How long should garage charge for replacing a rocker gasket

[bonglo]

I am caught in between two dealers. I bought my (Perfect) Bongo in October and one evening i pulled up and there was smoke coming out from the car.....the Rocker Cover Gasket was knackered.
I contacted the dealer (Bongo specialist) and discussed it.
Seeing as where i live we agreed to speak to another Bongo specialist a few miles from home.
They came to my house, diagnosed the problem and even had a chat with the supplying dealer. (for those that know who i mean, they are a brilliant garage and i genuinely believe I am the luckiest Bongo owner in the country to be 5 miles or so from them.)
I dropped the car up to them so that they could sort it when time allowed and being efficient they cracked on a fixed the problem.
Now, the supplying dealer had not agreed the process for fixing it, the local garage sorted it before they had called the supplying dealer and discussed it.
All garages operate differently, but i am sure there is an average amount of workshop time it should take to replace a rocker cover gasket. and as the supplying dealer disagrees with the amount of time taken by my local 'bongo specialist/ importer/ all round bongo experts' I am left with the need to find a negotiating point. I am very happy with the work done and would willingly pay for it, but it is the responsibility of the supplying dealer to sort the problem.
So how long do the forum members think is a reasonable amount of time for a garage to take to replace a rocker cover gasket on a WL-T? Bearing in mind they came to diagnose it in situe and it has 'pissed' oil all over the engine for 2 months, meaning that it was cleaned off a bit to diagnose and then obviously cleaned to replace the gasket. thanks.

[bigdaddycain]

I guess the smoking engine part stems from engine oil trickling onto the hot manifold? (i bet that was a bit smelly).

Depending on how thorough a job was done, i'd say that a rocker cover gasket replacement, (even if the gasket had to be scraped off, and mating surface cleaned and prepped) And if the engine was cleaned/gunked/jetwashed, plus running up to temp to check for subsequent leaks.....Two hours labour? Maybe three if you include the diagnosis, plus taking the vehicle to the garage?

Your original dealer is just trying to get out of coughing up, stick with it, they should honour the relatively small bill, they were quick enough to get the purchase price from you...

[bonglo]

Cheers

[mikeonb4c]

Interesting one. What about getting 3 estimates for the supplying dealer. Given that no job is ever quite standard, I would hope anyone giving an estimate would build in an allowance for that. And that of course (and with luck) should mean prices that are at least what the garage who fixed it charged. What about asking them what they think the job should cost, then getting the estimates. In the worst case, say OK I'll pay the difference. Not a perfect result, but if the future care of the Bongo is now with a quality Bongo specialist (hmmm, Newbury, who coudl that be I wonder ) who has no doubt done a proper job fixing the head gasket, then it will have been worth it.

Good luck - keep us posted.

PS - just read BDCs post - agree with the last paragraph. Its simply a question then of how you achieve checkmate

[bigdaddycain]

With a "normal" car, any garage would quote the "book time" for a job, regardless of how long it actually took to repair, there isn't a yardstick set for the bongo (officially) regarding workshop times, so most garages would stick an extra hour or so labour on top to cover sundries.... (and because your not to know how long it ACTUALLY took to do the job)

[bonglo]

I have been dropped in it a bit as it is a shame the work has been done. (i cant believe it turns out that i am having a problem because a garage has done some good work!! the nature of my local bongo garage, super efficient!!)
But, as I have said I have every confidence in the work they do. I know they are really thorough.

[bigdaddycain]

I'm sure they are bonglo, i wasn't casting aspertions to the garage that you used, i was just taking the opportunity to point out to the uninitiated that generally garages "labour times" and actual labour times aren't actually connected, whatever the "book" time is, is usually the time quoted. (for "book" time see "haynes manual" time i.e. 1 and a half times longer than is actually possible).

The main thing is you are now sorted, and are happy with the work, even if the original supplying dealer doesn't cough up over this, at least you have discovered a rreeliable garage that can sort any other issues that may crop up in the future....

Can you imagine if the head gasket had gone, or something similarly disastrous? You'd have a fair old legal wrangle on your hands then, as you'd definitlely want to recoup those costs!

As it stands, you discovered a good, reliable garage, for what is to all intents and purposes, a nuisance, yet not a major repair.

Could i inquire to the labour time quoted by the garage that carried out the work? Feel free to pm me if you arent happy to quote it on the public forum.

[bonglo]

Also, if a garage does work for another, like this, do they pay retail on the labour?
These two dealers paths would probably never cross again so its not an ongoing common local arrangement?

[dandywarhol]

I replaced mine (and adjusted the valve clearances) in under 2 hours. It's a rubber gasket so unlikely to stick. I also found the main culprit was the rubber seals on the screws causing the leak - not the gasket

[bigdaddycain]

I reckon the original garage have got their knickers in a twist cos they probably would have tightened up the rocker bolts, give the cover a wipe clean, and see if that cured the leak...

[bonglo]

I have the old seal, it was 'dried out' and cracked and would not have tightened down.

[Trouble at t'Mill]

Since you are clearly happy with the work, bonglo, and have even stated you'd be happy to pay for it yourself (tho', of course, you shouldn't have to), could a suitable compromise be to tell the supplying dealer to pay their going rate for a gasket replacement to your local garage, and for you to make up the difference? Surely, for this, we're not talking much more than £30? £40? Er, £50...

[Trouble at t'Mill]

I'm guessing any warranty you have with the supplier will be petering out in a few months and after this you'll probably have little to do with them, so this would show your local garage that you are a decent fellow to do business with.

Of course, if your engine explodes before the warranty has expired, then it would be trailered back to the supplier...

[bonglo]

To pay the difference sounds like the most logical compromise. So long as the supplying dealer is realistic in his quote. I have asked what he charged if he did a gasket before.

Thats sort of where my thinking was going, when i started this post to establish what (more experienced) people thought a reasonable period of time to replace a rocker cover gasket would be.

I dont know who is more right, local guys or supplying dealer or indeed some where between the two. After all it depends on your perspective (if your buying or selling )as to whether you would agree with the local guy, he did the work he knows what he found and any problem he may have faced, but equally the supplying dealer knows that he could do the work in his garage and it would then be 'cost' for him.
so how long is that piece of string ??

[bigdaddycain]

The fly in this ointment is location.... When you (bonglo) were sniffing the smoke coming from the engine, you were quite rightly more concerned with solving the problem as quickly as possible, hence your call to your local bongo experts... Your supplying dealer on the other hand was over an hours drive away,and withou hindsight, who's to say the smoking bongo could have endured the trip without suffering further potential damage?

I'm sure your original dealer is an affible chap with a good sense of doing the right thing, i'd be very surprized if a good outcome to this isn't possible.