Action 9: What rights you have when getting work done on vehicle

CHARLOTTE — A driver says she took her car to a mechanic for some basic maintenance and that it charged her close to $800 for the labor alone. She didn’t want to talk about the business publicly, but Action 9′s Jason Stoogenke wants to make sure you know your rights when getting work done.

First things first: mechanics can charge whatever they want for labor. There’s no law capping their rates.

One Charlotte mechanic says most charge between $140 and $180 per hour for most vehicles, $230 to $250 for high-end models.

But Stoogenke still has advice for you:

1. Don’t play down the ‘labor’ part of the bill. It can add up.

2. So ask how much it is ahead of time. Get an estimate.

3. Many shops use the same labor guide that spells out how long each job should take.

4. In North Carolina, if you agree to the estimate and the mechanic realizes it’s going to cost more than 10% beyond what you agreed to, he/she needs your permission.

5. If you get stuck with a bill you think is unfair, file a complaint with your state’s consumer protection agency. Even if the motor vehicle laws don’t help you, other laws, like North Carolina’s Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act, might.

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