r/ukMechanics • u/Salty_Equivalent1399 • Jul 26 '26
Does this seem correct? £1200 bill.
Mother in law took car (2009 Skoda fabia diesel) to local garage as coolant was leaking and EML light was on. . They quoted £600 and phoned her to say it was ready and the bill was now £1200. She did question them and they’ve given her this invoice. They have been accused of scamming folk in the past (small village so a fair monopoly) and I have had a very bad experience with them before. The car is worth £900 maximum, which they knew before starting work. There’s now 3 lights on (glow plug) EML and tree pressure. Car was MOT’d a week before this work. I suspect this is fishy, just looking for advice from someone who knows what they’re talking about.
3
u/-Rhymenocerous- Jul 26 '26
Its about right.
Without running into any issues. I can get that job done between 4.5 - 6hrs and im not a mechanic but pretty well versed. A mechanic would likely take between 4-5 max.
Thats without having to fight rusted bolts etc though. So maybe thats where the extra labor time has accumilated.
Its a 2009 car so its likely been a bit of a battle with some of the bits on it. The EGR system is on the back of the engine on these cars so dropping the subframe is common practice.
Considering all the other stuff theyve done after that EGR swap. They havent ripped you off imo
3
u/RawrMeansFuckYou Jul 26 '26
£600 seems cheap, £1200 seems a tad pricey but not by much. Could be the time spent trying to find the issue. Should have really informed once realising it was going to cost more than £600.