So I took my car to my mechanic 2 days ago to check out an oil leak. I thought it was the crank seal at first, since it was leaking from the passenger side of the engine but it turns out it wasn't the seal, it was the rear valve cover gasket, and the front one is looking pretty bad as well. He quoted me $250 to replace both valve cover gaskets. I want to know if that's a decent price or not.

 

That's not too bad of a price where I come from

Obviously it'll depend on your location.

 

Oh the valve covers?? thats it lol

THe front cover is easy. Jus get some RTV sealant, take off the valve cover and make sure to apply an small amount. U DONT want it to come out once u re-bolt. Jus enough so that it will expand and set once warm

THe rear valve cover may be a little harder since its further back and more crap / wires in the way. but somethin u can definitely do urself. He may buy an new gasket but u can reuse the old one with some sealant to create a better seal.


Shdnt take more than 3 hrs to re-seal. 3 times 50 bucks is only 150. Plus new gasket sets i suppose. Its not a bad price. Its also not an awesome price either. Since it shdnt take 3 hrs to replace.

 

where i'm at its 80 an hr so figure 3x80 plus gaskets=250ish, do the front one yourself it'll save you some money unless you don't really care about money.

 

Yeah, it's a pretty fair price if you can't DIY

 

Not a bad price @ all. Some people have a hard time understanding mechanics have bills & responsiblilities too.

 

yea and some mechanics bust peoples *** with 300 bucks to do a knock sensor... fact is that if in this economy you need to shop around and ask...

 

Not sure why you are responding to me.... This is clearly not a case of being riped off $250 is reasonable. It sounds like you got ripped before...Feel free to comfront that specfic "mechanic" with your frustration, I on the other hand do not deserve it. BTW I charge $40 to R&I knock sensors & would of charge $160(parts & labor) for this job

 

If you wouldn't mind driving about 50mi I would say go to my mechanic. His name is Roy and he owns Eurasian Autowerks here in Bradenton. He does a great job and never kills me on pricing. I just replaced the engine in my 96', after it died on the way home from UT up there, and he only charged $1300 including labor.

 

Dude - 300 bucks for a Cali spec Knock sensor - that would be cheap. Cali spec is a PIA

 

ok. u misunderstood me.. im saying it as a general statement... that mechanics like to overcharge for stuff.. and that its a good idea that he shops and asks around (like he is doing here) i know hes not getting ripped off... but maybe get a buddy to do it for a six pack or something?

 

do it yourself. very easy job. just buy the gaskets and some RTV and get going

 

By the book, this is 3.3hr job. If you are mechanically inclined and you have the time, you may want to do it yourself. However, since you are questioning the price of a mechanic, I will assume you do not want to DIY. So, the answer to your question, "I want to know if that's a decent price or not"; Yes, that is a good price for 3-3.5 hrs of labor and a v/c gasket set.

 

Sounds normal. Nothing is ever cheap when you go to a mechanic.

 

I was charged a lot more than a few months that to replace JUST the rear valve cover gasket. Not only that but they didn't even give me a quote. They just did it, without authorization... to the tune of $800! I call in to see if they have a diagnosis and they had already done it.

I was working an extremely busy schedule at the time so I was unable to do it myself

oh, and I asked them if they had replaced the spark plugs while they were wasting my money and they gave me **** for it ... I never got a clear answer about that. I do know that the front spark plugs were the same as before...

Don't ever go to Pinnacle Automotive in Philly.

 

I understood you in your first post...You just proved my point once again with your statement above. No "mechanic" that I know or deal with likes to overcharge. Alot of customers want us to work for free,& as I stated before we have bills too. I just noticed you have a "strong" opinion on this forum & it is one I do not agree with

 

Im not pro anymore, I shadetree on the side tho. I dont qoute for friends and co-workers either. I like to pull an arbitrary # out my @$$ after the fact. They generally give me more because I charge half what they expected to pay me.

In most cases the mechanic will only get less than $15 of that $80 you pay. Dont blame the mechanics, blame the managers. Even at that the shop has bills.

 

I did this on a '97 and it was easy. You can do it yourself in two hours. Replace any spark plug seals, which are in the valve covers, that are leaking.

 

160 for both front and rear? I may be hitting you up soon. My front is leaking pretty bad as apparent by the almost black UIM.

Its a job I've been wanting to attempt myself but have been hesitant to try it.

 

THe front side valve cover is easy. I wd def DIY. The rear is more of a PITA.

 

I would say save the money and DIY...while you are at it wrinkle paint the valve Covers!