cubgirl
Junior Member
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2015
- Messages
- 44
- Reaction score
- 14
Hi,
Not sure if anyone here can help me but I have to try. I have a 1941 J3. The annual usually cost $1,000 - $1,200 per year. However, I was ill for 5 years (2009 to 2014) and didn't fly or even see it. I just paid the hangar bill.
June 13 of this year, I told the mechanic at my airport to pull it out for an annual. I figured it would be two or three times the normal bill because it had sat so long. My mechanic is 90 years old. It took a very long time to complete the job -- 3 months. I tried to be patient and refused to yell at a 90 year old guy. I just could not do it.
I asked several times in July and again in August what the costs were and what was happening with the cub and the costs. I could never get any estimates or cost-to-date from the mechanic. He'd just say, "It's getting up there," but gave me no numbers. Finally, he completed he job around September 15 and I told him that I had to get a bill before he could get paid.
About 2 weeks ago, he sent me a bill for $8,550 with a disclaimer that it was not the final bill. I was a bit shocked at the price. He had listed all the parts and their cost (by part), which totaled to $2,300. However, he just listed a lump sum for labor for $6250. I asked if he could provide the receipts and yellow tags for the parts as well as provide a breakdown of the labor cost by each job performed. He said he'd give me receipts for the parts but not the yellow tags. He also said he would not provide a breakdown of his labor. I told him to send the final bill hoping maybe it was cheaper.
About a week ago, he sent a final bill and it's now $9500. It still lists $2,300 in itemized parts but the lump sum for the labor is now higher, $7,200. I have to pull money out of my retirement account to pay him but it bothers me that I can't get a breakdown of the labor cost for a $10,000 repair bill.
My concern is this: he's older (90 years old). I'm wondering if maybe it took him 2 or 3 times longer in labor to do the work on the cub. If that is the case then I'm paying for the increased labor time. He said his hourly rate is $55/hour, which is not a bad rate. But he's charging me 131 hours worth of labor totaling $7200 and I do not know if my money was well spent since he won't itemize the labor portion.
Here are my questions:
1) Am I being out-of-line by asking for an itemization of the labor cost?
2) Is the mechanic obligated to itemize the labor?
3) Is there a book for airplanes (like they have for cars) that list average time in hours for a repair job?
I can't analyze the bill, even if I had the mechanical know-how, without a breakdown of the labor dollars. It's a lot of money for one bill and I'd feel better with more detail about the labor dollars.
I'm think I'm OK for the $2,300 in parts as that seems reasonable but paying $7,200 in labor cost without it being itemized bothers me.
Is anyone familiar with this type of problem and have any advice? I'm stuck! I want to be fair to the mechanic and to myself.
Thank you... I appreciate any insight anyone can provide.
Cubgirl
I'm attaching a picture of my cub.
Not sure if anyone here can help me but I have to try. I have a 1941 J3. The annual usually cost $1,000 - $1,200 per year. However, I was ill for 5 years (2009 to 2014) and didn't fly or even see it. I just paid the hangar bill.
June 13 of this year, I told the mechanic at my airport to pull it out for an annual. I figured it would be two or three times the normal bill because it had sat so long. My mechanic is 90 years old. It took a very long time to complete the job -- 3 months. I tried to be patient and refused to yell at a 90 year old guy. I just could not do it.
I asked several times in July and again in August what the costs were and what was happening with the cub and the costs. I could never get any estimates or cost-to-date from the mechanic. He'd just say, "It's getting up there," but gave me no numbers. Finally, he completed he job around September 15 and I told him that I had to get a bill before he could get paid.
About 2 weeks ago, he sent me a bill for $8,550 with a disclaimer that it was not the final bill. I was a bit shocked at the price. He had listed all the parts and their cost (by part), which totaled to $2,300. However, he just listed a lump sum for labor for $6250. I asked if he could provide the receipts and yellow tags for the parts as well as provide a breakdown of the labor cost by each job performed. He said he'd give me receipts for the parts but not the yellow tags. He also said he would not provide a breakdown of his labor. I told him to send the final bill hoping maybe it was cheaper.
About a week ago, he sent a final bill and it's now $9500. It still lists $2,300 in itemized parts but the lump sum for the labor is now higher, $7,200. I have to pull money out of my retirement account to pay him but it bothers me that I can't get a breakdown of the labor cost for a $10,000 repair bill.
My concern is this: he's older (90 years old). I'm wondering if maybe it took him 2 or 3 times longer in labor to do the work on the cub. If that is the case then I'm paying for the increased labor time. He said his hourly rate is $55/hour, which is not a bad rate. But he's charging me 131 hours worth of labor totaling $7200 and I do not know if my money was well spent since he won't itemize the labor portion.
Here are my questions:
1) Am I being out-of-line by asking for an itemization of the labor cost?
2) Is the mechanic obligated to itemize the labor?
3) Is there a book for airplanes (like they have for cars) that list average time in hours for a repair job?
I can't analyze the bill, even if I had the mechanical know-how, without a breakdown of the labor dollars. It's a lot of money for one bill and I'd feel better with more detail about the labor dollars.
I'm think I'm OK for the $2,300 in parts as that seems reasonable but paying $7,200 in labor cost without it being itemized bothers me.
Is anyone familiar with this type of problem and have any advice? I'm stuck! I want to be fair to the mechanic and to myself.
Thank you... I appreciate any insight anyone can provide.
Cubgirl
I'm attaching a picture of my cub.
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