2000 Prelude Timing belt done and other work, do you think I was charged accordingly? - Page 2 - Honda Prelude Forum

angeloaa · 06-04-2011, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aslee

OP, I've been quoted between $475-$1100 for a complete timing belt job, and some of those shops were using non-oem parts in their quote. But labor alone, that is 3x as expensive as it should have been. Most Honda dealerships quoted me shy under $800 for labor + oem parts. Cheapest I've found is $600, but that's a friend discount. That pricing was overkill.

Only thing I can say is maybe its the area you live in, I'm from Toronto, Canada. I bought all the parts from States (CollegeHills Honda), if I would've purchased the parts from here I would've paid at least 50% more, I worked it out already, even had the dealership email me back a spreadsheet with all the identical parts I was buying.
As for the labour rate, here's the way I look at it:
power steering fluid flush, dealer charges $94.88, I figure I was probably charged $80.

Rad fluid change, dealer charges $94.88, I figure I was probably charges $65.

Fuel filter change, dealer charges $161.81 (parts and labour), I supplied the part ($23 for the filter) so I was probably charged $80 to install it.

Rear breaks (pads and rotors) dealer charges $217.65 (labour only), I was probably charged $80.

Thermostat, dealer charges 176.73 (parts and labour), I suppied the part, I was probably charged $60.

*The tranny and break fluid wasn't changed, I made a mistake when I originally posted it.

All the above extra stuff cost me $365, labour alone which is reasonable.

So I paid $585 and had my timing belt done along with the 3 other belts, valve adjustment, tensioner swap, seals replaced, water pump, oil change (I had the parts but I was short by 2litres)
The Dealer charges $118.88 just for a vavle adjustment.
I don't think I was charged anything for installing plugs, cap, rotor, wires, these items were being taken off anyways during the job.

350is · 06-04-2011, 06:13 PM

FYI, I pay around $500 buck parts & labor at my local shop for a complete oem timing belts w/ water pumps and all those misc belts go with it. I have changed 3 times by now at every (100k x 3); my car perform like brand new at way more than 300k miles. oh well i need to wait till 400k to do another new set

Honda parts are too ez to get for good deal. If I want to order it myself and take it to local shop for just labor then it probably 50/50 cost. 1k labor cost only for many other listed works but seem high though ! For other sparkplugs, rotor cap & cable...I ordered & diy.

bouckarooo · 06-04-2011, 06:59 PM

dont you people think it is time you learn how to do it so you dont have to pay such enormous prices? working and building on your car can be somewhat price reduced if you do much of the work yourself. Then the money you would have spent on labour can go to tools and then you can fix it whenever you need......just a thought....

minilogoguy18 · 06-04-2011, 07:03 PM

^Dude, we're on the exact same page, I tell people all the time, especially the type of person found on a forum like this that is into modifying the car, learn to work on it yourself, you'll save an enormous amount of money. A timing belt can be done by someone that has basic tools and the helms manual which can usually be found to download for free.

Even more so to those that want a modified car, either learn to work on it yourself or you have no business modifying it.

dre2day · 06-04-2011, 07:06 PM

Yup. I do it all my self. Hard at times when you don't have the right tools but that's where enjunity (spell check) kicks in. I'm working on rebuilding a trans and I have everything except that dang Diff preload tension tool, thought it was going to be hard but its easy to take apart and repair.

minilogoguy18 · 06-04-2011, 07:14 PM

^Pretty rare to have to replace diff bearings or even mess with the diff at all, they're usually pretty tough, maybe someone didn't keep up with the fluid? The beauty you'll find with your new manual swap though is that it's pretty straight forward to rebuild, nothing like the problems that come with an auto.

dre2day · 06-04-2011, 07:18 PM

This trans probably never had the oil changed. The inside of the case was black and so was the oil.

Also I am using a different clutch case so the manual says I need to check for proper preload with the 75mm shim. It is really straight forward, two towers and the diff. Nothing compared to what I have seen with an auto schematic.

