kev926

hi guys, i got my knock sensor and o2 kit replaced. for the knock sensor they charged me 184 bucks, and 388.60 for o2. i didn't go to a Nissan dealer for this.

then, there was a bunch of labor charges. 70 for performing check on check engine light, 138 for performing pinpoint tests on trouble codes, 124 for installing TSB kit for o2 sensor, and 138 for replacing knock sensor.

so, the total was around 1100 bucks. was i overcharged or does this sound right?

97 Maxima SE

mzmtg

iTrader: (11)

Well, you can rest assured that you could have done all that in your driveway with simple hand tools. You would have had to pay about $300 (tops) for parts and no labor.




You got reamed.

kev926

yeah i thought about that but i know squat about changing those things. that's why i ended up taking it to a mechanic.

JamesAvery

[damn- that sucks
QUOTE]Originally posted by kev926
hi guys, i got my knock sensor and o2 kit replaced. for the knock sensor they charged me 184 bucks, and 388.60 for o2. i didn't go to a Nissan dealer for this.

then, there was a bunch of labor charges. 70 for performing check on check engine light, 138 for performing pinpoint tests on trouble codes, 124 for installing TSB kit for o2 sensor, and 138 for replacing knock sensor.

so, the total was around 1100 bucks. was i overcharged or does this sound right?

97 Maxima SE [/QUOTE]

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

$1100 Bucks

You got Big time!

mzmtg

iTrader: (11)

I'm serious. You could have found how-to articles full of pictures on the ORG and gone out and done it all yourself in less than 3 hours.

Nothing about working on a car is inherently difficult. The only thing is, sometimes there are a lot of small steps.

The O2 and knock sensors just unscrew and bolt on the new one. You can reset the check engine light with a screwdriver.


...but, if that's worth $800 to you...

jbreit

if they changed the Knock sensor the way the manual recommends (which tells you to remove the upper and lower intake manifolds) its still a high price in my opinion....O2 sensors takes maybe 30-45 minutes for all three (i never did all three at once), and the knock sensor took me around 45 minutes.

Parts prices....all three O2's and the knock...~$350 if you do some internet surfing.

sounds just like a friend of my wife that paid $1800 to have the $40 water pump changed in her buick riviera supercharged.

ereet

Doesn't sound like you took it to a mechanic -- Sounds like you took it to a nissan dealership The ratio of completely mechanics that'll rob you blind is nowhere near the ratio of nissan dealerships that rob you blind, but I guess there's still a fair number out there. Get a screwdriver, and:

Next time if you get it yourself, you should be able to search for similar problems on the .org and get a price estimate on difficulty of the repair, and how much it costs on parts/time.

kev926

crap man. oh well... guess i'll know better next time.

i did try to check the ECU code tho (vw maxima webpage), but for some reason the plastic panel protecting it didn't have screws where i could twist off like the instructions said. It was flat and seemed like i had to pry them off and i pried very hard with a flathead but it wouldn't come off, and i was afraid to pry more. does anyone know how to get it off for future reference?

BBaker025

iTrader: (1)

YA...They sure did rip you off good! It would be less then half that price if you had gotten the parts from a discount Nissan dealer like Courtesy or Tustin. The O2 sensors are really easy to replace, and im sure you could have found a writeup on a knocksensor.

DerekJ212

iTrader: (1)

I have this same problem! What do you do?

wicked1044

YOU GOT HOSED!

dwapenyi

iTrader: (3)

The plastic screws you are talking about are not screws, they are just tabs. You pull real hard on both edges of that panel that covers the ECU, no screwdrivers needed, and those tabs pop right off. Voila, ECU.

DW

Cumalot

iTrader: (8)

$1100?! OMG! You got ripped big time. You should have done it yourself. With proper research and asking questions, it's not that hard. When I first started, I knew jack about doing things myself. With the labor that the dealer and other shop charges, I couldn't justify bringing to them anymore. So I had to learn how to do things myself no matter how long it took me to learn. I did small thing at first, but worked my way up. Now I could even install a SC by myself. The tools aren't cheap either, but in the end, it will be well worth it. Just imagine what mods you could have bought when the money you saved instead of paying $1100!

