dealer bill for fitting new fuel line on JD 130r

Had a bill for a cracked fuel line from the common rail to cylinder no2, knew it wasn't a small job. John Deere 130R.
Firstly I've been charged for a fitter to look at exactly the problem I described and to order parts but luckily as passing no traveling, wouldn't moan about that alone.
The next lot I've been charged for call out and travel back? never been charged for travel back, is this normal? Our nearest dealer is 1hr away.
Had a few issues with a broken stud in the manifold that they drilled out but snapped an easy out in there, and had to do a return trip and again another here and back with the new manifold. Is this a mistake snapping the easy out or 1 of them things?

If anyone familiar with this job thinks a bill for 1700 plus vat is excessive?
Labour is near on 1200, rest parts. Just seems a lot for a small cracked fuel line that cost 57 plus vat...
 

Daniel

Member
Had a bill for a cracked fuel line from the common rail to cylinder no2, knew it wasn't a small job. John Deere 130R.
Firstly I've been charged for a fitter to look at exactly the problem I described and to order parts but luckily as passing no traveling, wouldn't moan about that alone.
The next lot I've been charged for call out and travel back? never been charged for travel back, is this normal? Our nearest dealer is 1hr away.
Had a few issues with a broken stud in the manifold that they drilled out but snapped an easy out in there, and had to do a return trip and again another here and back with the new manifold. Is this a mistake snapping the easy out or 1 of them things?

If anyone familiar with this job thinks a bill for 1700 plus vat is excessive?
Labour is near on 1200, rest parts. Just seems a lot for a small cracked fuel line that cost 57 plus vat...

I had a bill of £2400 to investigate our Deutz for all the error codes it was giving, eventually they diagnosed a stuck pin in a plug, but it’s still giving the odd code.

The dealers all just royally take the pee.
 

icanshootwell

Member
Location
Ross-on-wye
You should have got them to service it as well, could have rounded it up to 3k then.
Joking aside I doubt main dealers do any job under 1k no matter what it is, by the time they add this on and that on.
 

ricky_rascal

Member
Location
N. Yorks
Your main dealers are getting very expensive, not that they were ever cheap! Always an indie kicking about who is far cheaper generally and often more clued up than some that come in a van from the dealers. Last time I was daft enough to phone a local dealer was problems bleeding a tractor suffering from diesel waxing. You’d know what to bring with you one would imagine but guess what he forgot to bring with him - yes you guessed, new filters 🙄 I suppose in fairness to main dealers is that they will have a lot of cost that has to be recouped. Not that it is any consolation when a huge bill drops through the letterbox.
 

kiwi pom

Member
Location
canterbury NZ
Your main dealers are getting very expensive, not that they were ever cheap! Always an indie kicking about who is far cheaper generally and often more clued up than some that come in a van from the dealers. Last time I was daft enough to phone a local dealer was problems bleeding a tractor suffering from diesel waxing. You’d know what to bring with you one would imagine but guess what he forgot to bring with him - yes you guessed, new filters 🙄 I suppose in fairness to main dealers is that they will have a lot of cost that has to be recouped. Not that it is any consolation when a huge bill drops through the letterbox.
The problem is the dealers have to pay to train new mechanics up which is expensive, then they leave for better paying jobs in companies who don't have to train staff or become independents.
Not all independents are good, there's plenty of dealer mechanics that have had to go out and fix indies stuff ups.
That works the other way as well of course.
I think if you're contracting these days you either have to keep everything under warranty, have access to or employ a mechanic or learn the trade yourself and tackle more repairs.
 

Steevo

Member
Location
Gloucestershire
I find none of the dealers openly tell you there labour charge. Always just a total labour cost.

Always makes me smile reading the notes of a job too…

“Arrived at farm to investigate reports of John Deere tractor leaking fuel from engine. Checked engine and found cracked fuel line to no. 2 injector. Cleaned engine bay to prevent debris contaminating fuel. Removed fuel line and replaced with new. Run up and test. All ok. Dispose of waste”

Mountain. Molehill. 🙂
 

kiwi pom

Member
Location
canterbury NZ
Always makes me smile reading the notes of a job too…

“Arrived at farm to investigate reports of John Deere tractor leaking fuel from engine. Checked engine and found cracked fuel line to no. 2 injector. Cleaned engine bay to prevent debris contaminating fuel. Removed fuel line and replaced with new. Run up and test. All ok. Dispose of waste”

Mountain. Molehill. 🙂
Not really, they probably have a lot of steps to follow that people don't realise plus they write it down to show they did it.
Cleaning engine bay and testing at the end for example.
 

Flatlander

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lorette Manitoba
Nothing uncommon to see them turn up at midday the faf around for an hour then take parts off only to have to be out of the yard by four to drive home because he finishes at five. Comes back with the wrong parts so can’t complete the job but can come back the next day with the right parts then blames his f up on serial numbers break that no one was aware off. Three lots of traveling at x amount per km then hourly rate while driving and he still manages to get subway lunch too. I had o rings changed on a cat c15 engine injectors. Total job was 3200$ would have been more except I drove the hour to get the o rings he forgot to bring. Nothing seems unbelievable nowadays
 

Grouse

Member
Why shouldn’t the dealer charge return travel time. The mechanic could be working in the workshop at full rate instead of travelling - it’s not their problem you are so far from the dealer. Bottom line is they are a main agent and not a charity - if you are not happy then just don’t use them. If any mistakes were made you should have asked for a quote before engaging them, and / or transported your tractor too them - but then that involves time and even more expense to you with a recovery / low loader.
 

icanshootwell

Member
Location
Ross-on-wye
It is expensive but main dealers have no option but to charge all the time out.When travelling back to base he can’t work on anything else,in an ideal world that time is booked to the next job but not always possible.This is one of the reasons we run the brands we do closeness of dealer.
When i questioned a bill once, i was told by the fitter,s boss that the customer is charged back to the dealers yard and cleaning out the van, makes you wonder when the clock does eventually stop.
 

icanshootwell

Member
Location
Ross-on-wye
Why shouldn’t the dealer charge return travel time. The mechanic could be working in the workshop at full rate instead of travelling - it’s not their problem you are so far from the dealer. Bottom line is they are a main agent and not a charity - if you are not happy then just don’t use them. If any mistakes were made you should have asked for a quote before engaging them, and / or transported your tractor too them - but then that involves time and even more expense to you with a recovery / low loader.
mistakes were made you should have asked for a quote before engaging them
Do you think a dealer/fitter would quote for a engine issue before looking at it 1st?
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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