View Full Version : You want how much????
About ten days ago, I started the Focus and the battery light stayed on. I thought it was either the battery or the alternator that was the problem. I drove the car to work and nursed it almost back to home by turning off everything electrical that I could, and using the windshield wipers as little as possible (yeah, hot, humid and drizzling also). It cut out on me as I turned into the driveway and I pushed it to the parking spot.
I took out the battery and hooked it up to a battery charger and left it overnight. The next morning, I reinstalled the battery and the light remained on again. I took the battery to Sears (it's a Sears Diehard) and asked them to test it. A half-hour later they told me the battery tested fine. The fee for testing it, $0.00.
I took the car to Ford (yes, I knew they would be more expensive) and told them what the problem was. They told me they would check it and let me know how much it was going to cost. An hour before Ford closed, they called and said it would be $800.00 plus tax for the new alternator and labor to change it. On hearing the price, I started to laugh and I was laughing on and off during the rest of the conversation. Eight hundred bucks for an alternator????? I told him I had changed alternators in other cars before (even as a teenager), and that the reasons I wouldn't do it this time were because it was 95 °F outside and everything I had read on the Internet said that the location of the alternator on the Focus made it a real pain to change.
I told him that Ford should let General Motors know about this kind of pricing and that if GM did the same, it may keep them from going bankrupt. He started to laugh also. He told me to think about the cost and let him know what I would do. I called Pep Boys and got an estimate of about $400. My wife drove me to Ford and I told the service rep I would take the car. He talked with his manager and came back and told me they would be willing to work with me and lower the cost of the labor by about $50 . I took the car and we drove over to Pep Boys.
The service rep at Pep Boys that evening said they didn't have the alternator in stock at their warehouse and that he would have to check around and see where he could get it. We left the car. The afternoon of the next day, I was called and told the car was fixed and ready for pick up. I told him I had two questions: Why didn't they call me with the cost as they said they would before fixing the car, and what was the cost of the repair? He said he wasn't told about calling before doing the repair and the cost with tax would be about $270. Later that evening, I paid for the repair and picked up the car. It's been running fine so far. Every time I think of how much Ford was going to charge, I start to laugh. :D
clayfairy
28-07-2008, 01:50 AM
from 800 to 270...well yes :no:
I expected Ford to be more expensive but couldn't imagine that they would want to charge that much more. I won't be back there again.
clayfairy
28-07-2008, 09:59 AM
think about all the people they catch...
poor suckers :no:
when ppl have a big established name they automatically think they can start charging you higher prices
when ppl have a big established name they automatically think they can start charging you higher prices
As part of the high price, they were going to put in a genuine Ford alternator. Yeah, just like the one that failed after only two years of use. :D
homebrew
30-07-2008, 01:45 PM
As part of the high price, they were going to put in a genuine Ford alternator. Yeah, just like the one that failed after only two years of use. :D
Depending on the dealer, labor rates are like 100 bucks an hour. To change that alternator shouldn't take more than an hour in "skilled" hands. So basically the Ford dealership was charging you $700 for an alternator.
That's a rip-off.
Depending on the dealer, labor rates are like 100 bucks an hour. To change that alternator shouldn't take more than an hour in "skilled" hands. So basically the Ford dealership was charging you $700 for an alternator.
That's a rip-off.
They said the Ford alternator would be approximately $350.00 . Pep Boys initially said about $200.00 . If the alternator were easily accessible (like on our Camry), I would have gotten one from NAPA, Pep Boys, O'Reilly, Autozone, etc. and done it myself.
think about all the people they catch...
poor suckers :no:
Knowing about the mechanics of an automobile can really save you money. Midas in Santa Monica, CA tried to get me to agree to approximately $1500 worth of work on the braking system of my 1976 Datsun B-210 (I had only paid $2500 for the car). When they showed me the list of what they were going to do, I told them I could see why they could give a "lifetime" guarantee on the work. They were going to change everything but the brake lines. I told them to take the car off the rack and I left. I took it to another shop. The turned the front disc rotors on the lathe and the problem resolved. As I remember, the cost was less than $100.00 . I've never been back to any Midas shop.
While typing this up, I became curious as to whether the shop that did the brake work was still around (I left LA 12 years ago). I searched on Google and sure enough, they are still in Culver City, CA: Bagge & Son (http://www.baggeandson.com/).
