I paid the local mechanic around 350 for a 100k tune-up and installation of a frankencar intake and midpipe. I supplied the spark plugs and the intake/midpipe. Here's what they did.

Changed spark plugs
Cleaned throttle bottle
Replaced PCV valve
Changed fuel filter
Checked ECU codes
Installed the intake

He also dinged up the side door of my car, I dunno how much it costs them to do that.

I'm thinkin i got ripped off but I just wanted to ask the experts

 

Well... Lets just say I did everything you had done, Plus PCV + Fuel Filter (parts cost) for about $20.

Sorry man

 

you paid him AND he damaged your car?!

 

I am no expert! However I never would have paid if he dented the car. You really need to go back and set him straight. IMO

 

 

Yes! you def. got ripped it wouldnt take that long to install all that stuff. Id go back and def. complain about denting your car.

 

lasjdf;laskfaslaksjf;asldfj;asldfkjas;flkajsdfa;sd fj

THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS EVEN THO YOU SUPPLIED HIM THE PARTS AND YOU GOT A DING IN YOUR CAR?!?!?!?!?!!?


and here you are asking us if you got ripped off?!

 

THATS CRAZY MAN

 

this is for paying him 350 dollars
this is for not complaining after he dinged your door
this is for the mechanic who should be taken care of by the org members for rippin off our family member

 

Well, my mother picked up my car for me or I would have complained on the spot. I told her I wasnt paying 350 dollars when the guy quoted me around 150 which I thought was high for DIY work, but since I was lazy and didnt wanna mess with the intake I figured i'd take it to her mechanic. When she told me I owed her 350 dollars I was pretty steamed. I asked her to give me the receipt and here's the breakdown:

Spark plug installation - 130(He told her he needed to take apart the engine to install these which I thought was BS since I own a Haynes manual and looked through it)
Check Brakes - 8.00
Clean Throttle Body 0 32.50
Install intake - 65
Replace PCV value + fuel filter - 32.50
and then he charged 45 for parts(PCV value and fuel filter which is also BS)
+tax

I guess there's not much about the price that I can do now, but i'm definately going in about the dent. I already know he's full of **** because he told me he tested out the intake and it was pretty loud(so he had to be going faster than residential driving) but when confronted about the ding he said all he did was pull the car into the garage....somehow theres holes in his story.

 

wow i would install intakes all day i would be rich...
good luck with the mechanic though man

 

Sorry to hear about your problem. Yes you got ripped off. At first when I saw the subject of your thread, I thought for a second that you were going to say that I ripped you off on the intake.


Too bad you don't live near me, I would do all of that for you for free.


How do you like the intake so far?

 

Well the intakes awesome, atleast thats a deal I didnt get ripped off on

 

What the ****..
130$ to install spark plugs?

all there is, is take off the valve cover.. which is a few screws.. then a single screw for each spark plug. An regular extension to pull each of them out.. put in the new ones and put the cover back on.. that's a ****in 20 min. job. How much does he charge per hour for his labor? typically it should be 60-80$/hr.

PCV valve costs like 3$.. from Nissan. Less than 5 minutes to change.. pull off a hose, take out the old valve, put in the new one, put the hose back on.. thats all.
Fuel filter is like 15$.. from Nissan. Can be quite tricky if you have ABS brakes, so there is limited room to work with.. but still shouldn't take long for a MECHANIC. I did mine in 10 min without ABS.

To install the intake.. it shouldn't take more than 30 minutes.



he definately shafted you on the pricing.
If he quoted you 150$ before hand, i wouldn't pay anything more..

also, find out how he determines his prices.. it should be hourly.. and all of that together should have taken him under 1.5 hours..

 

BRO, thats WAY TOO MUCH, OMG, bro, from this point, NEVER go to a mechanic to do sh*t like that, installation, spark plug change, OMG, post on here and save money. SOMEONE WILL DO IT FOR U for free if not a lot cheaper, OMG!!!! jesus christ. Mechanics are a LAST resort for me.

 

Typical newbie sentence:
"but since I was lazy and didnt wanna mess with the intake"

In about a year, if you keep up on the .org and meet some local members, you're REALLY going to regret saying that.

And even moreso, really regret paying someone to do some things that takes less than an hour and doesn't even get your hands dirty.

 

not only that, u can't match the satisfaction that real good effort and time went into it and u know for a fact it was done right... oh yeah and the experience is very good too

 

Spark plugs are a 20 min job, PCV valve is 2 second job. ECU should not be checked unless CEL is on.

The throttle body can be cleaned while installing the intake
The fuel filter is easier to get to with the stock intake off.
And the intake is no problem....i spent a little over an hour with mine, and that was the first major mod i did to my car.







If you have the haynes manual why did you pay someone to do this. The point of having a repair manual is to repair the car. I realize that some people buy just to have an idea of what needs to be done, but there's no time estimate, or materials pricing in it, so either way, you're paying whatever price the mechanic sets.

Not necessarily, he could have just put the car in neutral and revved it, like i did, to see if everything was set before you give it a road test.

Look at it this way: you just bought yourself lessons. Hopefully you learned what not to do when it comes to having work done on your car.

 

You had the parts and the manual and you decided to take it to a mechanic who wound up charging you $350. Did you get ripped? NO man you got

Charged you $130 to change the spark plugs and he explained that to you with a straight face? That was bold.

And then to add insult to injury, he put a dent in your car.

Please let us know the shop that you went to so that we can all avoid him. And to beat a dead horse, next time DIY.

 

Well, if I could take it all back I would. The shop that ripped me was R&R friendly(hah) service. Is there another shop in Morris County NJ that anyone knows of that is reliable?

 

u got more than ripped off...you got rape and left for good...i did all the maintenance you mention myself and all took less than 2hrs..i was taking my time...u could have ask around and i'm sure some members could have help you or done it for u at a way lower price than $350....but oh well learn from your mistake...you definitely need to go back and tell me to paid for the dent on your car...