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YACT: Mechanic too expensive?

G

giantpinkbunnyhead

Diamond Member
Hey guys,

My friend down in Reno took her car to a mechanic becuase of some issues, and the diagnosis is that he wants to replace the spark plugs, spark plug wires, and the valve cover gasket. Fair enough. But his estimate includes $200 in labor above and beyond the $100 diagnosis that's already been paid. Also he wants to charge $200-$300 for the valve cover gasket, spark plugs and wires.

The car is a 1998 Eclipse, DOHC, 4cyl I would think. It's been YEARS since I've had to take any car to a mechanic so I'm way out of touch with current rates, but this seems fishy. Any thoughts?

 
Hm... I believe those engines are royal pains to work on, but my first thought is that it does seem expensive. That parts price seems way high. I wouldn't guess those at more than $120.
 
That's crap. Most tune ups (usually plugs only) for a 4-cyl will run you around $59-$79 and a set of wires shouldn't jack that price up very much. There's not a ton of additional labor in doing the wires too. And I can't imagine it costing very much to replace the valve cover gasket. That usually requires removing a few screws. It's one of those things that sounds more complicated than it actually is.

I'd get some more opinions at other places because I could get my plugs, wires and gasket cover done here (NC) for under $300 out the door. You're getting raped if he's charge $200-$300 just for the parts and then another $200 on top of that for labor. I can ALMOST justify the $200 for labor (still too high) but not what he's charging for parts.
 
Originally posted by: nakedfrog
Hm... I believe those engines are royal pains to work on, but my first thought is that it does seem expensive. That parts price seems way high. I wouldn't guess those at more than $120.
Click to expand...



No that engine, if i got my years straight, is the same as a neon. It is VERY easy to replace the plugs, wires, and VC gasket.

Sorry but that is WAY to high. As a autotech that had his own shop, I wish I was evil and could have gotton away with charging people like that. But Boo boo, my grandmother, would kill me. Damm ethics. 🙁 😉


EDIT:
Yep I just looked it up and that is a VERY easy engine to do that work on. Tell your friend to RUN!!!
 
Hmm, spark plugs, $1.50x4=$6, spark plug wires $40 for a set. Valve cover gasket puh-lease. $30 MAX I can get a complete Fel-Pro gasket set for a Chevy small block for $60.
Parts, I wouldn't pay more than $120. Find out why she needs a valve cover gasket. When I was a wee lad I took several cars in to get looked at and the common response was what your friend is getting, you need new plugs, wires, a valve cover gasket.

At least he's not saying she needs a PCV valve, fuel filter, and a bucnh of other little money making things.
 
too much. plugs and wires arent expensive, and i wouldnt guess a VC would be anywhere near 200+ dollars. just my .02
 
That's what I thought... I mean that sounds so expensive that it'd be cheaper for her to buy me a plane ticket so I could fly down there and do the work myself. Plus these are general maintenance items... I might suggest to her that she buy the parts from an auto parts store and do the work herself. She's not one of those "eeew, dirty!" types.
 
Mechanics, I love them.

The best is when they said I needed new tires when 2 weeks earlier they put new tires on my car.

I think some of them arent much better than common criminals.
 
So, in short, your friend should tell the mechanic to shove it and take it somewhere else and ask for a tune-up, wires, and gasket. Just write off the $100, because that mechanic doesn't deserve any more of her money.
 
Originally posted by: JeffreyLebowski
Hmm, spark plugs, $1.50x4=$6, spark plug wires $40 for a set. Valve cover gasket puh-lease. $30 MAX I can get a complete Fel-Pro gasket set for a Chevy small block for $60.
Parts, I wouldn't pay more than $120. Find out why she needs a valve cover gasket. When I was a wee lad I took several cars in to get looked at and the common response was what your friend is getting, you need new plugs, wires, a valve cover gasket.

At least he's not saying she needs a PCV valve, fuel filter, and a bucnh of other little money making things.
Click to expand...



What it sounds like is that the engine light was on and it said mis-fire on Cyl XX. When that comes up you replace the plugs and wires most of them time. Being a DOHC motor that means if the VC gasket is bad oil is leaking down teh hole where the plugs go and can be causing the mis-fire as well. So you replace it.

But again, that is way to much money for that job.
 
Originally posted by: JeffreyLebowski
Hmm, spark plugs, $1.50x4=$6, spark plug wires $40 for a set. Valve cover gasket puh-lease. $30 MAX I can get a complete Fel-Pro gasket set for a Chevy small block for $60.
Parts, I wouldn't pay more than $120. Find out why she needs a valve cover gasket. When I was a wee lad I took several cars in to get looked at and the common response was what your friend is getting, you need new plugs, wires, a valve cover gasket.

At least he's not saying she needs a PCV valve, fuel filter, and a bucnh of other little money making things.
Click to expand...

Oh but he did... she said "no" to the air filter, fuel filter, timing belt, water pump and coilpack! Good grief.

But before all this got out of hand, I did speak with this mechanic and he said that oil was leaking into the spark plug wells due to the valve cover gasket being bad. The oil, he then said, was causing the plugs to not work right. Arcing or something like that. It seems possible that oil could leak in the manner he describes, and I obviously can't see for myself.
 
Originally posted by: giantpinkbunnyhead
Originally posted by: JeffreyLebowski
Hmm, spark plugs, $1.50x4=$6, spark plug wires $40 for a set. Valve cover gasket puh-lease. $30 MAX I can get a complete Fel-Pro gasket set for a Chevy small block for $60.
Parts, I wouldn't pay more than $120. Find out why she needs a valve cover gasket. When I was a wee lad I took several cars in to get looked at and the common response was what your friend is getting, you need new plugs, wires, a valve cover gasket.

At least he's not saying she needs a PCV valve, fuel filter, and a bucnh of other little money making things.
Click to expand...

Oh but he did... she said "no" to the air filter, fuel filter, timing belt, water pump and coilpack! Good grief.

But before all this got out of hand, I did speak with this mechanic and he said that oil was leaking into the spark plug wells due to the valve cover gasket being bad. The oil, he then said, was causing the plugs to not work right. Arcing or something like that. It seems possible that oil could leak in the manner he describes, and I obviously can't see for myself.
Click to expand...


Yes, there are 4 rubber gaskets that seal off the spark plugs. You have to take the valve cover off to see them. These can breakdown and cause oil to leak into the spark plug holes.

The mechanic is definitely ripping her off. About a $100 for parts and a little over an hour for labor if he wants to take his sweet time.
 
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