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Just Got Inspected - Repairs Needed - Am I Getting Ripped Off?

skulkingghost

skulkingghost

Golden Member
Once again I call on the collective knowledge of AT when I am in dire need....


Here is the situation:
I drive a 1999 Ford Escort ZX2 2.0l DOHC Manual. I drive about 300miles /week

Its a PA inspection if that matters, also I know next to nothing about cars. I ahve never been to this location before either.

I brought it in for inspection today thinking everything would be fine, except I knew my sway bar in the rear needed 2 new bolts to hold it on.

When they called to tell me about the car, the guy ended up quoting me a price of $869 for all the repairs AND 2 tires or $1149 for 4 tires.

The bare minimum I could scrape by inspection with is $569 + the $110 I already spent on inspection.

I told him I did not have that kind of money at the moment (full time student and work close to full time doing student teaching and things make money very tight. he instantly suggested I get their credit card 6 months no APR, and he could have me approved "in minutes." This gave me a really skeevy feeling. I ended up just paying the $110 for inspection and picking up my car while I figure out what to do, or see if their prices are reasonable.

Here is what he said was wrong and the costs.


Required for inspection:
2 Rear Tires - $223.14 installed
P185/65R15 Goodyear Assurance 86T - $79.95 each

4 tire total is 444.95

My old tires were only $36 each at walmart, they were only 30,000 mile tires, he said there were no cheaper tires.

Rear Sway Bar Links:
Stabilizer Bar Control Link - Remove and Repair Both Sides - $163.66

He said they had rusted, I guess this also includes the bolts for the sway bar I had told him I needed?

I had pepboys take a look at the sway bar thing a few weeks ago (Pepboy in New Jersey) and he said I did not need it for inspection if I did not mind a bit rougher ride, he also quoted me about $100 to put the 2 bolts in.

Valve Cover Gasket:
Valve Cover Gasket - Remove & Replace-O.H.C-DOHC - $180.99

He claimed that I was leaking oil "like crazy." I replied that I park in a garage and have never seen the slightest hint of an oil leak, I also got my oil changed a few weeks ago and it was nowhere near low (I checked the dipstick before I got it changed, and the service record does not show low oil) He claims I don't see an oil leak because it "drips onto the radiator and is evaporated" and said my car may start smoking sooner or later and its a fire hazard unless they fix it and that is why it is required.


So total cost for all required inspection things would be $677.79 (including the $110 I already paid)


Recommended Service:
Air Filter:
Replace Air Filter -$31.64

is this something I can do myself easily?

Clean and adjust rear drum brakes:
Ensure tighter and firmer brake pedal, and ensure tighter parking brake -$67.22

This just sounds like extra shit to me, I have no issue with my parking brake / brakes they seem responsive and I have narrowly avoided a few crazy accidents in the last few months just fine with my current brakes (crazy drivers on 95 heading towards Camden)

Four Wheel Alignment:
Road test, check suspension, tire pressure, ride height, alignment condition, etc - $100.20


Cliffs:
Read over the charges and tell me if I am getting ripped off? I know it may be hard seeing as none of you can physically see the car, would it help if I scanned the service bill pages with all their details and put them in a .pdf?



 
Tires are in the ballpark but beware of extra fluff charges tossed in for extended warranties and protection plans and stuff you didn't ask for.

Sway bar links cost about $15 and take about 15 mins to install. Unless there is clunking or creaking or body roll during hard cornering or uneven pavement, there is no need to replace these.

Valve cover gasket set costs about $30 and takes 5 mins to install (you'll need a 30mm+ socket which isn't common in most DIY toolboxes). He's full of shit about it leaking onto the radiator and evaporating. It would be a slow leak that seeps out down the side of the head, nothing that would spray that far, and you would see signs of the leak even before it did drip to anything else. A radiator isn't even hot enough to burn oil, and when oil does burn on things like exhaust manifolds it smells, smokes, and leaves residue. Oil running down the bare side of a hot engine block doesn't even get hot enough to "evaporate".

Air filter you can get for $8 and put it in yourself in about 30 seconds.

Most of the stuff after that is extra shit they are trying hard to make money. $100 to drive around the block and "look at shit" ? Check ride height? Suppose they will double check your mirrors and blinker fluid for $80 too.
 
Originally posted by: skulkingghost


Here is what he said was wrong and the costs.


Required for inspection:
2 Rear Tires - $223.14 installed
P185/65R15 Goodyear Assurance 86T - $79.95 each

4 tire total is 444.95
Click to expand...

If you need tires, you need tires. Are yours bald? This seems about right for 2 tires + install costs. Seems weird that you'd need rear tires - you have a FWD car. If anything, the front tires should be wearing faster than the rears.

My old tires were only $36 each at walmart, they were only 30,000 mile tires, he said there were no cheaper tires.
Click to expand...

Those super cheap tires are absolute trash. I had a set on my Mustang when I got it, and they wore out in ~10k miles.


Rear Sway Bar Links:
Stabilizer Bar Control Link - Remove and Repair Both Sides - $163.66

He said they had rusted, I guess this also includes the bolts for the sway bar I had told him I needed?

I had pepboys take a look at the sway bar thing a few weeks ago (Pepboy in New Jersey) and he said I did not need it for inspection if I did not mind a bit rougher ride, he also quoted me about $100 to put the 2 bolts in.
Click to expand...

Rear sway bar links are cheap parts and are usually an easy DIY. I'd skip this and do it myself. Probably less than $40 in parts, and a ~30 min - 1 hour job. The sway bar endlinks don't affect ride quality - they tie the sway bar to the chassis so that the car doesn't wallow around like an old Caddy thru turns.

Valve Cover Gasket:
Valve Cover Gasket - Remove & Replace-O.H.C-DOHC - $180.99

He claimed that I was leaking oil "like crazy." I replied that I park in a garage and have never seen the slightest hint of an oil leak, I also got my oil changed a few weeks ago and it was nowhere near low (I checked the dipstick before I got it changed, and the service record does not show low oil) He claims I don't see an oil leak because it "drips onto the radiator and is evaporated" and said my car may start smoking sooner or later and its a fire hazard unless they fix it and that is why it is required.
Click to expand...

Um, there's absolutely no way oil can drip onto the radiator. The rad is in front of the engine. 😕 It would, however, probably drip onto the hot exhaust manifold if it was leaking. You would have to have one hell of an oil leak to cause a fire though. I got a lot of oil all over my exhaust when I did the valve cover gaskets on my Subaru, and it smoked for a few minutes as it burned off, but that's it. If the VCG is actually necessary, I'd do that myself as well. Should be generally pretty easy since it is right on the top. It sounds like an "add-on" for them though, since you said you haven't noticed anything.


Recommended Service:
Air Filter:
Replace Air Filter -$31.64

is this something I can do myself easily?
Click to expand...

Yes. Don't pay them to do this. It is a 5 minute job, and probably a $5 - $10 filter.

Clean and adjust rear drum brakes:
Ensure tighter and firmer brake pedal, and ensure tighter parking brake -$67.22

This just sounds like extra shit to me, I have no issue with my parking brake / brakes they seem responsive and I have narrowly avoided a few crazy accidents in the last few months just fine with my current brakes (crazy drivers on 95 heading towards Camden)
Click to expand...

Probably not necessary. Most cars are heavily biased towards the front anyway, the rears are probably responsible for ~20% of braking force in most cases. I would probably skip.

Four Wheel Alignment:
Road test, check suspension, tire pressure, ride height, alignment condition, etc - $100.20
Click to expand...

Are your tires wearing strangely? Do you get vibration on the expressway? Recently done any suspension / front end work? If no to all of these, it's probably not necessary. Good to do every once in a while as PM, but this shouldn't be necessary to pass inspection unless there is a glaring issue (poor tire wear, etc). And $100 is kind of a rip for an alignment. If you shop around, you can probably find a place that will do it for ~$60.


This place sounds like a shady shop. I would bet that a lot of that stuff is not necessary, and they are just trying to pad their pockets by suggesting easy jobs with good profit margins. I'd find a different place.
 
$110 for an inspection!? :Q

Check TireRack or DiscountTireDirect for tires..or even WalMart. It shouldn't be more than 15 bucks per tire for mounting/balancing.

Sway bar end links shouldn't be difficult - on my MR2, you can reach everything just by pulling the wheel off. One nut up top, one on bottom.

Rear sway bar endlinks are $4.62/ea + s/h at [L=RockAuto]http://www.rockauto.com[/url]. What is bad, exactly? If you have no clunking in the rear suspension, they should be fine. Are you missing bolts?

Valve cover gasket is $31.79 at RockAuto.

Air filter should be 10-15 bucks at WalMart/Pep Boys/etc.

If your brakes are fine, I wouldn't worry about them.

Alignment shouldn't be more than $70, $80 tops.

Find a better shop. 🙂
 
I definitely plan on finding a better shop. I haven't really needed one except for inspection these lat 3 years of owning the car nothing has broken (knock on wood.) Part of the problem is the area I live in has million+ dollar houses and they assume everyone has money (except us poor college students trying to get through college debt free.)

I bought the car at 74,000 and it now has 131,000 miles on it and has run like a top, no problems so I don't mind putting some cash it to it, the prices just sounded exorbitant.

I am also going to check my tread depth tomorrow, printed a thing off the internet to test. I do believe the tires are balding though, I think I may do this work myself with a friends dad I think will help me (who just rebuilt his torino so he knows a good bit more about cars) and just put the money in to new tires.

The sway bar actually hangs down a bit, and it is missing the bolts according to a guy at pepboys, he quoted me $100 for parts and labor to fix it. I taped it up temporarily when i first noticed it and noticed no difference in ride quality.
 
Originally posted by: skulkingghost
I definitely plan on finding a better shop. I havent really needed one except for inspection these lat 3 years of owning the car nothing has broken (knock on wood.)

I bought the car at 74,000 and it now has 131,000 miles on it and has run like a top, no problems so I don't mind putting some cash it to it, the prices just sounded exorbitant.

I am also going to check my tread depth tomorrow, printed a thing off the internet to test. I do believe the tires are balding though, I think I may do this work myself with a friends dad I think will help me (who just rebuilt his torino so he knows a good bit more about cars) and just put the money in to new tires.

The sway bar actually hangs down a bit, and it is missing the bolts according to a guy at pepboys, he quoted me $100 for parts and labor to fix it. I taped it up temporarily when i first noticed it and noticed no difference in ride quality.
Click to expand...

It normally does hang down under everything else. It can't be up in the engine or in the middle of the steering rack 😉 But if it's loose enough that you can move it with your bare hands, esp if had to jack the car up to get to it, then something is definately broken. Tape isn't going to hold the sway bar; if it is, then it's not connected to anything.
 
Maybe Im not thinking sway bar its a U shaped bar that has 2 hinges and looks like the bolts originally went somewhere behind the axel of the rear wheel? Ill take a video tomorrow when its light and show what I mean.
 
Sears Auto does alignments for 75 bucks so you can save 15 bucks there. I bet you can find even cheaper else ware.

also tirerack has the 2 tires at 156.79 shipped.

and at most tire places you can get them mounted and balanced for 15 bucks per

you can save a bit of money here also
 
Maybe not ripping off but i wouldn't bother with the sway bar links. I have bad ones in one of my cars. It just doesn't run quite as well (ok not nearly as well) over bumps but I cannot be bothered to get it changed.

With the oil leak, ifyou're not eating oil in the engine or dripping it on the ground, I doubt it can be severe.It's possible it is a fire hazard. somebody else would have to see it to make that judgement, but i wouldn't take his word for it without a second opinion. If it's not a fire hazard, I wouldn't get it fixed, just keep an eye on the oil ever couple weeks until the car dies in the future.

not sure on the rear brakes. they have minimum guidelines but it's hard to say whether you meet htem or not. i would in any case try another place since inspection is fairly inexpensive.

i'm also not sure i'd personally get a 4 wheel alignment again simply becausei changed tires. in fact i'm 100% positive i would not.

i would get better than crap tires. i used to get them, too and they wear out just going to work and back a few times, so now i buy better ones, always from tirerack, though.
 
sway bar links, isn't a must a repair type of thing. with it broken, disconnected and so on it doesn't matter too much. It makes a noise and rattle. If you might turns it helps balance the car. It is not a must repair type of thing. The price is about right. $50 parts and 1 hour to replace.

The valve cover gasket as well, its not a major replacement, it most likely is seeping out. i had a cars that did that. The gasket is about $20-35 and another hour to replace. So about average price.

Tires, you can get tires installed ANYWHERE. Tirerack.com would be my first place to get a ballpark idea of what your tire will cost. a tire for 15inch rim is like $50 and most places install at $10-15 per tire. So i will most like 100% go elsewhere for those. Tirerack has a lot of reviews. I would look for some type of all-season tires.

Alginment. Its not a must have again. if your car goes straight or to some degree of straightness your good to go.

Air filter, do it yourself. Its should be 5-30minutes of your day. $10-20 for filter.


I dont know how crazy PA inspections are. most states that do this is mainly focused on lights,tires and maybe brakes. They brake service they quoted you is BS and a waste of money.
 
Can't say what PA inspections require, nor what you're going to have to fix to pass, but those tire prices are way out of line.

Just because he only carries (or offers) an expensive tire doesn't mean you have to get them there. Tirerack.com carries a half dozen tires for your car that are <$60, and that's including brands like General, Yokohama and Firestone. And while the $36 tires you got from Walmart might be trash that won't get you many miles, don't hesitate to put those on again if it's all you can afford. I seriously doubt that PA requires you to only put higher mileage tires on your car, right? 😉

 
Originally posted by: JLee
$110 for an inspection!? :Q

......

Find a better shop. 🙂
Click to expand...


That's what I thought. I used to live in PA just a few years ago and my inspection + emissions test was $50 tops. If you're in a county without an emissions test, your inspection should be $25-30.

That guy is trying to take you for a ride. I'm not even sure he was legally allowed to charge you $110 for the inspection. You might want to check state law for that. I'm pretty sure they fix the price of the inspection stickers.
 
Radiator doesn't get hot enough to evaporate oil and there's no way for oil from valve cover gasket to get to the radiator. I would run from that place, just based on that fact.

Also 2 shitty tires should be around 150 installed at discount tire.
 
Run. Preferably to a state that doesn't require regular inspections. This mechanic should be dropped like a bad transmission on the interstate....
 
East coast prices are insane! Not only is the guy trying to rip you off, he's trying to retire with you footing the bill. In Arizona, you could get a 1999 Ford Escort in your choice of color for $1149 with good tires and no repairs needed!
 
I think your actual tire size should be 185/60R15 but if you want the 65's you can get 2 Yokohama Avid Touring-S installed at Discount Tire for $163.56. If you got all 4 there is also a $40 rebate which would come out to about $290 total.
Your valve cover gasket costs $27 and air filter is $14 at AutoZone and you can replace them both yourself.
 
Tires and alignment look right. Everything else looks to be BS.

I just had my rear drums adjusted, cleaned and ebrake adjusted on 2005 civic and it costs $25 for reference.

Air filter and sways you can do yourself for cheap.

This shop looks shady especially the comments on the valve cover gasket.
 
Originally posted by: skulkingghost
Once again I call on the collective knowledge of AT when I am in dire need....


Here is the situation:
I drive a 1999 Ford Escort ZX2 2.0l DOHC Manual. I drive about 300miles /week

Its a PA inspection if that matters, also I know next to nothing about cars. I ahve never been to this location before either.

I brought it in for inspection today thinking everything would be fine, except I knew my sway bar in the rear needed 2 new bolts to hold it on.

When they called to tell me about the car, the guy ended up quoting me a price of $869 for all the repairs AND 2 tires or $1149 for 4 tires.

The bare minimum I could scrape by inspection with is $569 + the $110 I already spent on inspection.

I told him I did not have that kind of money at the moment (full time student and work close to full time doing student teaching and things make money very tight. he instantly suggested I get their credit card 6 months no APR, and he could have me approved "in minutes." This gave me a really skeevy feeling. I ended up just paying the $110 for inspection and picking up my car while I figure out what to do, or see if their prices are reasonable.

Here is what he said was wrong and the costs.


