Had to take my car in last week for what I thought was a simple fix — new brake pads and a faulty ABS sensor. The final bill came out to $830. The parts were maybe $180 of that; the rest was labor plus a laundry list of "inspection" fees.
I swear this kind of job was half that a few years ago. Is everyone else getting shocked by repair shop quotes lately too? What do you all do — bite the bullet at the dealership, find a good independent shop, or just learn to DIY the easy stuff?
Labor rates are the big driver: many shops now charge $150–200+ an hour, and jobs are billed by "book time" rather than actual time. Two things help: ask for an itemized written quote before work starts (and whether the inspection fees can be waived if you approve the repair), and get a second quote from an independent shop with good reviews for anything over a few hundred dollars. Brake pads are a reasonable DIY job with a video and basic tools
On ABS sensors specifically: the part itself is often cheap, and many independent shops will replace just the sensor without the extra inspection package if you ask up front. Calling two or three shops with the exact job (pads plus which wheel's sensor) usually shows quickly who's padding the bill. If the car is still under warranty, it's worth checking whether the sensor is covered before paying.
Another small tip: ask the shop to give you back the old parts. It's a normal request, and it keeps everyone honest about what was actually replaced. For brakes it also helps to ask whether the rotors really need replacing or just resurfacing, since that alone can change the bill by a couple hundred dollars.