auto tune up

I went to a auto-repair shop here in Destin, FL. I have a 1998 Toyota Senna minivan - V6. I had a tune-up done that consisted of new spark plugs ($108 parts), wires ($98 parts) + labor ($249). Also, PCV ($40 part), fuel filter ($12 part) + labor ($91) The total before tax was $644.76. I was flabergasted at the cost. How does this compare with other replair shops? Thanks, Al

Reply to
Al
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I have to jump in here just to piss everybody off. Pardon the interjection.

That price is insane. $108 for 6 spark plugs is EIGHTEEN DOLLARS EACH!

6 wires for $98 is insane. That is $16.33 EACH WIRE!

BFD if you know what I mean. The labor looks like $41.50 per plug/wire exchange.

Outrageous. It isn't even a $10 part at a parts shop. It is just a f*ing 1-way valve.

That part is reasonable. My G-d is about time one thing cleared the sniff test.

Now THAT IS INSANE. Why? Because (almost) anybody can change a fuel filter. Maybe takes a newbie like myself 1 hour. Yes it is a tad messy, if you know what I mean. A little spilled gas here and there if you're not careful, otherwise, I would allow 1 hour to do it at a leisurly pace. For myself.

When you go to a *shop,* you're paying for the instruments, building, utilities, employees wages, and last but not least, sending Mr Goodwrench's kid to college.

Some things REQUIRE a shop. Nothing you mentioned above does, IMO!

Lg

Reply to
Lawrence_Glickman

Um, wow. You got very seriously overcharged for the spark plugs ($18 apiece?!), the spark plug wires, the plugs-and-wires labor, the PCV valve, and the PCV/fuel filter labor. About the only thing that it can marginally be argued you *didn't* get hosed on was the fuel filter itself.

Not sure what auto repair shop you went to, but it was a very bad one. Don't go there again.

Reply to
Daniel J. Stern

you a victim of "the good life"!?the movin on upscale pay me to be rich cant do it yo self womanizin zootsuit holywood livin it's all good lookout you been robbed legally trust me i'm on yo side we're all goin ta heaven grab your wallet and hang on this is the fastlane dont look back if ya cant keep up yo dead meat dont ask questions grab the brass ring or die off cant see the writin on the wall or cant make a choice or take a back seat and slide down to insignificance or worse follower of the insane upscale climbin get withit or get out we love america crowd!?!?!?or do you mean...........did you get OVERCHARGED!?!?it's all relative......right?!?

Reply to
oldkid

Unanimous... They rolled you and poled you. But, you probably have NO COMEBACK. You didn't ask, you just turned your car over to them.

Reply to
<HLS

If the OE plug was an Iridium plug, very much in line. Some of the NGKs are $29.00 each. (ho-lee sheeeit!)

Premium Belden wires list for around $85.00, so not totally out of line. OEM Toyota wires are probably a bit higher.

Depends on the labor time, which I don't have at hand right now. Some mini vans are a bitch for access. If the intake manifold lays over the spark plugs and wires, the labor isn't surprising.

After market PCV valves can be disaster, best check on a price from Toyota.

Hmmm... I wonder where the fuel filter is located on a Sienna? look that up also.

He approved the bill before work was started right? Right or wrong in this case, finding out what maintenance costs on a vehicle are -after- the purchase is doing things backwards, and certainly will not help the market correct itself.

Reply to
aarcuda69062

Reply to
Shep

"Daniel J. Stern" writes in article dated Wed, 2 Nov 2005

00:21:29 -0500:

More to the point, don't authorize repairs until you get an estimate. (a reasonable one).

-- spud_demon -at- thundermaker.net The above may not (yet) represent the opinions of my employer.

Reply to
Spud Demon

That is something that needs to be researched ( on my part ), not having the price list in front of me. I have to call the dealership every time I need parts, or drive over there, to find out what the "Price de Jour" is for this and that.

It just _sounds_ high, doesn't it?

My intake manifold lays over 3 of my plugs and wires. Taking off the manifold and some associated connectors/hoses doesn't seem like brain surgery. Looks like 4 bolts hold the manifold on, and there are a few hoses that might need to be disconnected before I can elevate the assembly up and out of the way to allow me free access to the plugs.

It is also possible to CLEAN a PCV valve in a few minutes by spraying some carb cleaner or throttle plate cleaner through it, and re-installing the original. There is 1 moving part inside ( a metal weight ). Not much chance of damaging the dang thing unless you hit it with a hammer.

Mine is forward of the rr wheel. A small PITA getting to it since the clearance back there is very close to the ground. And next time I do that, I'm going to put a tray underneath to catch the gas that spills out of the fuel lines and especially the filter. I didn't realize that a fuel filter could hold that much fuel. Lots.

