AC jobs at home after work and on weekends. I'm thinking $100 per hour is more than fair. Pep boys and Firestone are nearly double that here and who knows who is doing the job.
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How much per hour should I charge to fix A/C?
- Thread starter Chris142
- Start date
I'd charge $750 for that, And I live in North Texas where cost of living is lower. But would turn it around in a day & have the overhead of the business to factor in.
Is this a 7.3L Diesel? Can't think of another engine where adjusting the clutch clearance would take 5 minutes.
Is this a 7.3L Diesel? Can't think of another engine where adjusting the clutch clearance would take 5 minutes.
I think that's on the low end, and as you said more than fair. I get the impression from your posts over the years, that you are very thorough in your A/C repairs. Don't sell yourself short.
Yep! It's also lifted which makes working on it tougher. BTW I shortened my post.
I don't know what kind of price shopping he did..I adjusted the clutch gap about 5 years ago after several other " professional" shops couldn't figure it out. At that time I also showed him the front seal was leaking green ac oil out of it and told him to be prepared to replace the compressor in the future.
Ya I would too if it was all I was working on. I'm working A full day in the miserable heat with no cooling in our shop then going home and working on it. First day I evacuated what refrigerant was left in it and checked the orifice for contamination then drained about 4 gallons of coolant.
Day 2 I changed the fan clutch, flushed the condenser and put the new compressor on. Day 3 put the coolant back in and removed the accumulator. I'm going to flush the evaporator. Get all the old oil out and get it ready for all new oil.
I think from memory it calls for 9 oz of oil but will check the actual spec tomorrow.
Charge more for lifted vehicles.....Or ANY modification that makes the repair more difficult. Those big (Donkey Knocker) bumpers irritate me!
Don't feel lonely, It was 98° here with humidity making it feel much hotter, It'll be better once it gets hotter/dryer & can use the evaporative function on my fans.
8-9 Ounces sounds right for the large Accumulator/Orifice system used in these trucks.
Are you charging actual time or by flat rate hour? Two very different things.
Propflux01
$100 Site Donor 2025
Another question is are you doing this as a side deal without being a business?
I'm basing it on flat rate #.s with some adjustments. Alldata shows :
Compressor 1.1
Fan clutch:1.3
Accumulator: .6
Orifice: .6
Plus I'm supplying the flush solvent and whatever time, electricity to run my compressor to flush it.
The pressure test, evac charge , adding oil and 32oz of my r134a is $200 which I consider non negotiable.
I beat the flat rate time a little... Not a lot so I'm kinda throwing the flush in to compensate for that.
Not trying to rip him or myself off just want to be fair to both of us.
I work in an uninsulated metal building . It's actually cooler outside in the sun.
I found the sticker and 9oz is spec. It's really loaded with oil. Probably all the shops that tried to fix it before put some oil in the system and tons of dye. Gonna get all that out so I know how much oil to put in.
It has these giant tires. Metric size but I'd say 35's.
If you do a good job -- and I'm sure you will -- you can charge whatever you want. People will pay for competence, and those who won't are not customers you want.
Book rate is just a suggestion, no law says you have to follow that. Just ask the medical profession-- they never want to tell you what anything will cost
Book rate is just a suggestion, no law says you have to follow that. Just ask the medical profession-- they never want to tell you what anything will cost
One of the better decisions I made when building my shop was having it insulated, Don't miss working in a brick or steel oven!!
Years ago I used a guy moonlighting to pull an engine and do one head. It had one bad valve but the head wouldn't come out in the car - the head bolts hit the firewall. I paid what he said was his actual time - at half the rate shops in the area charged. I paid cash and I think we were both happy.
It did take forever, like weeks and weeks. I kept calling to see where he was at. I was actually in no rush but was afraid of him abandoning my car with the engine out.
I would have been happy to pay more, especially if he had been faster.
It did take forever, like weeks and weeks. I kept calling to see where he was at. I was actually in no rush but was afraid of him abandoning my car with the engine out.
I would have been happy to pay more, especially if he had been faster.
I usually charge 1/2 what a shop does. I only do work for friends who know ahead of time that I work when I want and won't do any jobs that take more than a couple days
I am certain I would just collapse.
