I'm totally confused. You had an opportunity to call around and quote a few shops if you wanted, you even have a track record with another shop that you feel does ya right normally. So, when you went into the deal knowing it would cost $XXX and got your car exactly as you wanted (fixed with OEM parts at the dealership) you're then fuming about getting it back too fast.
If you don't like how they charge, and you knew full well that they were charging "flat rate" rather than actual time, why did you get the work done there???? Flat rate is an average time for an average mechanic. Why aren't you happy that you were fortunate enough to have an experienced mechanic do it successfully in less time, thus allowing you to get on with your life that much sooner instead of downing four more cups of crappy free coffee while you wait and flipping through four more crappy magazines?
My old man is a flat rate mechanic. If you think you're pissed about flat rate hours, you should hear him gripe! Some jobs are absolutely ridiculous, as has been pointed out, especially warranty rates. A few tenths for brake jobs, simple fixes, etc. isn't even enough to cover the time it takes to fill out the work order, pull the car in, get it on a lift, and wash your hands when you're done to get ready for the next job. The time it takes to get ready/finish the job is longer than the job even pays, ignoring doing the job and going above and beyond to check for other issues while you're in there, and if something goes wrong like a broken bolt or waiting on parts, you're out that much more time and a service bay. My dad is very fast compared to book rates and the majority of that is because he has been doing it so long that he knows what he's doing better than guys with less experience and he's also got tens of thousands of dollars worth of tools, probably well over $100k over his career spent on tools. He's not required to have these tools, and he could save a lot of money by using basic tools, but he's invested in tools that allow him to get the job done faster. Sure he can get a 16 hour clutch job done in 7 hours, but he's got $1500 worth of tools that he used for that job that you don't have and 15 years of experience over his coworker that can do it in 9 hours with the same tools. He'll also be a hell of a lot more sore than the younger guy doing it in 9 hours, but that's how he makes his living.
I just got some work done on my house, they reworked a section of the chimney to repair some weak mortar. I had three places bid for the job. The one that seemed most trustworthy and knowledgeable also happened to be the cheapest. They also got the job done in about 8 man-hours than they expected (about 24 man-hours instead of 32) and the quality was up to our expectations. I paid the bill for the quote they gave me before they started the job. Should I be dissatisfied because they got done sooner than they paid? IMO, of course not, I bid the job to three places and knew exactly what it would cost before going into it. The bricklayers I got were good at what they did and finished quicker than one of the other crews might have and probably did a better job because they had more experience than the other average crews.
I can't tell whether it's the dealership, the mechanic, the service manager, or the system that you're upset with...sounds to me that the more frustrating thing is that Honda is charging you a pile of cash for a very common repair a few thousand miles after you're out of warranty. If you had taken it in at the end of your warranty they should have spotted it then and done it free of charge. IMO, your gripe that they charged you too much is completely unwarranted because they gave you a quote before they started. You KNEW it was flat rate, what it would cost, etc. going into the deal so I don't understand how you could be so frustrated. It's not like you dropped it off for an oil change and they came out with a $500 bill telling you what work they did. They quoted the job, you accepted. Perhaps I'm being insensitive, but this is how business works isn't it?
Along the lines of upcharging, did you compare the part cost for an OEM part at the cheapest online source versus the dealership price? As with any business, there are profit margins factored in based on supply and demand.
Bryce
/end rant, there goes my lunch break!