I thought that I'd gotten used to most of the prices in Australia but I hadn't accounted for automotives. My husband has become numb to it, already having ranted and raved about Canadian prices vs. American. Being Canadian myself I shrugged off his outrage but now have the dubious pleasure of experiencing exactly the same thing in Oz.
Our car was due for an oil change and so we went off looking to get that done. In the States oil changes can go as low as $14 and in Canada you're usually looking at about $30. I knew Australian prices were generally higher so I was prepared to pay about $50-60 dollars for the same service. Instead of it being double the Canadian price, it was quadruple.
After some poking around we found that the average oil change cost about $120. As said before my husband was already immune by now to sticker shock but I stood dumbfounded thinking we couldn't possibly have been quoted the correct fee. Why is it so much more here? Is oil imported via air freight? Are there only a handful of mechanics working in the country? I don't have an answer for this. Not to mention the shock still hasn't worn off, hence I'm writing about it now.
What we've taken away from this experience is that, next time, we'll do our own oil change.
1 comment:
$120 for an oil change!!! That is pushing toward insanity.
For that I would wiggle under the car and get my fingers dirty, though that might ruin the manicure. What does a manicure cost, this might be a deal breaker.
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