need to vent

[89cummins174]

Well i know that i have not posted lot but, i need to get this off my chest and maybe you have some horrier stories to tell. this morning i droped my bx24 off at my local kubota dealer (bucks county, Pa) to have 4 flood lights put on becuase i thought they would already know the best route to run the wiresso they dont get snag on anything. So I head up to the dealer at 4 to pick up my tractor smile on my face and then they hit me with the total. 556 dollars for 5 1/2 hours of work. They had to make the brakets but i suppled the lights and they had the rest of the switches wire and fuses.

What I am getting at is i thought I could truss my dealer to take care of me not take a weeks wofth of pay away from me. the work they did was good but didn't know that their lowest rate was 75 a hour and the electrical work per hour was more. This is the last time they will lay a finger on my tractor!!

Thanks for reading

 

[kennyd]

but didn't know that their lowest rate was 75 a hour and the electrical work per hour was more.

This will sound rude-but it's not meant to be...

But why is this the dealer's fault? You obviously did not ask any questions when you hired them to do the work...I certainly would have asked for an estimate beforehand.

 

[B7800mike]

556 dollars for 5 1/2 hours of work. They had to make the brackets but i suppled the lights and they had the rest of the switches wire and fuses.

That seems like way overkill. I work at an auto dealership and we always call and clear the repair with the customer first. custom work starts with one hour charge then a call to the customer to get more time. That is bs. Talk to the manager. I would think 300 to do that would be fair unless it is gold plated.

 

[89cummins174]

kennyd is right i didn't ask a quote for the work but this was custom work and a heads up would have been nice b/c i felt like a jerk when i only had 330 in cash and i had to leave and come back with more money. i mean really i should have done this myself, i could have done this but the dealer and i where going back and forth about if the alternator could handle the extra lights. So I figure let them do the job its still under warranty and if anything goes wrong i wouldn't lose my warranty. I think thats how that works, this is the only thing i ever bought new that is that expensive.

 

[radioman]

Got any pics of your new lights installed ? I agree that 500 is a bit tad high just for lights installed, but then they are saving you time and did it professionally as you say. Hopefully the lights will do you good the first time you use them at night.

 

[dodge man]

Yeah, I hate to pile on, but I guess you should have asked up front. I added a pair of lights to my BX2350, and it took me about 8 hours, and two trips to the farm store. I'm guessing including the lights switchs and tubing for the brackets, I had maybe $90 in mine. It came out really good also, but I took my time.

 

[RickB]

A poor deal all the way around. You should have asked for an estimate. The service manager should have been smart enough to have a discussion about the cost of the job whether you asked for it or not. And never complain about the cost of something you should/could have done yourself. The alternator is a non-issue. The alternator is either capable of providing output for the combined draw of the additional lamps, or it isn't. That is a black and white fact the service manager should have been able to answer for free prior to you buying the lamps, let alone hiring the shop to install them. You can always come here and rant, but be prepared to hear both sides of the issue.

 

[89cummins174]

here are some pics with the garage lights on and off

 

[B7800mike]

That job 250 max and i think that might be too much. I am sorry

 

[dodge man]

I originally had mine mounted vertically also, but I wasn't happy with the pattern, so I changed them to horizontal. It looks like a good install.

 

[Ductape]

In the dealers defense, doing a neat job takes more time. You definitely should have asked for a written estimate, as was stated. I recommend using your frustration to remind you in the future to learn to do more repairs yourself, and get a little more intimate with your tractor. FWIW, $75/hr would be cheap for shop labor around here.

 

[Tractor Factor]

75/hr is what the nearby dealer in Buffalo charges. Anyway, the lights look really cool, and man are they bright. I think they'll do a great job for you. In time I'm sure you'll forget about the price.

 

[BigD23]

Hind sight is 20/20 of course...Personally I would have had an estimate before pursuing it...The lights look Great though.

Don

 

[LBrown59]

Well i know that i have not posted lot but, i need to get this off my chest and maybe you have some horrier stories to tell. this morning i droped my bx24 off at my local kubota dealer (bucks county, Pa) to have 4 flood lights put on becuase i thought they would already know the best route to run the wiresso they dont get snag on anything. So I head up to the dealer at 4 to pick up my tractor smile on my face and then they hit me with the total. 556 dollars for 5 1/2 hours of work. They had to make the brakets but i suppled the lights and they had the rest of the switches wire and fuses.

What I am getting at is i thought I could truss my dealer to take care of me not take a weeks wofth of pay away from me. the work they did was good but didn't know that their lowest rate was 75 a hour and the electrical work per hour was more. This is the last time they will lay a finger on my tractor!!

Thanks for reading

you should have gotten a price first.

 

[LBrown59]

This will sound rude-but it's not meant to be...

But why is this the dealer's fault? You obviously did not ask any questions when you hired then to do the work...I certainly would have asked for an estimate beforehand.

rite on

 

[Scooby074]

On the bright side, it looks like a quality job and they sure will give you lots of light!! And there wont be any issues with warranty in the future.

Neatness takes time and unfortunately that's gonna cost .

 

[89cummins174]

i am goning to call the dealer owner tomorrow to see if there is anything that can be done (a little money back, i still think i paid to much) i want to have a good relationship with my dealer. time will heal all wounds

 

[WaxMan]

i am goning to call the dealer owner tomorrow to see if there is anything that can be done (a little money back, i still think i paid to much) i want to have a good relationship with my dealer. time will heal all wounds

I don't know if i should tell you this but the lights are on the wrong way.
The dealer should know that.
The beam on that kind of light should go right to left not up and down.
If he was going to place them sideways they should be round lights. Why would you want a beam 10 feet up in the air and 4 ft wide, I could be wrong so try it at night. I would mount them on the top of the rops
use the same bracket just put the bracket on the bottom of the top rop, the lights will be the right way and it would look better. Put the bracket on the bottom and the light on each side of the rops wires down.
That is a two/3 hr job .

 

[JDeerekid]

I am sorry but 5 1/2 hours. They must of waited 3-4hours for the paint to dry on the brackets.
2 brackets made(measured,cut,drilled) - 20 minutes
paint and dry time - 20-30 minutes
run wire, switches, etc - 1 hour max
mounted lights and test - 15-20 minutes

So 2-3 hours max.

 

[Evil the Weasel]

I would have preferred soldered connections and heat shrink instead of those blue crimp-on connectors. Maybe there is a functional reason behind it that I don't quite grasp. You'll certainly be able to see where you're going though it cost you dearly for the privilege.