I like to point out the costs, in terms of parts and time. The consumer can then determine how much profit/padding they can tolerate.

There surely is overhead both on a specific job, and on running the business- to think you only pay for the time on the rack is misguided. But likewise, when someone needs a battery registered and the salespuke says "yeah, we need to program the whole car, so that is 1.5 hours at $140 per" it is good to know what the real level of effort is.

Take front brakes. I can do the front axle, pads and rotors in 45-60 minutes. (Im a civilian with a TV in the garage... ) Shops will routinely say '2 hours'. I dont advise someone to complain or push back. I *will* tell them how long it really takes and that adding an hour labor and 20-40% on parts is how they make their profits. Learn to wrench or contribute to the economy.