help needed. got taken to the bank by a car repair shop

shack

danger boy wrote:

all good ideas coming in from you all.. i'll pass them along to my friend. Personally, i'm not very up on car repair costs.. so what i'm reading from some here is that on a rebuild 2K isn't to far out there.. yeah, maybe slightly high, but not unheard of.

oh yeah his car has 85,000 miles on it. never had another other problem with it that he's mentioned.

as they say.. buyer beware.

It bites, but it's only money, right?

I've never understood why people don't take the time to do a little shopping for stuff like this. I needed a new clutch a couple of years ago (out of warranty). Picked up the phone and called 3 Ford dealers and 2 reputable independents and there was a $400 difference between the lowest and highest. Took me all of 15 minutes to pick up a phone book and make the iquiries. Same with parts. I was working on my Mustang and broke the serpentine belt tensioner. It was a Ford only part. Pricing at the 3 dealerships varied by $60. Even if your vehicle breaks down (and you have a good idea of what the issue is) a couple of cell phone calls could save you quite a bit of money. Few people do this (and the repair shops know this) and they waste too much money in the process.

FA - Q

-on US motorcars [fr or rr wheel drive]


-drive them until they shift no more or the bands slip too much [1st check vacuum modulator hose...its an old scam]

-in detroit, a removal/ rebuild/ re-install iz 1,5 max

-that would include a rebuilt torque converter , new clutch fan , rebuilt valve body and new bands...not sure if vac mod iz new or just tested

-fully warranted and completed in one day...again thats detroit prices

-it always helps to know someone in the trade [engine/ tranny/ rear ends]

-unsure of import prices...

Face

I'm not sure if any cars come with a vacuum modulator anymore. Some of the cars I've worked on that are 10+ years old now didn't have them either.

John30_30

sucks2beme wrote: »

You wouldn't get that far on a clutch in Dallas! It's all stop and go.
I normally draw a line at 100k
0-50k Anything major is a red flag.
50-100k not real good.
100-150k ok but could be better
150-200k real good
200+k great!!!!
Ac, alternator, starter,brakes. All normal wear and tear. especially brakes.
Down here I have had exhausts last for as long as I've owned the car.
Brakes wear out faster than normal. It's a trade off.

The upside down South is that car bodies don't rust out. Little or no snow & ice, little or no salt on the roads. Upside down South. I could rephrase that.....nahhhh.:p

Hopefully the poor guy will shop around next time. If the shop are reputable, I'd put the issue to sleep.
It pays to go with someone you know and trust.

exalted512

Never had any problems with the tranny in my first truck, i was over 210k miles and i treated that thing like absolute crap...
-Cody

joeparaski

I had a low mileage 1989 Sable I bought cheap from an older gentleman who never even took it out in the winter. It didn't look like anybody ever sat in back seat, this thing was really mint. Anyway, 2 summers ago me and my wife drive down to Miami with it and go on a cruise. Coming back the tranny crapped out near Savannah, Georgia.

Called the tow truck, he asks me what I want to do, I tell him to keep the car and give us a lift to the airport where I paid $1800 for 2 tickets to Montreal one-way. Then I had to buy another car.......

Joe

Fongolio

I have a 2000 Neon that had the tranny rebuilt about 20,000 km ago and the bill was very near the same. I didn't have to pay as I inherited (well my son did and we are driving it at his wish) the car. Bear in mind that this is in Canadian dollars but those Dodge trannies don't come cheap.