garage can get good discount at a parts supplier and make margin when charging me the same, then that is good business practice. But when a garage charges me more for the part than I can get it myself, I see no justification.
They do not, most garages get say 10% discount so they can then charge retail, they have to make money to live, I worked in a garage for 4 1/2 years and a motor factors for nearly 3 years so I know how it works.
Its quite simple really, most people choose to have their cars repaired by a garage they can trust, and are prepared to pay for the service, the minority choose to repair their own cars, which is fair enough, and luckily they are able to buy parts from the likes of GSF, and also luckily for that minority of people, they don't have to pay around 75k a year in rent, rates, gas/electric, phone services, various different licenses, accountants charges, laundry services, premises insurance, motor trade insurance/liability, burglar alarm services, vending machine services, water rates general property maintenance, the list goes on and on, and the money has to come from somewhere, and I've not even mentioned the staff getting paid! regardless of whether the garage is busy, or not, they still get paid the same... quite simply, the money has to come from somewhere, the mark up on parts is quite small, like I've already said, and is widely accepted by the general public as par for the course, clearly, otherwise we wouldn't be as busy as we are, with never having to advertise
Thom
Spot on :afro:
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Agree with the above, however some of the marking up i've seen on parts in the past has been unacceptable.
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some of the cost prices take the piss, so even if you pass the parts on at cost the customer still thinks your takeing the piss.
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some of the cost prices take the piss, so even if you pass the parts on at cost the customer still thinks your takeing the piss.
I meant for example a garage that charges £45 for a set of rear brake pads when they can be bought retail for about £20.
This is just one example, i've seen many over the years.
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Regardless of justification £300 for some springs to be changed we don't even know if the shocks the OP is ok?
mmmmmmmmmmmmmm :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
Real Question is all you lads in the trade or own businesses would you charge £300 for a young lad coming in with a MK2? ???
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Thom im not going to quote what you have said but you have summed it up well! :afro: my friend is starting a garage business and apart from getting over all the problems of opening accounts etc he has no discount to pass on to customers on parts, they dont know him from Joe Bloggs so needs to prove he can pay his account first! in these hard times you need to be keen where it matters and can afford to be....well less keen where it doesnt matter! e.g. having a ramp taken up for more than 3 hrs of the day is going to cost you other jobs that need doing.
Followers of Elvi would know from my posts
give me a break! :rolleyes:
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Real Question is all you lads in the trade or own businesses would you charge £300 for a young lad coming in with a MK2? ???
enough small jobs like the one in question ( swaping a couple of rear struts ) i used to occasionaly do such jobs as infills for a free or a few pint if i knew them or existing customer.
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so has he got a cheaper price after this fiasco ??
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OMG - some people have
a, lived a very blinkered life and never looked at a Garage bill indepth
or
2, Paid in CASH for bitz and jobs to be done.
Mark up on car parts from Trade to retail is how most garages survive is it not :smug: :huh:
Small private garages WILL fit owner supplied parts, but try that at a main stealer and you will get laughed at.
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oh and to the OP
511VG0060 COIL SPRING-REAR G2 Ex. 16V 8/83 >7/92 14.00 Add
£28 for ya springs, and an hours work tops.
I so need to get mesen a bigger garage and a recovery truck or trailer :laugh:
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You Boundah! people like you will put me out of business :grin: :grin:
Thom
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:grin:
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Chuff such a devils advocate :evil: :grin:
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Anyone in any trade that has to suppy materials has to put a mark up on them, for sourcing them, and guaranteeing them. it doesn't matter if your a sparkie, plumber or mechanic, you don't do gear for nout, otherwise you won't have much money. Unless your labour bill is big.. Its business isn't it, everyone puts there 10 percent (or more, product dependent) on top. Do you go to a shop and say 'I'm not payin £5 for that bag of potatoes, I want them for 3.50 like you pay'. No you don't, because that's their business isn't it!! They can charge what they want, However its ur call if you wanna pay it (in your case I wouldn't). My mates garage will charge you over a 1er to change 4 tyres, cos they're 75 an hour plus vat wether they're fitting tyres or rebuilding an engine.that's y I do everything on my car myself!! Well bar bodywork
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Chuff such a devils advocate :evil: :grin:
Moi :shocked:
:evil:
:grin:
:kiss: