Yeah, it’s worth knowing the details - some shops will charge book time if it’s in their favor but charge clock time if the repair is a pain - and with older cars that have dents and rust and such it can often be a pain.

The closer the person who does the work is to being the person who writes the bill the closer you get to clock time in my experience.

I am lost, what is 'book times'?

The auto manufacturers put out repair guides that list how many hours of a mechanics time a repair should take.

https://www.liveabout.com/the-truth-about-flat-rate-car-repa...

Many mechanics aren’t really directly employees of the shop, and often get paid based on work they get (some even have to “rent” the stall). It can be an interesting industry.