How much should it cost me for a mechanic to scan for a fault?

[chiuy]

Hey peeps.

I've got an SRS light that keeps coming up. Paid a guy $40 to check it out a few years ago. It's come up again and now two different mechanics want $80 to find out what the error is.

Has the price legit doubled over the past few years? or are these mech's just really expensive?

[trism]

Of course prices are going to go up.

[Banana_hammock]

Can't you invest in your own scantool to figure it out? There are some budget ones available for a few hundred dollars

[stndrd]

Where abouts are you located? If your located in S.E suburbs of Melbourne, I can help you out, otherwise, it really depends on how much the particular mechanic paid for their scan tool as to how much they charge for a ECU scan

[chiuy]

thanks for the responses, guys.

Banana_hammock, i've thought about buying, but i got too confused over what i actually need. i don't have a 16 pin OBD port, can only find a 2 pin and a 3 pin connector. too many reports on the net about adapter cables not working so I do know if it'll be worth the risk.

thanks for the offer, stndrd, but i'm in sydney

[aaronng]

An SRS light is related to the airbag system. It is totally different to a CEL (check engine light) and a scantool won't read the SRS code. The SRS light being on probably means something is wrong with the airbag's control unit.

[hondapop]

The going rate for mechanics seems to be $80/hr + GST of $8 = $88, that generally being the minimum charge even if the job takes less time. So $80 is pretty good, but they are probably assuming you'll want them to fix the problem as well and that will then be absorbed into the final bill.

And while strictly illegal it is common practice to omit the GST factor when quoting.

[stndrd]

An SRS light is related to the airbag system. It is totally different to a CEL (check engine light) and a scantool won't read the SRS code. The SRS light being on probably means something is wrong with the airbag's control unit.


That is incorrect about the scan tool. If you are using a generic and entry level OBD2 scanner, yes you can only read CEL's, but if you are using a Ultrascan, Carmen VG, Snap On diagnostic scanner, you can get complete access to ECU, TCM, BCM, ABS, SRS etc etc and read live data & codes from all available modules.

You will also find that an SRS sensor circuit voltage reading is low or seatbelt pre-tensioner sesnor is faulty etc, not the actual SRS control module

[aaronng]

That is incorrect about the scan tool. If you are using a generic and entry level OBD2 scanner, yes you can only read CEL's, but if you are using a Ultrascan, Carmen VG, Snap On diagnostic scanner, you can get complete access to ECU, TCM, BCM, ABS, SRS etc etc and read live data & codes from all available modules.

You will also find that an SRS sensor circuit voltage reading is low or seatbelt pre-tensioner sesnor is faulty etc, not the actual SRS control module
Sorry, I should have said the normally available cheap sub $100 ODBII scan tool which people normally refer to when they say that you should get one. You're right regarding the Ultrascan-level type diagnostic tools which cost over $3000-4000.

[stndrd]

No worries mate :thumbsup:

[JPR28610]

i wouldnt pay anything more than 50 bucks for a scan.. but thats just me
and if you fix the problem there they usually dont charge you for the scan.
i guess it depends on the workshop

[TheSaint]

The going rate for mechanics seems to be $80/hr + GST of $8 = $88, that generally being the minimum charge even if the job takes less time. So $80 is pretty good, but they are probably assuming you'll want them to fix the problem as well and that will then be absorbed into the final bill.

And while strictly illegal it is common practice to omit the GST factor when quoting.

i usually only pay that kind of money to my premium mechanic for high end work

for our dailies we just send them to the local guys who are all around $50p/hr

[stndrd]

i usually only pay that kind of money to my premium mechanic for high end work

for our dailies we just send them to the local guys who are all around $50p/hr


You may be paying trade price for labour then as hondapop said, the minimum per hour is $88 incl gst, tho you may find alot of workshops are going to up it to $99 incl this year

[hondapop]

You may be paying trade price for labour then as hondapop said, the minimum per hour is $88 incl gst, tho you may find alot of workshops are going to up it to $99 incl this year

How will I keep a car on the road when I can't DIY ? Actually it's not as bad as the lady's VW next door (one of the reasons she got rid of it) $250/hr. I asked her whether they had a lawyer standing next to the mech !