My 2018 XC90 felt like it was misfiring. Took into Volvo, they replaced all four spark plugs? This is my first Volvo…I usually drive GMC’s. I was charged $626 in total.
labor: $495
parts: $84
Shop supplies: $11.88(?)

what the heck does shop supplies fee mean?? Is this a thing with Volvo…a rental fee for taking up space??😜

 

Shop supply fee - that's usually a percentage of the labor charged in a retail shop. It covers many items used in small quantities in the shop - (silicone spray, carb and brake cleaner, rags, lubricants, clean up stuff, waste oil removal, brake pad goo, zip ties, and many other items.)

For a shop owner - I would spend many hundreds of dollars a month for basic supplies - and I was advised years ago that I should charge for them. The easiest way was a shop supply fee that I could program into the shop management software as a percentage of the labor charged. Sorry.

So - a shop supply fee is used in many professional shops - shops that need a certain amount of income to be able to pay their employees things like - a reasonable wage, health benefits, paid time off, and a retirement plan. Stuff most employees would expect from their employers.

You might find a shop that does not charge that fee - but they will make up for that cost in other ways - or go out of business.