QuestionI'm a young woman that is on her own without any knowledge of car repairs. Since I look so young and clearly clueless about car repairs, I fear that people will try to rip me off. I have a 1998 Honda Civic LX with 156 k miles that need both a full tune-up and a timing belt change. I call in to a local shop that first quoted they will do both of the job for $475.00 and then when I went in, they said it would cost me $560 to get it done. I want to be prepare for anyone who tries to rip me off, so what is the estimated price when I go in to get my car a full tune-up and timing belt change? And should I go to another shop to have a checkup to see if the services was done properly?
Answerthe belt is due at 90k, so it has definitely been done before.
if you aren't sure the exact time before it would be wise to go ahead and do the second belt.
sorry i don't do the numbers/office stuff. so i don't know them by heart, but i can give you something to go on...
we charge 80 an hour labor and our full civic belt job is ~500. by full job i mean seals (cam and crank), water pump, the t-belt itself, and the 3 accessory belts. make sure they do a new valve cover gasket as well. it needs to be pulled up to get the timing covers off right.
there will always be a difference in price based on where they get the parts. in general, we don't like parts store parts on hondas. i'm not gonna bore you with details, but at the least, make sure it is a honda water pump. it will last you a long time. many cheaper pumps will be ok for the year warranty, then give out leaving you to pay for it all again.
a tune up will be cap/rotor/plugs/air filter. also have the tranny serviced (a drain and fill). its something most people don't do, but honda automatics need to be well taken care of.
all i can say on that is i think about 150-200 for a tuneup. and make sure it is NGK plugs. hondas do not like bosch and domestic type plugs.
about their price difference, it could be a different person doing the estimate. being more thorough, maybe the first just quoted a belt, different parts. there is no telling.
feel free to judge the shop on how clean it is and how much they talk to you and spend time to help you understand.
afterwards, no other shop can really look at it and say it was done right. the tune up stuff ya, but not the t-belt. that is all hidden from view.
expect them to look the car over and tell you other things it may need. it is just doing a good job and being a business. anything large get a second opinion, anything mechanical in nature, see if they would be inclined to take you out and show you the problem.
while you are a women and may not care in the end as long it is fixed, we really like to point things out and help them understand some and show what is actually happening.
good luck,
John
