I've never taken my car to a mechanic, but one shop is asking for $40 / hr and up to $75 / hr for special tuning. Is this normal?

 

yes. typical shops in my area are $65/hr and goes up to $125/hr depending
on the shop or dealer.

 

In the LA area, a good independent is about $100/hr and a typical dealer is about $125/hr. For a slightly older car, especially if out of warrantee, IMHO the independent is the best choice - more personal service, less useless overhead to finance, definitely more tuned into aftermarket options, usually interested in retaining you as a customer.

 

Hahahah, independent, that's quite funny that you now mention it. These guys are working out of their garages and maybe even my garage, but they have pretty good reputations on the forums. I guess what I'm paying for is tools and experience, both of which I don't have.

 

Actually, in SoCal there are a couple excellent independent places...they are big shops, not someone working out of their own or your garage!

And my MINI dealership charges $125/hr labor...so your quotes look good to me!

edit: Moving this from Off Topic :: Autos to MINI Talk where it will get more attention.

 

Yea, I know it sounds silly, but my love affair with the RX-7 is so strong, I'm willing to go almost any lengths to get it in my driveway. And seeing how there are no good rotary shops in Houston, that might be what I'll have to do. I can stay rotary or go with an LS1 engine and a T56 tranny and have the freedom to go to any place that services american engines. But what blasphemy...

 

My independent mechanic charges $75/hr, but he works quickly and charges actual time spent, not exggerated dealership book time.

 

My independent mechanic charges $75/hr, but he works quickly and charges actual time spent, not exggerated dealership book time.

I had a little work done on my land rover last week and although I was there a little over 2 hours, he charged me one hour because I was there at the start of the day and he had several interruptions for the phone, other customers, and to give consultation to his employees.