Have i been screwed?

[KB88]

Just before i went away for two weeks, my Rocco started playing up.
In one journey I had several problems on the way home one night. First the heater stopped working, shortly after the headlights went very dim (no high beam either) and then lastly the wipers/washers stopped working.
I'm not all that clued up when it comes to the electrics of a car, so as these things happened in this order, i was stumped.
I took it to a garage my old man recommended as it was just around the corner and i was having to use my mums car for work. I've never been there before, so obviously had my reservations.
It took two days and three hours labor to discover the ignition switch had gone. Also the unit that switches high beam on has burnt out but he didn't replace that.

3 x 1hr at £45, plus £13 for the ignition unit. I paid around £180 all in and was gutted. If i had any idea i could have perhaps pointed him in the right direction. I really didn't expect this sort of bill and now I'm falling behind with other payments. When i went to pay, the head guy wasn't there and the young lad didn't know much about the job so said speak with him.

I'm just wondering if i'm being daft and investigating this sort of issue would require such a time, or whether i should be calling to find out why it took so long.

Cheers

[mark1gls]

£45 for an hours labour at a garage seems about right.
I think VW charge £80 per hour.

[KB88]

£45 for an hours labour at a garage seems about right.
I think VW charge £80 per hour.

I know the labor rates cheap, I was referring to the fact that 3 hours seems a long time to figure out such a minor issue, given the symptoms.

[fonzooorooo]

It comes down to what the mechanic expected to be wrong. If he's used to modern cars, where plugging them in tells him what to replace, he could have spent ages with the meter testing other stuff first. (He could have had the fuse box out, been checking earths, all sorts!)

It would have been reasonable for him to pick up the phone when the bill got to £100, just to keep you informed/ask if you wanted him to continue.

[MRMENDER]

I'm not all that clued up when it comes to the electrics of a car, so as these things happened in this order, i was stumped.

^^^Well you've more or less answered your own question ^^^
I personally dont think you were charged excessively about right the going rate