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Software as tool

likeleicalikeleica Member Posts: 1
edited August 2017 in General
I was recently charged for software download for a repair (actually a coding of a key fob). Is this an industry standard? I would think software be considered a reusable tool and not billable.
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  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    If you have the invoice, isn't this shown as a labor charge?
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 11,087
    Anything is billable. How much did you pay?
  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,848
    likeleica said:

    I was recently charged for software download for a repair (actually a coding of a key fob). Is this an industry standard? I would think software be considered a reusable tool and not billable.

    Yes it is a normal practice. The fee varies with different manufacturers for regular software and then there can be extra charges for security features. For example a short term subscription (48 to 72 hours) is $55.00 for GM and $32.95 for Ford. You can follow this link to see how much it costs for longer subscriptions as well as for various manufacturers. https://www.nastf.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3291
  • 0patience0patience Member Posts: 1,712
    I agree @thecardoc3
    The vendor/dealer is charged for a lot the software and unless it is a recall/emissions update, it is likely you will be charged for it.
    Key fob reprogramming is definitely a software charge.
    They are also charging environmental fees now, for disposing of the waste generated by the repair.
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