I'm used to paying extra at the dealer, but this has gotten ridiculous. Went in for the 90,000 service and specifically requested new timing belt because it's needed. They call back and start in on how the front oil seals are leaking and the water pump is leaking, which they weren't. That's just part of a standard timing belt service. Anyway, I say okay, and along with the timing belt they put in new spark plugs, drain and fill transmission (didn't drop the pan), new air filter, drain and fill coolant, and a few other pissy things like wiper blades, and of course my "free" oil change, and slap me with a $1200 bill. Does that seem just a LITTLE high?
One should never get XX,000 mile service performed on your car. Instead, list out all of the items that need attention at that mileage interval and get separate price quotes for all them. Check you dealer web site for service specials, and try not to limit yourself to just one dealer for the service.
For $1,200, I would have purchased the factory repair manual, taken a basic continuing education auto shop class, invested in a metric ratchet wrench set, and done the work myself.
BTW, to clarify, here are my recommendations for Toyota automotive service:
Use OEM parts whenever possible, ALWAYS use OEM for ignition and brake parts.
When advice from an independent service facility, your uncle Joe, (who was Hudson-Nash master mechanic along with my dad), the dealership, and Toyota differs, follow Toyota's advice. They made the car, they probably know more about it than everyone else combined.
If you are looking for expertise on your vehicle, go to the dealer.
If you want the cheapest possible service, do it yourself. If you do not know how to do it yourself, learn. Luckily, maintaining a car is not rocket science because I would not be able to do it myself. Next best thing is to bribe an dealer technician or ex-factory rep to teach you how to do the work.
If you cannot do the maintenance yourself or you are too lazy, and you do not want to do pay dealer prices, then take it to a competent ASE certified technician and don't squawk if they mess up your car.
If you want to work on a car, you will be able to diagnose and repair 99% of what happens to the car if you remember these 3 basic principles and the variations of those principles
1) E = I * R will cover just about any electrical problem in the car;
2) An engine needs air, fuel, and a source of ignition, all at the appropriate time, to run.
3) Righty tighty, lefty loosey.
snipped-for-privacy@courts.state.tx.us wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@j72g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:
Just had 90,000 service on our '99 Avalon (same engine) & had similiar expense but not as much & was very happy with the dealer. Our bill came to little over $800. I shopped around to several dealers in the area till found one offering something off on the timing belt service. In addition I requested them to clean the throttle body & to replace the water pump as long as doing belt & to check the car over for any other items they felt should be repaired. I change my own oil\tranny fluid & had just done a brake job. I received a call back from them that they completed the jobs requested & everything else checked out as A- OK including the test drive they did on it. Did suggest rotors at some point in the future but did acknowledge that pads were in good shape, even tho I hadn't mentioned doing the brakes recently. Didn't try to sell me any additional services\etc. Said vehicle was in excelent condition. Possibly shopping around before the sevice helped me find a truly competent\ honest service department. In any event I was very satisfied with the dealer in this instance. Also am happy in knowing that I got OEM parts used, which will NOT get if not using the dealer. Sorry about long-winded response but felt that had to point out that dealers are not ALWAYS the ripp-off artists that people like to make them out to be. dc
Recently got my girlfriend into working on cars (shes a theatre technical genius, as in stage theatre) and within an hour she had replaced an intermediate-supported driveshaft in her car with me there just to check - it really is amazing what anyone can do on a car if they use basic common sense and a manual!
Couldn't agree more. I'm slowly teaching myself to work on the cars and it's great fun. Still making some dumb mistakes (my latest: foot-pounds are not the same as inch-pounds of torque) and didn't feel ready to tackle the timing belt.
You're not alone! I haven't done a timing belt yet, esp on the Twin-Cam engines, and I know a really good mechanic that builds racing motors and won't do DOHCs!!
If you have a SOHC engine, it's a bit easier. I'm about to find out on the Mazda I just bought...
In about the past 4 or 5 months I have had the 60k service done on my 02 'Lander. I had first part done at Former Toy mech shop - Belts, front pads, drain/fill trans (4 quarts) drain/fill diffs/transfer case. (also checked all the bolts etc) I think it was about $350. I ran it about 5k miles - took it to dealer and had new rear blade, radiator/drain/fill (the red stuff!!), cabin filter and drain/filled trans again. I think it was under $125. This is what I felt I needed at the time - I usually do all the filters myself in both Toy's but don't do oil as I opted for dealer lifetime on both. (I am 68, 2 strokes so don't like crawling under, as well as right hand a bit unsteady)
Yeah, a little. I'd have to look at the service ticket to be sure.
The one place they will pad the bill shamelessly - if you LET them by not knowing and asking ahead of time, and objecting when needed - is on changing front oil seals and the water pump at the same time as the timing belt. When asked, they quote the "Book Labor" price for each service as an entire job, as if it was being done on it's own.
In other words, you just paid them to remove the radiator, take off all the belts, move the alternator, etc. and dig their way down to the front of the motor twice, sometimes three times if they think they can get away with it - once as part of the price for the timing belt, a second time as part of the price for changing the water pump, and a third for those seals... Oh, and you paid for two or three sets of gaskets, draining and filling the radiator twice, etc. Big Rip-Off.
Obviously, they only had to R&R it once, and the water pump is sitting right there in front of them when changing the timing belt. It's worth an extra $50 on the bill as an add-on to the timing belt job (plus the cost of a rebuilt pump) rather than $200 to $400 they want for a complete stand-alone repair.
A fellow at work had his timing belt replaced when it broke while he was on vacation, miles from home. Later the cam seized. The belt had been tensioned to tight. That's only one of the many things that can happen when people are learning. I had a the harmonic balance bolt come loose out on a Mazda pickup I owned. It had had the head gasket replaced before I bought it. As the bolt backed out the key also backed out until the bottom sprocket turned on the shaft. This was an overhead cam but chain drive. Bent the valves and left me sitting 30 miles from home. I guess what I'm saying is there is a lot more to being a good mechanic then most people realize, even the basics. The most recent experience I had was replacing a stripped front motor mount bolt, or rather the threads on the body mount part of the motor mount, a critical part of the car and one that must be properly secured for safety's sake.
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