So I picked up an r129 SL500 from a family friend, and it's been in storage for a few years so I got some quotes on flushing/changing every fluid on the car, lube, hydraulic fluid service, etc.
Both Alpine and Continental come pretty highly recommended, but continental is coming in at ~50% more for the exact same service. Some items are similar costs (e.g., oil change); some are not in the same ballpark (e.g., tranny flush and rear diff fluid replace are both double the cost at continental).
I asked continental why, as I'm perfectly happy to pay more for better service, as long as I know what actually justifies the cost differential. He didn't give me a good answer; my understanding is they're quoting the same work. I also requested a proper quote with labour/parts broken out (which Alpine gave me from the start, just like most normal shops do), but he just gave me a generic writeup, no explicit dollar amounts for parts, and no costs for labour broken out at all.
Does anyone have any insider info as to what would explain the difference? This isn't a major deal either way, but it's kinda bugging me that I can't figure it out. Also interested if anyone has any experiences or recommendations that would influence where I go.