Doing it yourself will always save money, but do not buy the cheapest parts you can find. Buy quality parts and do the job correctly for the best bang for your money.
As far as shop labor costs if there are repairs you can not do, find a shop you can trust, become a regular customer and you will be treated fairly in most cases. Remember shops will charge a mark up on the parts and have over head; rent, utilities, insurance and labor costs which include FICA, unemployment insurance, medical insurance, workers compensation insurance and taxes to every government agency that knows they exist. Plus the techs and the shop owner have huge investments in tools and equipment to be able to repair your vehicle.
Putting the cost in perspective, a brake job for $485 will take about 2-3 hours of shop time plus all the parts needed and come with some form of a warranty. The repair may only need to be done once or twice during ownership of that car.
The cost would include the service writer taking the vehicle in, inspection, ordering of parts, repair and road test.
When we see our primary care physician for 15 minutes to listen to our heart and lungs only to have them tell us to eat better and exercise more then have to pay $90 - $125, it seems car repair is a bargain compared to health care
