Have 2003 Allroad. Mechanic diagnosed oil leak from valve gasket. He suggested cam chain tensioner gasket is a sensible added on since the job is closely related. Including diagnosis and degrease, he charged for 5.5 hrs (in LA labor rate was $160/hr). $880 labor + $150 parts. He is a European car specialist - and had this model for his own; appears quite knowledgeable.


I am ok to spend this money for it; but want to know his labor hours are reasonable so that I can use the guy for future fixes.

 

In my opinion, and take it with a grain of salt (as one should for anything he or she reads on the internet) I would ask him what parts he intends on using; you may be able to get the total cost down by purchasing the parts yourself, just make sure he’s okay with installing the ones you buy before hand..If he specializes in European vehicles, and he has a good reputation, I’d suspect he uses high quality parts, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t still a decent mark up… I think it’s worth looking into, as you could save some $ this way. Now he may be willing to put cheaper parts in but I suspect not because he likely recognizes that doing so could jeopardize his reputation, but perhaps I’m wrong if you don’t mind lower quality parts used in the repair.

That said, I’d suspect all automotive labor charges have increased worldwide a pretty significant amount due to a global economy that went from a near stand still (when COVID hit) to a fully up & running & growing economy, & did so in a very short time period. Pent up demand has driven prices up because global supply chains cannot keep up (prices increase with low demand). So perhaps LA prices are up as well and now are not that different from your recent quote?
Not sure, but certainly something to consider..

Regardless best of luck with your repairs

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