The gas valve costs about £130 inc VAT and I would guess the work of fitting and testing might take an hour - it might take the engineer another hour to buy the new valve so he's charging you about £75 an hour for his time and expertise. Perhaps a little on the high side.
You might always call another engineer for a quote to change the gas valve and make a decision - £75 an hour puts the engineer on an annual income of close to £130,000 per year but he doesn't work all the hours available and has overheads like annual registration, testing and training.
Before agreeing to his £280 ask him who carries the cost if his diagnosis is incorrect - aslo be wary of any claim by the engineer that, "more than one thing was broken so I had to change three expensive parts before it would work."
Ideal/Caradon: Gas Valve used on the following Boilers:
Turbo 2 9, Turbo 2 12, Turbo 2 18, Turbo 2 24, Turbo 2 15. Ref:004853 Price: £113.27 (Ex VAT)
You might offer him the work at your price and see how he responds - offer him £200 for starters and be prepared to go up to £250 perhaps - there are other engineers in Yellow Pages.
Good luck...
Peccavi, October 2009