Painted the case and waiting for the carbon sychro rings before I can glue it back together and do my swap.

angeloaa · 06-04-2011, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bouckarooo

dont you people think it is time you learn how to do it so you dont have to pay such enormous prices? working and building on your car can be somewhat price reduced if you do much of the work yourself. Then the money you would have spent on labour can go to tools and then you can fix it whenever you need......just a thought....

It's always good to have someone beside you if you screw up but if none of your buddies are mechanically inclined who can you turn to, the manual??
Guys some of us want to learn but really have no guidance so we end of paying people to do the work and hopefully they do what is expected.

bouckarooo · 06-04-2011, 08:46 PM

sure or the internet.....

...i dunno wheni was younger i realised that if iw nated to continue with hondas as a hobby i best learn to work on them. Realisticly, it is all just nuts and bolts. I mean c'mon, look at the quality of people who work in the assembly plants, not all of them are rocket sceintists or else they would be there. There is allot of work on our cars that is easly done by the owner with a little bit of effort and some money. Then there are thigns that have to be attended to by a proffesional; thats when you get a pro to do it. Thats the difference between a smart hobbiest and a broke hobbiest.

angeloaa · 06-04-2011, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bouckarooo

sure or the internet.....

...i dunno wheni was younger i realised that if iw nated to continue with hondas as a hobby i best learn to work on them. Realisticly, it is all just nuts and bolts. I mean c'mon, look at the quality of people who work in the assembly plants, not all of them are rocket sceintists or else they would be there. There is allot of work on our cars that is easly done by the owner with a little bit of effort and some money. Then there are thigns that have to be attended to by a proffesional; thats when you get a pro to do it. Thats the difference between a smart hobbiest and a broke hobbiest.

My hobbies are:
modding/jtaging/repairing xbox 360's PS3 (I do not play any games, have no interest)
working on problematic PC's, MB's, PC formats, etc.
I love detailing my car, I'll spend days on it if I'm not working.
Believe me I'm not a broke hobbiest.

bouckarooo · 06-04-2011, 11:07 PM

hahaha, i think you take what i say out of context. Simply put, regardless of what your hobby is, a smart hobbyist will find ways to reduce the cost of his hobbies so as to make them more affordable(regardless of income amount) whereas someone who isnt so interested will not put forth the effort to do so. Now, with that said, having the tools of the trade/hobby (whether is nerding out with a solder gun and circut board to steal some xbox live or its darning socks outs of yarn or automotive endevours) is a cost saving effort as you no longer need to pay someone to do the task with thier equiptment. And to that point if you cannot get a manual and read it and figure out what is wrong or how to fix your car, yet one can come on here and read a thread, then perhaps you are too far gone for vehicle ownership and should really invest into a bus pass and another hobby (say darning socks out of yarn.....you could do that whilst sitting on the loser cruiser or the subway). I dunno, i was simply trying to encourage more people to be a little more hands on with their cars and take some responsibility in ownership, rather then dump the problem on someone that they are going to underpay and then bad mouth when the quality isnt there. I guess some people just have thier priorities in other areas; myself however, i would rather be hands on and know the whats what with my cars/trucks/boat etc..... to each thier own though.

Good luck with the virus removal and free xbox live, sounds like great times.

angeloaa · 06-05-2011, 06:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bouckarooo

hahaha, i think you take what i say out of context. Simply put, regardless of what your hobby is, a smart hobbyist will find ways to reduce the cost of his hobbies so as to make them more affordable(regardless of income amount) whereas someone who isnt so interested will not put forth the effort to do so. Now, with that said, having the tools of the trade/hobby (whether is nerding out with a solder gun and circut board to steal some xbox live or its darning socks outs of yarn or automotive endevours) is a cost saving effort as you no longer need to pay someone to do the task with thier equiptment. And to that point if you cannot get a manual and read it and figure out what is wrong or how to fix your car, yet one can come on here and read a thread, then perhaps you are too far gone for vehicle ownership and should really invest into a bus pass and another hobby (say darning socks out of yarn.....you could do that whilst sitting on the loser cruiser or the subway). I dunno, i was simply trying to encourage more people to be a little more hands on with their cars and take some responsibility in ownership, rather then dump the problem on someone that they are going to underpay and then bad mouth when the quality isnt there. I guess some people just have thier priorities in other areas; myself however, i would rather be hands on and know the whats what with my cars/trucks/boat etc..... to each thier own though.

