Thanks for all your comments.=20
I copied them all and put them in a file, and showed them to my mechanic =
this morning. I think the "Hoo boy, where do you live? I gotta open a =
shop there! " email definitely said more than anything I could.=20
The $400 was 5.75 hours of work at $66 an hour.=20
The breakdown was:
manifold installation
heatshield installation
carburettor tuning
tappets resealing
some gasket work
I guess this list and Albert Jones's email puts this issue to rest.
The $300 manifold was a bit more difficult. This a guy I trust (I was =
quite happy with his work and gave him a Victoria MG club calendar) so I =
was quite disheartened to think I might have been had. He admitted that =
it was a good profit for him. He said that in the future, if I found a =
part cheaper elsewhere, we could negotiate a lower price (beforehand).=20
Incidentally, I got a quote from a competitor - $150 installation, $350 =
for the used manifold. When I asked if I could supply a manifold, he =
said he had a lot of work to do, and my car would have to wait then. In =
my language, that means "sorry mate".=20
On inspection, the manifold was not broken, apparently it was the pipe =
connecting the manifold to the exhaust that had cracked. (I was going on =
the sound alone and it sounded the same as a month ago) He agreed to =
replace the pipe (which he had replaced one week after the manifold - ie =
5 weeks ago) for free.=20
After our long discussion, he also agreed to throw in extra work for =
free, so thanks to you guys, I am saving money - and breaking out =
probably even. And my mechanic and I have a very clear understanding. I =
think trust is very important, and I trust him more now. Most =
importantly, because of the expense, I was pretty close to swapping for =
a Miata, but there will still be an MGB daily driver on the road for =
now.=20
Thanks guys, I feel better now.
PS: I live in Sunnyvale, which is in the Bay Area ( near San Francisco)
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