People always want mods done cheap!!!!!

[brookesb32]

Plus many people on this forum, for example Eddie, will happily provide advice free of charge, without which many people could have bought incorrect items or done things incorrectly. I for one have sent many a question to Ed and always get a helpful answer 

It does usually end with me spending more money with him though - he just knows his stuff 

[marko]

You got pay to play 

That is all

So true...nobody is pressured into modding their car.

[wigit]

i had an offer on something today from here and had to check that the date wasn't April 1st 

[xjay1337]

3 The customers must remember your not their friends or family.

The customer?! Are you a shop/business? Do you declare tax on what you charge 'the customer'?

Get real mate! Garages/dealers charge £50+ an hour because they are a brand and have overheads to cover. Meeting someone on their/your driveway is not the same thing!!

I do agree that you don't seem to get the same advice/help from dealer/garage staff. But they're not interested in modifying your car (unless your paying). They Re paid to sell/service cars in their garage. Fellow enthusiasts ARE interested in the same car (Golfs/VAG) and so will be keen to help you.

You pay for someones skill.

At the end of the day people think things don't cost money.
My normal VCDS rate is £10 per car.. that's plug on, full scan, faults emailed to you, and any other tweaks etc that you want. Road tests are normally £20 and I will log the session and provide a write up eg in cases of overboost, lack of vacuum, stuck VNTs or whatever (mainly TDI cars).

And yet some people are like, well it's only 10 minutes on a laptop can't you do it for free sort of thing?
Well, not really no. My tools cost money, etc.

Yet saying that, most of the time I do things for free as I like to help people out.. if people want to give me a few drink tokens then that's great but if they don't I'm not going to get mad at them for it.

I do part time detailing for friends, mainly in the VW scene, and I charge around £120 for a 2 stage correction, I do believe that I am capable within my own capacity to work as a professional detailer should the opportunity present itself - currently it does not , and with my own work commitments I'm lucky to find time to do the 1 or 2 cars a month that I do currently.

People try to barter you down, and it reaches a point where it's not worth it - in materials that you use, equipment, machinery and not only that but your time.. plus fuel costs if you're travelling.
It's all very well saying, well you don't have the overheads of a unit/garage/workshop but the point being that you're paying the end result and the skill of the person doing whatever, whether it be retrofits, detailing, mechanical work, blowjobs... if you want to take it to a garage or someone else then go ahead!

Most of the time people who ask me for help doing things I will only ask for them to cover fuel, and buy me Pizza. It's very rare I ever make actual money out of people, for friends I don't mind so much, favours and exchanged all the time, but for strangers, they need to appreciate that gratitude doesn't pay a mortgage.

[TeighlorD7]

Fair enough if you've got a lot of spare money to spend on what you want for your car . Nothing wrong with enquiring to see how much something will cost , I actually got a price for fitting a mfsw, highline and stock controls and it was cheaper than I expected ! Shame I've still got too much stuff to buy first .

[dodds-gttdi]

3 The customers must remember your not their friends or family.

The customer?! Are you a shop/business? Do you declare tax on what you charge 'the customer'?

Get real mate! Garages/dealers charge £50+ an hour because they are a brand and have overheads to cover. Meeting someone on their/your driveway is not the same thing!!

I do agree that you don't seem to get the same advice/help from dealer/garage staff. But they're not interested in modifying your car (unless your paying). They're paid to sell/service cars in their garage. Fellow enthusiasts ARE interested in the same car (Golfs/VAG) and so will be keen to help you.

You pay for someones skill. Agreed

At the end of the day people think things don't cost money.
My normal VCDS rate is £10 per car... Fair enough, but all I've mentioned is people charging ridiculous prices  that's plug on, full scan, faults emailed to you, and any other tweaks etc that you want. Road tests are normally £20 and I will log the session and provide a write up eg in cases of overboost, lack of vacuum, stuck VNTs or whatever (mainly TDI cars).

And yet some people are like, well it's only 10 minutes on a laptop can't you do it for free sort of thing? Some folks are generous and do these sort of things for free!
Well, not really no. My tools cost money, etc. I agree, tools costs money (i.e. Laptop and VCDS) but you bought these to enable yourself to do mods. Helping others and making some money back is a bonus (we'd all like). But you cannot say every member on here bought their equipment with the sole purpose of using it to recoup it's cost. Unless they truly are a business e.g. Eddie-NL

Yet saying that, most of the time I do things for free as I like to help people out..  ()  if people want to give me a few drink tokens then that's great (this is the level of repayment I (and a lot of others) deem acceptable. I am definitely not advocating anything has to be free.) but if they don't I'm not going to get mad at them for it.

