How Much Does Car Repair Cost in Your Area?
Tim Esterdahl | Jun 27, 2012 | Comments 3
A recent study has found that car repair varies throughout the country and that overall repair costs are dropping. How does your area measure up?
How much does the average check-engine light repair cost for your area?
The study by CarMD.comfound that the average cost for repairs related to a check-engine light dropped 6% in 2011 primarily due to lower labor rates. The findings point out that the recession has caused labor prices to fall. Yet, no surprise to anyone who owns a newer car, parts prices are up as well as “severe” repairs.
“Each year, CarMD taps into our Vehicle Health Index repair database to monitor trends, including state-by-state and nationwide auto repair costs,” says Art Jacobsen, vice president, CarMD. “We are encouraged to see overall repair costs trending down this year but recognize that drivers are still putting off small repairs such as spark plugs and oxygen sensors that can quickly turn into more serious problems. With the higher cost for repairs in popular western vacation destinations, our data illustrates the need for summer travelers to make preventative maintenance and vehicle safety checks paramount in their road-trip preparation.”
In determining the cost for repairs, the study looked at check-engine light repairs and averaged them throughout the entire state. The cheapest? That would be Indiana where owners paid $283.95 per repair. It joins Maine, Wisconsin, Iowa and New Hampshire as the other cheap states. The expensive state? Wyoming where owners averaged $389.19 per repair. CarMD attributes that to the high altitude and the distance between repair shops since it is not a very populous state. Other expensive states include Utah, California, Montana and Arizona.
Notice how many Western states are in the most expensive category. This is due to faulty oxygen sensors that are the main cause for check-engine lights. CarMD said that high airborne dust has a habit of getting into these sensors and causing the light to go off.
How much do you pay for repair costs in your neck of the woods? Does it equal what the chart says?
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Filed Under: Auto News
A Toyota dealership in Portland charges $129 an hour.
A neighbor of mine told me this as this is what they were going to charge to “supposedly” fix in 4-Runner.
Damn, that’s expensive.
Taxes are different in each state. So does the cost of living which determines the price.
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