Required for inspection:
2 Rear Tires - $223.14 installed
P185/65R15 Goodyear Assurance 86T - $79.95 each

4 tire total is 444.95

My old tires were only $36 each at walmart, they were only 30,000 mile tires, he said there were no cheaper tires.

Rear Sway Bar Links:
Stabilizer Bar Control Link - Remove and Repair Both Sides - $163.66

He said they had rusted, I guess this also includes the bolts for the sway bar I had told him I needed?

I had pepboys take a look at the sway bar thing a few weeks ago (Pepboy in New Jersey) and he said I did not need it for inspection if I did not mind a bit rougher ride, he also quoted me about $100 to put the 2 bolts in.

Valve Cover Gasket:
Valve Cover Gasket - Remove & Replace-O.H.C-DOHC - $180.99

He claimed that I was leaking oil "like crazy." I replied that I park in a garage and have never seen the slightest hint of an oil leak, I also got my oil changed a few weeks ago and it was nowhere near low (I checked the dipstick before I got it changed, and the service record does not show low oil) He claims I don't see an oil leak because it "drips onto the radiator and is evaporated" and said my car may start smoking sooner or later and its a fire hazard unless they fix it and that is why it is required.


So total cost for all required inspection things would be $677.79 (including the $110 I already paid)


Recommended Service:
Air Filter:
Replace Air Filter -$31.64

is this something I can do myself easily?

Clean and adjust rear drum brakes:
Ensure tighter and firmer brake pedal, and ensure tighter parking brake -$67.22

This just sounds like extra shit to me, I have no issue with my parking brake / brakes they seem responsive and I have narrowly avoided a few crazy accidents in the last few months just fine with my current brakes (crazy drivers on 95 heading towards Camden)

Four Wheel Alignment:
Road test, check suspension, tire pressure, ride height, alignment condition, etc - $100.20


Cliffs:
Read over the charges and tell me if I am getting ripped off? I know it may be hard seeing as none of you can physically see the car, would it help if I scanned the service bill pages with all their details and put them in a .pdf?
Click to expand...








yes i would say your getting riped off

basically you could do all those repairs yourself
its very very easy and save your sefl like 800 dollars

if you need tires go to town fair tires or tire warehouse
you would typically spend up to $100 for a good set
thats about 400 and that includes allignment balancing and them puting it on
the rearsway bar linkage is easy you will need to jack up the car
and just replace the link that connects the strut to the rear sway bar
i believe they sell them in pairs moog is a good brand they are like $25 dollars at a napa or autozone
next air filter thats the biggest scam in the book
just unclip your air box take the filter out and shake it until all the loose dust comes out
only replace if its really worn down or has tears or holes in it
take a flash light and see if any light shines through it
if it doesn't shine through you probably need a new filter which cost like $20 bucks



lean and adjust rear drum brakes:
Ensure tighter and firmer brake pedal, and ensure tighter parking brake -$67.22

again this is something you can do your self
basically take your wheel off and just twist the drum brakes off there is debris in there just empty it out and it will be good to go unless its serverly worn and you would need new drum brakes which you can put on yourself for like $65 bucks a pair


Valve Cover Gasket:
Valve Cover Gasket - Remove & Replace-O.H.C-DOHC - $180.99


you can do this yourself not too hard



 
Originally posted by: iFX
Thank god my state doesn't have any of this nonsense. These yearly inspections are such a racket.
Click to expand...

maybe not yearly, but inspections are a damn good idea and should be mandatory. too many people just let their cars rot until they can't be driven, let their breaks wear down to the metal, etc. It's a public safety thing, IMO.
 
Originally posted by: FeuerFrei
State inspection here in Texas costs $14-$15.
$110 is ungodly.
Click to expand...

NH is getting pretty bad too - places up north are $30-35..but where I live now they are 45 bucks. Greedy bastards.
 
In CA, we do "smog tests" instead of inspections, but many (probably most) required tests have to be done at "test only" stations, where the owners cannot by law perform any repairs on your vehicle. The result is less faked failed tests and bogus "repairs" that "need" to be done. Most shops offer free re-tests if you fail the first time, so they actually have a vested interest in making sure you PASS the test, not fail it.
 
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