CuChulainn
31-07-2008, 08:42 PM
I use a local mechanic back home where my parents live... I would only go to him. You never know the lies you can be told
I had to get an alternator replaced a couple of years back, and went to the garage where I bought the car.... they quoted €650 ($975) with labour part being €170
I went to my usual mechanic, and he got the same one for €300 including labour of €40
I use a local mechanic back home where my parents live... I would only go to him. You never know the lies you can be told
I had to get an alternator replaced a couple of years back, and went to the garage where I bought the car.... they quoted €650 ($975) with labour part being €170
I went to my usual mechanic, and he got the same one for €300 including labour of €40
I think they moved from Ireland to Dallas. :D
CuChulainn
01-08-2008, 10:47 PM
Good.... maybe now I wont get ripped off lol
ha ha
When I lived in Trinidad a few years ago I owned a Mitsubishi Lancer. One day my side window got smashed in, so I took the car to the dealers. They quoted me $1,500.00 for the side window, excluding tax or installation.
But hear this, the Supervisor pull me aside and said he will give me the side window for $800.00, but I have to pay him personally in cash!
I drive out of there so fast. I must be look like 'mamee bamcee child!'
$1500 wda, that is robbery
so where did u go?
Mrs. Yaye's Camry is due for its annual inspection next month and since the "Check Engine" light was on, I figured I would take it in and get it repaired. Approximately two hours later, the shop called me and told me it needed $2800 worth of repairs. They said the Air Intake Hose was broken and unmetered air was being drawn into the engine. This caused the air/fuel mixture to be too rich (wrong dude that would make it too lean) and burned up the catalytic converter.
They said I would need a new catalytic converter. They also said it needed a new evaporative canister, VSV valve, spark plugs and wires, top motor mount, cleaning of the throttle body, fuel injectors and intake system, change of the oil and oil filter. I told him I didn't want to pay for replacement of the catalytic converter right now and since I could do some of the other service myself, just give me the price for replacing the evaporative canister. He said he thought my plan was to pass the inspection. I told him that was the plan, but spending almost three thousand dollars to do it wasn't part of the plan.
He deducted the other costs and came up with a cost of over $800 to replace the canister. He said it was that much because part of the rear suspension had to be dropped to get at the canister. At this point, I told him I would just come by and pick up the car. I picked up the car and brought it home. I popped the hood and saw the Air Intake Hose was split in two. Seems that the wire clamp that it came with had cut into it. I decided to make a temporary repair by reinforcing the cut up end of the hose with Duct Tape. I then combined and reinforced the two parts of the air hose with more Duct Tape. I replaced the wire clamp with a flat hose clamp and used it to connect the air intake hose to the throttle body.
I hooked up the Engine Code Scanner that I have, started the engine, recorded the error codes and then erased the codes. I drove the car to where Mrs. Yaye was working and gave it to her. She has been driving the car every day for the past week and the "Check Engine" light hasn't come back on. I'll get a new Air Intake Hose in the next week or so.
Given how well it turned out this time, I think from now on I'll answer all calls from repair shops while dripping wet and wrapped in a towel. :D
The Check Engine light still hasn't come back on. By the way, it's the rubber bushing of the top torque strut that is broken (see attachment), not the motor mount itself. The strut costs about $17 plus tax.
The Check Engine Light came back on. I didn't look at the hose. I figured the temporary repair had broken loose. I picked up a new Air Intake Hose, but when I popped the hood, I found that two parts of the hose at a different point had separated. I replaced the Air Intake Hose and the Torque Strut. The car passed the inspection.
I forgot to mention that when I went to Toyota to pick up the Air Intake Hose (no one else had it), I took my Mom with me. We went to the parts counter and I told the guy at the counter that I needed a new hose.
Parts Guy: And it's for her car isn't it?
Yaye: No, it's for my wife's car.
Parts Guy: It's for HER car isn't it?
Yaye: OK, it's for her car.
Parts Guy: Good, now I can give you the senior citizen discount.
Mom: Who you calling a senior citizen?
Result, twenty bucks off the cost of the Air Hose. :D
clayfairy
11-02-2010, 03:23 PM
shame on u yaye :P
RissaWissa
11-02-2010, 09:43 PM
it's always good to have the old people w/ you =)
I only took her because I thought she would enjoy the drive. I didn't know anything about the senior citizen discount. I've spoken to the parts guy several times in the past. He is from the islands also.
lucky lol
Yeah, it was a pleasant surprise. The second time he was telling me it's for HER car, he was pointing at my mom. Good thing I didn't tell him "No" again.
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