Good luck with the virus removal and free xbox live, sounds like great times.

In other words, if you can't work on the car yourself, don't buy one.

We can't all be mechanics/mechanically inclined like yourself, whether you have a manual or not.
You were interested in cars at a young age which is probably why you can work on your cars, boats, trucks, snowmobile, dirt bikes, lawn mower, whatever has an engine, I'm sure you can get it going.
Where as some of us have our priorities else where.

drjless · 06-07-2011, 06:55 PM

any one that does a full timing balance and pump service for under 700 is scamming. oem parts for the full job cost 500 plus some extras. bare minimum is 3 hrs labour but more likely near 4 to 5. with all the extra stuff you got done id say you made out just fine. sure you can change a timing belt for 300, but that is about 10% of the job.

350is · 06-09-2011, 12:59 AM

see below for example, I just do a quick check price belt kit w/ pump and price is including shipping. Shop around for good for installed 50 part/50 labor cost ! get the idea??? If you drive straight to dealer advisor or to any shop. Oh well expect to pay that rip off service $700 to 1k

------------------------------

Price:$237.72.
Low price guarantee

In Stock

TIMING BELT KIT -- Includes timing belt, water pump, 1 balance shaft belt, 1 belt tensioner, and 1 balance shaft tensioner; Complete with detailed instructions; Guaranteed to fit and meet the specifications of the OE parts being replaced; Contents are individually packaged in plastic bags so that the parts can be identified and compared to the original without compromising the integrity of the kit; With Dayco limited warranty.
Fit Note: Interference Engine
Product Fit: OE replacement
Idler Pulley Included: No
Tensioner Included: Yes - 2 pieces
Water Pump Included: Yes

minilogoguy18 · 06-09-2011, 04:55 AM

^No seals? There are 5 oil seals that need to be replaced behind the belt, when they start leaking you'll be doing the job all over again. The oil wetting the belt with cause it to stretch and possibly fail.

drjless · 06-10-2011, 04:28 AM

hey 350, this is the perfect example of what im talking about. you are comparing a half ass job using aftermarket oe "LIKE" parts. the op is talking about the full job using oem parts. you cant pretend these are equal jobs. as said above me, well see whose smarter in 6 months.

bouckarooo · 06-10-2011, 10:02 AM

i still say buy the parts, buy some tools, use you brains and do it yourself, way cheaper in the end. And you can assure the quality is there as it is you doing it and if or when somerhting goes arwy, then you cant fall back and blame nayone else except yourself.

H22-Lude · 06-10-2011, 03:50 PM

There are some things better left to the professionals. Can I do most of the work on my car? Sure, have I done all of it? Nope. Changing axles, brakes, tie rods, steering rack, most mechnical stuff I may do, but things requiring wiring? No way, could I? Sure, it's just something I hate doing and am not as proficient as I would like to be in. Don't get me wrong, I've built tube based power amps from the chassis up from a kit before but wiring in cars isn't something I like doing. Fabricating and welding simply isn't something I am good at either, so what do I do? Pay a professional to make sure it gets done right. Just because you pay someone to do work on your car, does not mean you can't do it. I choose which things I work on for a reason.

minilogoguy18 · 06-10-2011, 07:11 PM

Yeah there are of course some things, like I paid someone to paint my car and do rust repair that required cutting metal out and welding new metal in but at the same time I was there lending and hand and learning. A timing belt however is totally different, it's very easy, it will just take time the first time you do it. The only thing that can be tough is properly pressing in some of the seals, if you do it wrong the new ones will leak. The only thing I can see though someone having a tough time with in the driveway with hand tools is the crank pulley, helps to either have the tool to hold it or a impact gun. The tensioner holder is also necessary but the rest is done with basic tools.