Re:I know you need to be paid for your time, but.. (Score 2, Insightful)

Being a computer consultant now, and a mechanic for several years while I was in high school, I certainly can appreciate some similarities between the two professions. While $100 for a stud may be unreasonable in some cases, in others it's well justified. When the gave you an estimate they did so with knowldge of how other whel studs have went. Many times it will involve using an oxygen/acetylene torch. So now you have a great deal of time involved, pulling the car in, hoisting the car, getting the torches, etc. Plus, shops have a great deal of overhead to cover (insurance for starters). Also, what is generally ignored is the amount of responsibility placed on auto technicians, the are held responsible for the saftey of not only those occupying the vehicles the work on, but every thing they may wreck into if something fails on the car (that's why strict records are kept, especially those relating to state saftey inspections).