I just had my water pump and a clutch line replaced and it cost me over $800....the mechanic stated the water pump took nearly 6 hours to install and I am curious if this is at all true?! The clutch line cost $73 for the lower clutch line and only 15 min to install....I'm trying to decide whether or not I should say something....I haven't' got the car back yet but hope to soon....

 

thats bs. water pump takes 2-3 hours TOPS. and the actual item should cost no more than 200 itself. so at 85 an hour, worst case scenario it should be like 450. theres not much you can do now though, once hes done the work. you should have gotten a fixed quote on paper before giving him the ok.
if you really want to get nasty you can threaten him with bad publicity (local news, papers, whatever) or threaten to report him to the BBB (better business bureau). either way you should let him know you are pissed and you will be slandering his business everywhere you can.

 

yeah ^ the guy with 5 posts sounds unfortunately right --- too late my friend, should have gotten like 3 - 5 different price quotes and compared that before doing the work

 

The problem is, many mechanics will go by what the service manuals say as to how long it will take. since most shops treat it as almost the same as a timing chain replacement, if youre not careful you'll get hosed.

 

Water Pump P.N.-2101031U85 $102.50 DLR, Alldata labor time 3.9hrs.

 

Holy **** that sucks! I knew something smelled fishy...he stated the manual said 5.85 hours of works and that its in a hard to reach spot....well, thanks for the insight and I guess i just won't go back to him...that SOB!!!

 

water pump is real hard to change! i just got done putting in the water pump, just gota install everything else, worked on it for about 3 hours a day, in 4 days it was done! finally!!!

 

I suggest you politely negotiate (no profanity – you will be setting the tone). Ask him if it is his first 4TH Gen Maxima water pump replacement (which it probably is) and would it take 6 hours if he had to do another one. The water pump is difficult to change. I'd rather swap a transmission than a water pump on a Maxima. It probably did take him 6 hours as he said. Get an estimate or two from other shops and offer to pay something similar since you should not have to pay for his inexperience with Maxima water pumps. I think $500 ($400 labor) just for the water pump work would be fair. Your goal should be anything less than what he has quoted you.

FYI…be prepared to start having clutch problems. If this is the first time work has been done to your clutch lines you may start having problems. If your clutch pedal starts feeling different and will not pop back up, you will likely need a new master cylinder. Keep an eye on the fluid in the master cylinder reservoir and for any leaks. If you start having problems, PM me.

 

^^^^Thank you so very much for your advice and information from your experience! I appreciate everyone's help! Thanks and I'll let you know if I need some help on part allocation!

-Lieb-

 

I just had mine done and it was $375. I thought seriously about doing it myself and knew I couldn't get it done in a reasonable time. I think the parts were about $125 (pump plus misc) - the rest was labor.

 

i got my water pump and timing chain tensionor + guide done for 500. 800 is pretty steep.