JSClark

kev926

yeah... i'm starting to feel really really ripped off. got a lotta learning to do...

thanks guys for ur opininions!

Lime

hahahaha! Yeah. Skippy had this great write-up on the knock sensor replacement. I followed his directions to the letter, and it took me 15 mins tops.

Jason R

iTrader: (39)

so they just bent you over the counter and just went to town, eh? that sucks dude.

Mishmosh

iTrader: (3)

Even if you decide to take it to a mechanic, it helps to know what OEM parts cost (retail and discounted) and approximately how long it takes to install things. That way you can contest estimates and even bring them down... or go elsewhere... or decide if it's worth it to do it yourself.

O2 sensors (all 3): can be done in 1/2 hour but 1 hour labor is reasonable.
KS install: also can be done in 1/2 hour but 1 hour is reasonable.
Diagnostic code check: done in 2 minutes but they all scam you.

Typical shop charges for labor is dependant on where you live and who you go to. It can range from $45-85 per hour with dealers taking up the high end--it should always be declared up front because that is what they base their labor costs on.

dwapenyi

iTrader: (3)

You know, the only time I ever go to the dealer is for Nissan specific warranty stuff, TSBs etc. If I'm feeling too lazy to do some maintenance on my car, I go to my trusted mechanic for everything. He knows that I know how, I just don't feel like it sometimes. Find a mechanic who has a good reputaion and you can trust. My mechanic is so good that, at $70/hour, he replaced my alternator for $100. I did ithe ALT replacement once myself, and it took me waaaay more than an hour and a half. I still can't figure that one out. But I'm happy

cbr2

iTrader: (1)

Man I have not heard of an as* fu*king like that in a while. All you can do is laugh and never EVER EVER go back to that place. 02 sensor=60-70$ knock sensor I think is like $140... And 1.5hrs of your time FREE... so $210..... If you live in or near jax FL and want work done... go there get a price.. come to me and i'll do it for HALF.. Crap.. I still will taking advantage of you... but much less then them..

kev926

yeah man, i am definitely going to attempt it myself. it's too bad i live in boston and not fl otherwise i wouldn't mind you ripping me off hahaha.

hacim105

iTrader: (6)

One thing for you to learn is that unless you cannot follow directions try to do the things yourself first. Obviously there are some operations that can't be done except in a garage(unless you have the time and right tools) but for other operations just look to see if some else can give you directions you'll learn to save a lot of money. and learn a lot.

Soybadboy

how long have you guys gone on without changing your 02 sensors? im going on 10,000 miles without changing mine. at this point, i can care less about performance( i have 173,000miles), i just need the car to last me 1.5 more years until i get a new one. should i replace them or should i continue to drive.

one thing is for sure, im not going to that shop that kev926 went to! sorry you didn't find out about the .org until after you got raped.

davey6693

It's always bad to hear about people getting f*cked over like this. I may have missed this, but no-one seems to have said that maybe just one of those four components actually needed replacing. I've had the CEL for the knock sensor and one of the front 02 sensors before. It was only the 02 that was dead, and replacing it fixed everything.

I was useless with cars too. To me it was like a big black unknown - but every time you carry out some work on your car it's like you've lit up a new area and your confidence grows with each repair. Like others have said, try something simple first and you're on your way.

SamMan23

You guys sure know how to make Kev feel bad. Don't feel so bad. My dad pays mechanics to do stuff he doesn't know how to do all the time. Sometimes I can't believe how much he paid also. I guess if you don't know how to do it, you pay. For the rest of us who have some knowledge and experience working on our cars, we don't pay. Just find out how to do it on the forum next time so you don't pay so much and you learn how to do something new.

kev926

yeah, after reading all these responses i couldn't help but think, sh*t i got jacked...

Kolyan

first time my check engine light came on, i took the car to a dealer and got a free diag that took 1 min. (worth $70) then took the car to local mechanic and replaced o2 sensor for $100.

kev926

wait, Nissan diagnoses check engine light for free??

the mechanic didn't charge you labor? where do you live??!

Kolyan

i live in boston. it does cost $70 to diag. the light. it's just the guy at Nissan was nice enough not to charge me $70 for 1 min. of work.
and the other time (about 2-3 months ago) i went to Nissan dealer they diag. my problem with heater and replaced the relay for free, of course i paid about $20 for the part.

cbr2

iTrader: (1)

mine is free too... MY dealer is also quite nice. (FL)

Soybadboy

The dealerships won't even touch my car without the $70 diag. fee. (So. Cal)

Eric L.

