How much for a tune up & belt?

[greenfreak]

So I go to pick up Rusty from work today and I had shut my car off while I waited. When I went to start it up again, it just click-click-click-clicked. So I got one of his coworkers to jump it and it started. I went to a garage around the block from me and got the battery replaced, it's fine for now. I always thought I would have had more of a sign that the battery was goin bad, it's happened to me before. I've even had a bad altenator before, but never had anything like this, with no warning. I hope it really was the battery but I'm not so sure.

Anyway, while I was there, the guy mentions that I need a serpentine belt (I looked at it, it's worn and cracked in places) and a tune up. He quoted me a price $70. for the belt and $230. for a the tune up (with labor) for the filters, pcv valve, plugs and wires. Two months ago I had the air filter, fuel filter and r/r filter (?) replaced but I didn't know that till I got home and checked my old maintenance records.

What do you think, $70. to install a new serpentine belt and $230. for a tune up? It will be less when I tell him to forget about the filters but I just wanna know if these prices are kosher. He hesitated a few seconds before he quoted me, I could see the wheels turning. I made an appointment for Tuesday, I can easily call him up and make a deal on the price or cancel it.

Any ideas? Btw, the car's a 2.0L 4cyl 96 Chevy Cavalier.

Hey Kruz, if you read this, I tried to go to the DigitalDilemmas forums but I got an error...

 

[Mirlyn]

I'd think that'd be pretty high. I don't know much about the serpentine belts, so I could be wrong. I'd call my mechanic and ask what he'd price that at, but I think he's closed till Tuesday.

 

[Inkara1]

All I can find for '96 Cavaliers are 2.2 and 2.4 motors. I'd venture to guess yours is a 2.2, and NAPA's site quotes $20-$30 for a new serpentine belt. Mechanics get a discount, but then he's probably charging you for at least an hour's labor. I don't know what his labor rate is, but the $70 for the new belt doesn't sound stratospheric... although doing it yourself could save a pretty good chunk of change.

As for the tune-up... NAPA's site quotes for the parts you mentioned:
PCV valve: $4.69
Spark plugs: I'm not sure if it's $1.49 for one or for a set of four
Plug wires: $14.49
Air filter: $4.49
Fuel filter: $8.99

The total comes out to either $34.15 or $38.62, depending on the spark plug price.

I'm venturing to guess he charges around $50 per hour, if my guess that he charges $20 for the serpentine belt holds up. That would mean he expects the tune-up to take four hours. If your car had one of those V6 engines where three of the plugs are about 1/4" from the firewall, requiring almost complete engine removal to change the plugs, then I'd believe four hours. But not for a four-cylinder engine.

 

[chcr]

Trish, buy yourself a Haynes manual, and do this yourself. It's easy anymore. Now, if the timing belt needs changed or the timing adjusted, well those are a little harder, and require special tools. From what you said, you've changed the filters (if you haven't changed the fuel filter before, the fuel will be under some pressure, careful). Spark plugs just screw out (engine must be cold). I don't think you have a distributor, but please buy good plug wires, you'll be sorry if you don't. You'll need to check the gap (opening) on the spark plugs before you install them, and they're 1.49 each (some cars are significantly higher). For less than 20 bucks, a Haynes manual will tell you very specifically how to do all this stuff and more. You don't strike me as someone who is afraid to get their hands dirty, and on a late model, ditributorless ignition, virtually nothing needs adjusting unless there is another problem. Just my two cents.

 

[Aunty Em]

You got a Rolls or something... even from this side of the pond I can see that's a high quote.

 

[greenfreak]

Aunty, I've never had a tune up done and I have no idea what the costs for all this is, which is why I asked. Even I need some advice from time to time.

chcr, you're right, I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty. I am afraid of injuring myself and fucking up my car by playing with stuff I don't know about, however. This serpentine belt looks like a bitch cus it's wound all over the place. (I guess that's where it gets it's name from) Honestly, replacing filters and doing oil changes is probably the most I would be brave enough to do on my car.

Inkara, thanks for that; I'll go to Napa's site and start printing stuff out for ammo. And you're probably right about the 2.2L, I was quoting it from memory. Memory ain't that great anymore, either.

