Hey folks, could use some advice here. I just got a $4800 bill for work on my 1999 F-350 7.3L. They charged $500 for used heads, 25 hours of labor, and a bunch of other stuff that seems… questionable. I brought in my own set of heads from a buddy, but it looks like they swapped them out for a different set. They also charged me twice for pressure testing. Just trying to get some opinions before I go confront the mechanic.
Is this reasonable, or am I being overcharged?
$500 for used heads and 25 hours of labor? This guy’s definitely overcharging you.
Tatum said:
$500 for used heads and 25 hours of labor? This guy’s definitely overcharging you.
Spit costs extra.
Tatum said:
$500 for used heads and 25 hours of labor? This guy’s definitely overcharging you.
Spit costs extra.
Probably would charge another hour for that, too.
Tatum said:
$500 for used heads and 25 hours of labor? This guy’s definitely overcharging you.
Book time for a head stud job on a 6.0 is 20-22 hours, so 25 hours is a bit high if it’s a 6.0 or 6.7. But with the Y-pipe, it could make sense.
@Noah
This is a 7.3, not a 6.0 or 6.7. The book time for 7.3 heads is 17 hours, and it can be done in about 10 hours.
Tatum said:
@Noah
This is a 7.3, not a 6.0 or 6.7. The book time for 7.3 heads is 17 hours, and it can be done in about 10 hours.
Got it, thanks for clarifying.
Tatum said:
@Noah
This is a 7.3, not a 6.0 or 6.7. The book time for 7.3 heads is 17 hours, and it can be done in about 10 hours.
Got it, thanks for clarifying.
No problem.
The Y-pipe labor should overlap with the head R&I at least partly. I’ll check book time after lunch and see what it says for the head job on a 7.3.
Why are they even replacing a head in the first place?
Ellery said:
Why are they even replacing a head in the first place?
I had redone the injector cups and heads to flip the truck, but the mechanic ended up charging way more than I expected. I even brought him a set of heads from a buddy, but he used his own set instead. And he’s charging me separately for removing the turbo, even though it should come off to reach the heads. The final bill came out to $4800.
Ellery said:
Why are they even replacing a head in the first place?
There’s also a double charge for pressure testing. I just want to be clear on things before I go talk to him. I feel like he owes me around $1400 back. What’s your take?
@Bliss
The turbo/Y-pipe should definitely overlap with head labor. The first pressure test might be diagnostic, and the second one is probably him bench-testing the heads. But that second charge shouldn’t be on you—he’s the one supplying them.
Honestly, 20 hours is way too much for the heads on a 7.3. A diesel tech at Ford could do this in about 10 hours. You should get at least 5.5 hours of labor knocked off for overlap and unnecessary testing. Ideally, he should’ve only charged the book time of 17 hours, max. Asking for a 5.5-hour refund is fair, but don’t be surprised if he pushes back.
@Tatum
Yeah, I even gave him an extra set of heads from my buddy. Thanks for the feedback!
If they wrote ‘battery terminals’ as ‘baterys terminals,’ I’d be running already!
4.5 hours for a Y-pipe replacement? That’s ridiculous! Maybe if you’re doing it for the first time from a YouTube video.
For that price, you could almost get a fully remanufactured engine.
Diesel repairs aren’t cheap, so the price doesn’t seem totally out of the ordinary, given all the work. But yeah, the hours sound inflated.