Good deal on two repairs?

[phewop118]

I haven't done this yet, but plan on it in the near future. When I got my car inspected, my front left wheel bearing turned up bad (it passed inspection, but barely). I checked with the dealer. They want to charge me $325 to replace (parts and labor). That seems reasonable to me, but what have you guys been charged? Is that a rip?

I also need a new pressure control solenoid. The dealer's price is $456 for parts and labor - the service lady said "it's a little high cause it takes six hours to do." How's that price? Gimme your opinions and experiences.

[akanrg]

Originally Posted by phewop118

I haven't done this yet, but plan on it in the near future. When I got my car inspected, my front left wheel bearing turned up bad (it passed inspection, but barely). I checked with the dealer. They want to charge me $325 to replace (parts and labor). That seems reasonable to me, but what have you guys been charged? Is that a rip?

I also need a new pressure control solenoid. The dealer's price is $456 for parts and labor - the service lady said "it's a little high cause it takes six hours to do." How's that price? Gimme your opinions and experiences.

My advice to you.... STAY AWAY FROM DEALERS!

Have an independant mechanic (you trust) look after your car.

[kmohr3]

According to Alldata the wheel bearing should be 1 hour labor plus the price of the part, for the PCS it should be 4.6 hours labor plus parts.

This doesn't seem too out of line for the dealer. If it was me I'd have the dealer do the PCS and I'd do the wheel bearing myself.

[phewop118]

Yeah I know not to trust dealers, but my dealer seems to be both reasonable and honest. I trust Ernie, my technician, and Phyllis & Kathy, the service writers. They always are very considerate and discuss options rather than push me into a repair I don't want. The fact that I know them by name says a lot. Always when they give me a quote, it is higher than what it ends up to be. They apply a discount to parts, reducing the price. Heck, I had what they quoted a $200 job (brake cable replacment) done for $110. I had a cat. converter test done for $20. They do my oil changes for $8 (I supply the mobile 1 and filter). Tranny pan drop and fluid change - $60, radiator flush - $55. They seem as reasonable as an independent mechanic. I don't know any mechanics that I would really even trust.

Yeah I sound like a lunatic old man or a crazy blonde lady, no I am an 18 boy who found a reliable dealer. I fully recommend the service dept. at Unis Auto Sales to anyone in the Pittsburgh area.

[LittleHoov]

The wheel bearing isnt really that hard at all, I think the hour of labor is a definite round up, because I stood by and watched a mechanic change mine in probably a half hour or less.

You might consider seeing if they will allow you to supply the parts? Because there are several places you can get bearings for MUCH cheaper than that, they can be had for about 90 bucks off Ebay, but not sure of the quality, and you can get them from places like rockauto or gmpartsdirect for fairly cheap as well.

[kmohr3]

I agree with you phewop118. There are good dealers out there. I've seen many unscrupulous independent repair shops as well. Every time my mom goes to Firestone they try to sell her everything under the sun - which the car doesn't need.

Also, the dealer may be more qualified to work on your model. I've worked at independent shops that think they know it all, and have spent way too long on diagnosis and repair that a knowledgeable GM tech could have done in less than half the time.

[richtazz]

Let the experts deal with the PCS. If you have the mechanical ability to do your own brakes, you can do your own hub bearing. You'll need a few special tools, hub nut socket, t55 torx socket, torque wrench capable of 180ft/lbs, and a hub puller. If you do the hub yourself, DO NOT USE IMPACT TOOLS. The hub on your car has an ABS wheel speed sensor in it that will get damaged by the hammering action of the impact wrench. Follow the torque value for the axle nut that comes with the new bearing (if it differs from a repair manual), as design changes sometimes neccessitate a change in bearing pre-load. LAstly, don't buy cheapo, no-name import hubs. They are not reliable and have a high failure rate. Try to find a Delco, BCA or Timken US made bearing, not the BCA or Timken Chinese import line. They may be a little more expensive, but they last.

[panzer dragoon]

If you do the hub yourself, DO NOT USE IMPACT TOOLS. The hub on your car has an ABS wheel speed sensor in it that will get damaged by the hammering action of the impact wrench.

I like having the service manual or alldata just to check out how hard something is before you get to far into something. You would think that replacing a camshaft position sensor, or crankshaft position sensor would be hard, but they are fairly easy. Bearings usta be a easy proposition = now they are harder and may need special tools (that may be hard to find locally).

Having your tranny (PCS) sensors replaced may be a job for your transmission specialist. You need to ask yourself how many times has my local shop worked on these things.

They apply a discount to parts, reducing the price. Heck, I had what they quoted a $200 job (brake cable replacment) done for $110. I had a cat. converter test done for $20. They do my oil changes for $8 (I supply the mobile 1 and filter). Tranny pan drop and fluid change - $60, radiator flush - $55. They seem as reasonable as an independent mechanic. I don't know any mechanics that I would really even trust.

The dealerships around me want $40-60 an hour for labor and that is closer to $100 in the bigger cities. There is nobody around me that will change your oil for $8 and they want you to use their oil. You are lucky to have a service place that is so cheap. -Still doing it yourself is cheaper.