It is easy to poke fun at someone who paid high prices to get their car worked on, but to some people it is worth the expense to save time and complexity. I work on my own car, but I admit it takes me much longer to do the "15 minute jobs" than other people claim. I recently did my knock sensor, and it took me over 2 hours to get all the parts together and crack that bolt loose. The actual procedure might have taken 15 minutes, but the time it took me to drive to Sears to buy a flex socket, and the time it took me to clean off the area and unplug all the connectors that were in the way took up a lot of time. My hand did not fit in the gap at all, and I had to get my housemate's friend who had TINY hands to reach in there to screw the bolt back in.

If you think about the time it really takes an amateur mechanic to replace a part the FIRST time, it is not really a 15 minute job. The second time around is really easy though. I have done brake work, replaced my springs/struts, and all routine maintenance on my car and the first time it took all day. The second time, it was a snap. But remember to some people, it is not worth it to spend time learning to do these things when there might be other things more important, like work or family.

kev926

hey i live in boston toO! which nissan dealership do you go to? cambridge nissan?

maybe i should just go there next time..... is it b/c u know someone there or just b/c they're nice?

Soybadboy

I don't blame Kev926 at all. He didn't do anything wrong and was simply unaware of what he was paying for. I'm just astonished about how bad that mechanic screwed him. You have to admit that $1100 for knock/02 sensors is ridiculous. I feel bad for kev926 but he now knows that a little research can save him a lot of cash. He learned the hard way.

Kolyan

no, i don't know anyone at nissan dealer. with the check engine light i went to Frost Nissan in Newton on Washington St, which was about 2 years ago. And with the heater i went to the one on route 1 in Dedham. It's just sometimes people understand that it's easier to just take care of the problem for free right away (if it takes 5 min), other then getting all the paper work done which then can take hours. just try going straight to mechanic, if they are not busy they might take care of u for free.

hacim105

iTrader: (6)

I would rather take 3 hours for a first time job that I did, rather then pay $300+ for a mechanic to do it. Sure it takes time. I guess if you made out of money go ahead and waste it. But for those of us that need to budget things, we like to do things on our own. When I first started fixing things on my maxima I didn't know crap but now that I've done different operations with the help of the .org I know so much more.

95emeraldgxe

my dad paid about 500 bucks to have the o2 sensors changed on my car - he doesnt like me doing my own fixes =[

Dave B

I'm sorry to hear that Keven got screwed so babdly, but this kind of stuff happens all the time. All Keven can do is learn from this so that something like this doesn't happen again.

Now that cars have become far more reliable, shops are overcharging for the most simple jobs. They are going to nickel and dime you every chance they get, especially when you appear to know little about cars.

Working on cars is not a hard thing at all. The right tools, a shop book (factory manual or Chiltons, Haynes is crap), and a little effort will save you a ton of money in the long run. On my Maxima and Subaru Legacy GT, I figure I have saved myself ~$4000 do the install of the entire suspension (multiple times), brakes, fluids, leather interior install, intake manifold and all performance mods, painting and installing my Stillen front lip spoiler, sensors, trouble shooting, rotation, fuel filter replacement, and spark plug changes. There are some things I won't attempt like tranny work and internal engine work, but everything else is fair game as long as I'm comfortable with it.

Looking under the hood of a late model can be a little overwhelming, but remember that all those hoses are mostly just vacuum lines. As long as you keep track of what you remove, you should have no problems. Overall, the overall operating systems of a late model car is very simple. The sensors are typically simple 2 or 3 wire devices.

If you are still uncomfortable working on your car, get a shop manual and learn what kind of labor is involved to perform the work you need. Also, read and search the Org because there is always someone who's had the same experience or trouble. All this information will give you leverage when taking your car to the shop. If you act like you know what the potential problem is, the shop will be less likely to take advantage of you.


Dave

fst96se

iTrader: (1)

If you think this would have been a two hour job, then that would be $400 an hour. Last time I checked most people would be interested in doing WHATEVER for $400 and hour.