Your garage maintenance will cost more this fall
Car owners who go to the garage to have their vehicles serviced should expect an increase of 3 to 4% on their bills, due to the sharp rise in rents and employee salaries.
Rents, particularly in Montreal, have skyrocketed in the past year,” explains Guillaume Martin, President of the Association des spécialistes de pneu et mécanique du Québec (ASPMQ). It's the same thing for the salaries of everyone who has anything to do with cars.”
Currently, the hourly rate for a mechanic (collected by garages) varies between $105 and $160 per hour, depending on the location. Rents, meanwhile, have almost doubled in Montreal and many other parts of Quebec.
Of course, some of these increases are passed on to customers.
“Everything costs more. This allows us to be profitable,” adds Martin.
Some consumers store around and don't hesitate to change garages to save money. There's another trend too.
Many customers don't change garage even if there's an increase,” says Martin. They've established a bond of trust with their mechanic and they don't feel like going anywhere else.”
Necessary services
Changing tires is the first mechanical service people think of when the cold nights set in across Quebec. This operation must be carried out before December 1st.
Prices are more or less the same as last year. With rims, customers can pay between $50 and $80. If tires have to be fitted, the bill will rise to between $75 and $160.
Synthetic oil changes, with the increase in raw material, now cost close to $100. Of course, if the mechanic needs to put more oil in the engine, the bill will be higher.
You should also check the air and cabin filters, as well as the various fluids that are crucial to the vehicle's smooth operation.
Tire installation is the ideal time to check a few things,” explains Jesse Caron, CAA-Quebec's automotive expert. Brake cleaning is a good idea, especially for people who don't drive much. The same goes for the battery.
Another thing not to forget: windscreen wipers.
It often goes under the radar,” says Caron. The usual limit is about a year. It's not complicated to change.”
The phone is still popular
Despite the creation of applications for cell phones or systems on the websites of mechanical service companies, the phone is still the most popular way to book an appointment.
“About 80% of my customers still use the phone,” says a technical advisor at a garage on Montreal's North Shore.
Why do we do this? Customers often have additional questions or special requests to pass on in anticipation of their visit to the garage. It can be as simple as adding an oil change to a tire change.
What's more, many consumers take advantage of the opportunity to book their spring appointments for summer tire changes.
Prepare your vehicle for winter oil change (prices vary according to vehicle make and oil quantity)
- Synthetic: between $90 and $100
- Non-synthetic: $75 to $80
Winter maintenance
- Varies according to the garage
- Brake, filter and fluid checks
- Between $60 and $180
Tire change
- Mounted on rims
- From 17 to 22 inches
- Between $50 and $80
- Not mounted on rims (not balanced)
- From 17 to 22 inches
- From $75 to $160