 

[Professur]

Changing a sepentine belt is about 30secs work. The only adjustment is the tensionner, which is spring loaded. Thje only difficult part is getting the path right. And a single pic with a digital camera solves that.

 

[chcr]

What Prof said. That's the easiest part of the job. I believe if you look on the underside of the hood, there's even a diagram of how it should be routed. See, we're talking about routing now, you know all about that.

 

[greenfreak]

So if I do this, are you two available for help and/or questions? I don't have a digital camera, I'd have to draw it if there is no diagram.

Which one of these is mine and what does the a/c have to do with it? I do have a/c in my car:

Napa serpentine belts

 

[PT]

Well, if you have A/C, then that's another pulley that belt has to go around, so it will be longer.

 

[Aunty Em]

A/C is air conditioning - if you have it you need the longer belt.

Duh!... didn't see that you said you have a/c in which case you need the $29.99 belt for cars after '95. :retardbang:

 

[greenfreak]

I know what a/c stands for, I'm not that much of an idiot.

 

[Kruz]

the belt can be a bitch to replace on some cars.. there is not alot of room to work or the need of special tools to get at the belt tensioner on transverse (sideways) mounted engines... the plugs are easy to replace... the plug wires are harder because they go behind the engine and you have to "feel" what your doing more than see it.. here is a diagram of the belt routing.

 

[greenfreak]

Thanks man.

What do you think about the price of the tune up? Pretty steep from what everyone else is saying too? I have to pay a service guy to come in today because I have no hot water, I'm thinking I'm going to try to save as much money as possible on the car.

 

[Aunty Em]

there is not alot of room to work

Fortunately us ladies usually have smaller hands and slimmer arms... I used to be able to get at things my brothers couldn't... especially important with a robin reliant.

 

[Kruz]

a tune-up with plug wires should cost about half of what they quoted you.. now they probably figured in some filters which will bring up the price, but tell them to give you an estimate for the job "without" the filters.
the belt should cost about 15-30 for the part- and about 30 for labor. (don't forget, there is a markup on parts at all garages)

 

[greenfreak]

Thanks! I really haven't had any luck finding a garage that doesn't screw with me yet. I don't know if that's something that even exists here.

I should talk to my brother in law. I know he used to work on bikes in a shop, don't know what he knows or doesn't know about cars. Hell, I fix his computer, he should fix my car, right?

 

[Aunty Em]

I really haven't had any luck finding a garage that doesn't screw with me yet.

That's why I take my car 10 miles away to Trace Autos... Ron Faint, the owner, has an old Ford Cortina like I used to have. My brother used to take his Passat there and we got to chatting about the cortinas, so he knows I know a thing or two about car engines.

Before using them I always used to feel like garages were trying to rip me off and they were usually very surprised when I started chatting knowledgably about my car. I think they see a woman coming and instantly add a third to the price of whatever needs doing. One of the big motoring organisations over here did a survey and found that women were more likely to be told that a small problem was serious and overcharged for correcting it.

 

[greenfreak]

Funny you should say that cus I got a taste of it today.

I have no hot water, and have a puddle underneath the water heater. I called around and finally got this guy to come look at it and he took one look at the puddle and said, "You're going to need a new water heater." I couldn't help myself, I said, "So you can tell that by looking at a puddle on the floor?" so he got all condescending with me and told me to look at the small patch of rust on the front of the unit, as if that would convince me that I needed a new heater. He gave me an estimate of $650.

Then we called my landlord who just had to be a dick about getting anything done and he wouldn't promise that it would be fixed today, tomorrow, or the next day. He always has this attitude that it's our fault when something breaks in the house.

Then I went upstairs to talk to our neighbors (who are assholes to begin with) and they got on the phone with him too. But *they* got the landlord to agree to give the plumber's phone number and the plumber will be here today. He just so happens to be the first guy we called at 8am, but never returned my phone call. When I called him back to cancel, he picked up the phone and said he didn't call because he just got home at 7am. I refrained from saying "That doesn't get my water heater fixed" and just said, "That's fine, thank you."

Who knows when it will be fixed, I have a feeling that I have a bunch of cold showers coming my way. I just hate blatant condescension.

 

[chcr]

Hell, I fix his computer, he should fix my car, right?

Heh, that's how I get my guitars set up for free once or twice a year.