Flat Rate Guide

[Jerry Pfaffly]

Good morning, I'm a first time user so forgive my poor knowledge if I make a mistake in how I should use this site. I would like to know if I can find a flat rate guide anywhere for Cadillac repairs. Specifically, I'm interested in a front passenger side window regulator (includes motor) and a fuel level sensor. These are on a 2002 Deville. I would like to be able to know cost of parts and labor. Any help is appreciated.

[Bill Gauch #23121]

This might not help, but I would just call a local Cadillac repair place and ask them. I can only imagine two scenarios why you are asking.

1. You are going to make these repairs for someone and want to know what to charge them.
2. You found out these are bad on your own car and want to know if you will pay someone to replace them or do it yourself.

In either case, if it is a one-time thing, I'm sure they will tell you what they will charge if you ask for a price for a very specific repair. If it is a frequent thing, I would think a site like alldata or eautorepair would give you and online version of what you want.

[Jerry Pfaffly]

Bill,
Thanks for your answer. The reason I wanted the information was because the price of these parts and the labor to fix them was so different between a Cadillac dealer and my warranty protection plan. My plan is supposed to pay all except a $50 deductable but I will wind up paying nearly $400 on this repair because ALLDATA's flat rate is so much lower than the dealer flat rate. The total repair bill for the window regulator and fuel level sensor repair was $1030.88. My bumper to bumper plan will pay $651.00. My plan is called Quality Protection, Inc. I guess this is like many insurance plans, you don't know what you've got until you make a claim. I just hate getting ripped off when I thought I had a great plan that cost me $1775. Now I find I have a plan that pays approximately 60% of a covered repair.

[Johnny]

Bill,
Thanks for your answer. The reason I wanted the information was because the price of these parts and the labor to fix them was so different between a Cadillac dealer and my warranty protection plan. My plan is supposed to pay all except a $50 deductible but I will wind up paying nearly $400 on this repair because ALLDATA's flat rate is so much lower than the dealer flat rate. The total repair bill for the window regulator and fuel level sensor repair was $1030.88. My bumper to bumper plan will pay $651.00. My plan is called Quality Protection, Inc. I guess this is like many insurance plans, you don't know what you've got until you make a claim. I just hate getting ripped off when I thought I had a great plan that cost me $1775. Now I find I have a plan that pays approximately 60% of a covered repair.

Sorry to hear of your bad luck.  Did ALLDATA offer you "in network" repair shops to take your car, like auto and health insurance companies do?

[Bill Gauch #23121]

Bill,
Thanks for your answer. The reason I wanted the information was because the price of these parts and the labor to fix them was so different between a Cadillac dealer and my warranty protection plan. My plan is supposed to pay all except a $50 deductable but I will wind up paying nearly $400 on this repair because ALLDATA's flat rate is so much lower than the dealer flat rate. The total repair bill for the window regulator and fuel level sensor repair was $1030.88. My bumper to bumper plan will pay $651.00. My plan is called Quality Protection, Inc. I guess this is like many insurance plans, you don't know what you've got until you make a claim. I just hate getting ripped off when I thought I had a great plan that cost me $1775. Now I find I have a plan that pays approximately 60% of a covered repair.

If I'm reading between the lines correctly, it sounds like you had the repair done at the dealer, but your plan only covers AllData flat rates. If so, I can relay something that I noticed in dealers in my area. I don't know how long it has been going on and I don't know if it is nation/worldwide. That said, here it is...

Dealers started reward/incentive plans for service. Customers who bring their car in for all its regular and unscheduled service get a discount. Given that they have set prices for a given job, it is likely that they just raised their regular prices, so they have something to cut. I have noticed I always get a discount on my wife's car (BMW) at the dealer. I guess, when you pay $40 for an oil change, they can afford to give you 10% off a sunroof repair. Anyway, I guess what I am saying is that the place that repaired your car probably added 10-20 % to the bill and then tacked on all the disposal, environmental, and shop fees (probably $50-100). If you had taken it to a gas station garage, you probably would have paid $651 or less.

[baxterculver]

Good morning, I'm a first time user so forgive my poor knowledge if I make a mistake in how I should use this site. I would like to know if I can find a flat rate guide anywhere for Cadillac repairs. Specifically, I'm interested in a front passenger side window regulator (includes motor) and a fuel level sensor. These are on a 2002 Deville. I would like to be able to know cost of parts and labor. Any help is appreciated.

This is probably off point but, for those of us who like to do most of our own work, a flat-rate manual is a terrible thing to have on your shelf.  For example, changing the fuel pump on my '39 60 Special took me the better of 3.5 hours.  Plus a lot of swearing and busted knuckles.  Then I checked my Motor's Flat Rate Manual (circa 1949), and found, to my dismay, the job is supposed to take 1.2 hours.  Oh, and the parts and labor cost (in 1949) was $20.72. 

It gets worse.  Flat rate gives me 26.7 hours to recondition, completely, the engine once I have it out of the car.  Removing and replacing it gives me another 15.5 hours.  So why did it take me three months to complete?

the ultimate insult is when I look about my garage and see all of the air tools, compressor, fancy rachets,  etc.  They are supposed to make these jobs easier.  The mechanics back in the day had little more than three screwdrivers, seven end wrenches, and a large hammer to do all of this.  We, who have made Snap-On and Craftsman rich, struggle to break double flat rate

My advice.  Never check a flat rate manual if you do your own work.  Nobody's ego is shockproof!

[Bill Gauch #23121]

Good morning, I'm a first time user so forgive my poor knowledge if I make a mistake in how I should use this site. I would like to know if I can find a flat rate guide anywhere for Cadillac repairs. Specifically, I'm interested in a front passenger side window regulator (includes motor) and a fuel level sensor. These are on a 2002 Deville. I would like to be able to know cost of parts and labor. Any help is appreciated.

This is probably off point but, for those of us who like to do most of our own work, a flat-rate manual is a terrible thing to have on your shelf.  For example, changing the fuel pump on my '39 60 Special took me the better of 3.5 hours.  Plus a lot of swearing and busted knuckles.  Then I checked my Motor's Flat Rate Manual (circa 1949), and found, to my dismay, the job is supposed to take 1.2 hours.  Oh, and the parts and labor cost (in 1949) was $20.72. 

It gets worse.  Flat rate gives me 26.7 hours to recondition, completely, the engine once I have it out of the car.  Removing and replacing it gives me another 15.5 hours.  So why did it take me three months to complete?

the ultimate insult is when I look about my garage and see all of the air tools, compressor, fancy rachets,  etc.  They are supposed to make these jobs easier.  The mechanics back in the day had little more than three screwdrivers, seven end wrenches, and a large hammer to do all of this.  We, who have made Snap-On and Craftsman rich, struggle to break double flat rate

My advice.  Never check a flat rate manual if you do your own work.  Nobody's ego is shockproof!

The scary thing is that the flat rate is designed to benefit the repair place and/or the mechanics. The faster you work, the more you get paid. When I used to paint houses, we bid jobs at 1.25 hours per window, but I could paint one in about 20 minutes. Of course, I was only getting paid $6/hour so I wasn't getting rich.