I dunno. Did he ask for an *estimate* first? give them a max he was willing to pay for any unexpected discoveries? Only his hairdresser knows for sure.

TRUE, how very true.

Nevertheless, the *general consensus* from the reporting n/g posters seem to favor this guy having been =hosed= in more ways than one.

Lg

Reply to
Lawrence_Glickman

This dates back to the first advent of "electronic" distributors. Used to be, part of tuneup was checking, cleaning and adjusting points or replacement if needed. When breakerless distributors first came out, shops claimed they were more complex, hence needed more work to tune (not true). Breakerless ignitions did not get out of time (unless other work was done) so checking timing became a thing you did just 'cause you should. But impact was we paid more for less work (unless we did it ourselves).

Disk brakes were similar. Actually less work to check and replace pads (and disks) than on most older drum brakes. But 'cause you may have paid extra for option of disk brakes, shops charged a premium to service them.

Good thing now is that modern engines need tuneups far less often :-)

Reply to
Don Stauffer

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Reply to
William R. Watt

I'm 99% certain that that vehicle uses Iridium spark plugs as most late model Toyotas do.

To the unfamiliar, yes. The unfamiliar are quick to call crook, even though they know not of what they're talking about.

But you aren't driving a Toyota Sienna. FWIW, the labor time to change the spark plugs in a V-6 Sienna is 2.4 hours

No professional is going to do that. Bear in mind, this is an 8 year old van.

As a rule, Toyota doesn't usually put their fuel filters in easily accessible places. My guess (never done a Sienna) is it's down low on the firewall in the engine compartment and not very accessible.

The "reporting n/g posters" don't know their ass from a hole in the ground _AND_ obviously can't think past their noses. Here's why: This vehicle is probably at or near 100K miles, and is getting it's _first_ service on the ignition system. $644 may sound high, but not when one considers the actual cost per mile. Let's compare it to another mini van, a 1995 Chevrolet Astro. Parts: Spark plugs $3.29(a dollar over cost) times 6= $19.74 Wire set $61.09 Fuel filter $24.43 Distributor cap $20.07 Ignition rotor $8.35 PCV valve $6.00? Parts total $140.00 Labor: Replace spark plugs 1.3 hours X$70.00= $91.00 Replace ignition wires 1.1 hours X$70.00=$77.00 Labor total $168.00 Total parts and labor (so far) $308.00

$308.00 spent every 30K miles X3 equals a lot less than he was charged.

Out of line?

Not at all. (given some facts)

Reply to
aarcuda69062

Or, maybe by this point in automotive evolution, air pumps, air conditioning, added emissions controls and other obstructions became more commonplace and things really -were- harder to do.

Right. Timing chains never stretched making timing check/adjustment necessary.

Many of the first disc brake systems had 4 piston calipers that needed rebuilding at time of service, things progressed to single piston calipers and if they were manufactured by Kelsey-Hayes, you didn't dare NOT rebuild them.

Something that everyone seems to be ignoring in this particular instance.

Reply to
aarcuda69062

What the hell was the mayor going to do?

Reply to
aarcuda69062

I agree 100% Some people are quick to open their mouth without knowing what the heck they are talking about.

Reply to
jfrancis311

Make that 'more.'

Reply to
aarcuda69062

What did you ask them to do? Right away the cost of the sparks plugs seem quite steep. My guess is they charged that much for plugs, all the other parts were similarly overpriced. What is their labor rate?

--------------- Alex

Reply to
Alex Rodriguez

I never understood this. I can change a disc brake in less than half the time of a drum brake, yet the price is ths same, or higher, as getting drum brakes serviced. I just change the brakes myself and save myself the expense and hassle of taking the car to the shop.

-------------- Alex

Reply to
Alex Rodriguez

My guess is he thought the shop was overcharging him because he was not a local person. So by complaining to the mayor he was hoping the mayor would try to get all the shops to stop this practice. That might bring in more tourist dollars.

----------- Alex

Reply to
Alex Rodriguez

Did you perform many brake jobs in the late 60 or early 70s?

Pretty much depends on the vehicle, no?

Typical FWD disc brake job; Remove tire/wheel Remove 1 or 2 caliper bolts Rotor slides off

Typical RWD disc brake job; Remove tire/wheel Remove 1 or 2 caliper bolts Remove bearing dust cap Remove cotter pin Remove axle nut Remove rotor Remove inner bearing Pack inner and outer bearing

Typical drum brake job; Remove tire/wheel Remove brake drum Remove return springs Remove hold downs

Something tells me what you're describing is a simple pad swap...

Reply to
aarcuda69062

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