I do part time detailing for friends, mainly in the VW scene, and I charge around £120 for a 2 stage correction, I do believe that I am capable within my own capacity to work as a professional detailer should the opportunity present itself - currently it does not , and with my own work commitments I'm lucky to find time to do the 1 or 2 cars a month that I do currently.

People try to barter you down, and it reaches a point where it's not worth it - in materials that you use, equipment, machinery and not only that but your time.. plus fuel costs if you're travelling.
(I agree with your point above, but that's not anything to do with what I've mentioned so far.  )

It's all very well saying, well you don't have the overheads of a unit/garage/workshop but the point being that you're paying the end result and the skill of the person doing whatever, whether it be retrofits, detailing, mechanical work, blowjobs... if you want to take it to a garage or someone else then go ahead! Correct, you are paying for their skill, experience, etc, etc. But you shouldn't be paying garage prices for it!!!! If you did take it to a garage you will get a guarantee/warranty, maybe a courtesy car, etc. Which is why you pay garage/dealer prices!! 

Most of the time people who ask me for help doing things I will only ask for them to cover fuel, and buy me Pizza. It's very rare I ever make actual money out of people, for friends I don't mind so much, favours and exchanged all the time, but for strangers, they need to appreciate that gratitude doesn't pay a mortgage. (Proper jobs pay mortgages, not favours for members/mates)

You come across as the type of person I am describing the typical forum member here to be: into their cars (Golf/VAG), happy to help out, especially advice, part numbers, etc. And willing to practically help someone (do work on their car) for beer/pizza tokens or a reasonable amount (£10/£20 for small things, more for bigger/longer work). And yeah, all of your costs should be covered by the paying person, especially any materials you provide and use. Your prices for a stage 2 detail sound excellent! 

What I was pointing out above is that some members think it is acceptable to perform a job on their own driveway and charge £50/hour. With no material/fuel costs involved. Not for me mate. Just paying for a few of these mods would be the same money as buying your own VCDS Hex Cable, Laptop and more

[berg]

I gladly pay the asking price because if you want the mod doing then who else is going to do it not the dealers that's for sure...

seconded

[dodds-gttdi]

I gladly pay the asking price because if you want the mod doing then who else is going to do it not the dealers that's for sure...

seconded

Playing the devil's advocate here...

So if I asked for £200 to fit your CAN Gateway you would both be happy to pay this amount? And come to my house so I can do the work here?

If so, then form an orderly queue cos I am open for business!! 

[arris]

I think how much you charge is how much you value your time at.

Also jay I wish you lived closer so would detail my car 

[bigeyd]

Scott
       Its so easy to pm and nine times out of ten people do not know the work involved.
       A good way to filter the real ones I think is to say call you.

[omeydz]

Have to say reading this, I agree with the current mentality of some people wanting mods overall. Cant expect to do supply and fit service and struggle to break even.. no point offering the service in the first place.

Did retrofits in London and the North-East for nearly 4 years before a career curve-ball, but Iv seen this all myself. Having a good knowledge of VAGs therefore, I do a lot of work to my own cars myself but members still offering services are very much a credit to the VAG scene and I myself have tapped into the contacts, parts and knowledge of people like Eddie on many things and cant put a price on this info. Hell, dealers the total opposite of helpful, its like black and white compared to a knowledgable member.

A final word on charges. I feel retrofitters have a right to charge what they wish, especially supply and fit. But buyers have the power of the internet and a bit of research to know how much parts go for and the price to fit etc.. If you dont like the price, dont go for it and look elsewhere but its disrespectful to waste time my reserving parts etc for work and going quiet and then having a rant on prices. People invest a lot of time and money and effort into providing these services to clients and enthusiasts, and recommendations go a long way to show these members know what they are doing and do it well.

Having done retrofits for such a long time thats my view. Rant OVER!!    !!

[betty_swollox]

I have experienced this a lot with mountain biking. People will expect second hand parts for nothing.

[MichaelR]

I love a bargain but when you put something up for sale with a specific fixed price and people say "Whats your lowest price" my piss instantly boils.

[DaveB@Vagbremtechnic]

Having said all that, i do remember a time not long ago when all this stuff got done free of charge at meets and it was polite to offer a twenty which more often than not was refused....

Alternatively "the favour" got exchanged and occasionally cashed in...

[Andy]

I gladly pay the asking price because if you want the mod doing then who else is going to do it not the dealers that's for sure...

seconded

Playing the devil's advocate here...

So if I asked for £200 to fit your CAN Gateway you would both be happy to pay this amount? And come to my house so I can do the work here?

If so, then form an orderly queue cos I am open for business!! 

only if yours are made of gold