Being that I am a technician/service writer/manager, I have dealt with this issue many times and everyone that has asked methis question has got this answer. ( One day Leonardo Divinccie (whatever) was in a restraunt eating dinner , a lady approached and asked if he would do a sketch of her daughter. He replied he would , after he was done she asked how much she owed him , when he gave her the bill she was shocked . Her reply was ( it only took you 10 minutes ) he replied ( no it took my whole life)
Now , there are some places that due overcharge , but by the time you add up the education , 30-50 grand in tools and all the overhead it is very expensive to run and operate a shop safely and efficiently. You get what you pay for is what it comes down to. Go bye JOE BLOWS TEXACO with your 80,000 dollar Mercedes and have him diagnose your parktronic problem and you will find out what I am talking about. Most (a) technicians make 20-$30.00 an hour , but they are hard to come across if you are an owner. For every tech that comes into this field 3 leave , I co-operate and support schools in our area that offer automotive tech programs for the fact that we need employees for tomorrow. Thats my 2 cents,

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euro 287
Mercedes Technician 7 Years (retired to Hyundai)
2000 Dodge Durango
98 Mazda truck