Expert: Mike Potter - 1/22/2008

Question
so i worked on a 1999-2001 ford explorer, and i took out the entire interior and put it in a mercury mountaineer.
it took me about 48 hours.. (i am only 16, and it was a learning thing.) but anyways i was wondering what a good price would be for me to charge. i did most of the work, but i wanted a profesional rate to compair it with..

Answer
I apologize for the late response, I’m on a two-week vacation and still  trying to answer all the questions.
Smart man, show the customer retail and give him a good deal, keep him coming back.
To R&I the interior complete, including the dashboard, would be about 14 to 18 hours labor at about $42.00 to $48.00 per hour. The book rate is never enough on these kind of jobs, especially the dash. I always add for little things like the console, extra wiring, ect. You should be in the neighborhood of $600.00 to $800.00. If all you changed were the seats, carpet and door panels, then the labor charge would have been about 6 to 8 hours at whatever your local shops are charging.
Most body shops are between 42 and 48 dollars per hour and the mechanic shops are about 20 bucks more.