Q: the shop costed me 378 dollars to replace camshaft sensor for 2004 chrysler 300M. am i being ripped off?

The camshaft position sensor itself, for your application, costs at most $30 if you buy it using the usual 30% off coupon(s) at the national auto parts chains. Even if you pay full fare, that is buy the genuine OEM camshaft position sensor at a Chrysler dealership, the sensor only costs $44. In this case, I do recommend the aftermarket part, at the lower cost, because these are not particularly complex sensors and so the technical risk is low (aftermarket parts are occasionally a problem so this issue of OEM versus aftermarket always has to be considered). It takes one hour, at most, to replace the sensor. I think YourMechanic charges somewhere in the range of $60 to $90 per hour for a certified Mechanic depending on your locale. Consequently, your supposition, that prompted you to write, is correct, that is the cost you incurred is economically irrational and thus indefensible. There is no basis in ECONOMIC reality to charge somebody $378 to replace a mundane, inexpensive, mass produced item (if the sensor itself costs $10 to produce, I’d be shocked; we could look into that as well) that requires at most an hour of labor. Part of the interest in YourMechanic as a clearinghouse, or matchmaker, for certified mechanics and the PUBLIC is to fix this economic PROBLEM. You should have been able to get this repair done for "roughly" the cost of one hour of labor plus the $30 part. If in the future, another problem arises just pick up the phone, call us, and we will get it fixed for you. Any further questions or concerns, by all means let us know as well.