Advice Needed: Took car to stealership and here is what they want ...

[voivod]

My truck (2000 Explorer) has been having a very rough idle, misfiring, been very sluggish and sometimes barely moves, also the battery light keeps coming up.
took it to the local stealership and here is their diagnosis and their costs:

- Vacuum leak in the Intake Manifold , Gasket(s) should be replaced.
- Bad TPS, needs replacing
- Spark Plugs need replacing
Those 3 items above supposedly cost around $185 according to them.

- Engine needs to be flushed and cleaned (they say its rusty and corroded)
- Bad Alternator , needs replacement (According to them it'll cost $530)

Labor charges are gonna cost around $660

what do you guys think ? for me it sounds like a total rip off
some advice would be much appreciated.
Cheers.

 

[bisjoe]

Those problems sound like what I'd expect from the symptoms, and the prices while a lot of $ seem reasonable for a dealer. Did they charge you $85 for the diagnosis? There's nothing in that list that you couldn't do yourself, for about $200 in parts.

They may be charging $80-100/hour labor and charge for the hours shown for each job in their book. If it takes twice as long as that they'll charge more. If it takes 1/2 as long they will still charge for the time shown in the book. Plus, their parts will be a lot more expensive than what you'll pay at the local Napa or other auto parts store.

 

[Joe Dirt]

Excellent advice. I was thinking it sounded about right for a dealer. If you're mechanically inclined, there isn't anything in there that can't be done in your driveway/garage with a little patience. <Insert Axl Rose Serpentines here>

 

[voivod]

i dont know, i 100% aint getting the alternator from them.
i found online high powered (200ma) alternators for half that price.

Seems like ill just tell them to fix the vacuum leak in the intake manifold, change the TPS (as ive tried and failed, the screws are glued) and maybe clean the engine.

Any recommendations for reliable/performance spark-plugs and a good alternator ?

 

[BrooklynBay]

Did you try one of those hammer style impact screwdrivers? You hit the top with a hammer, and the bit twists. It will take out those hard to turn screws. I would recommend replacing them with metric bolts. As for the alternator, go to Autozone, and have them test it before replacing it.

 

[Gator Jeff]

There's plenty of good plugs out there and there are varying opinions as to what is best. If in doubt, you can't go wrong with Motorcraft. While you're changing the plugs, might as well get new wires. Plug wires tend to break down over time and may fail when you remove them from the plugs. Again, lots of options, can't go wrong with Motorcraft.
As for removing the plugs, get yourself some wobble sockets and a pair of mechanics gloves so you don't kill the knuckles. The driver's side rearmost plug is a PITA! I'd also recommend keeping the neighborhood kids away if you tend to swear. If you do, you'll sound like a sailor getting the plugs out. Also, don't forget the dielectric grease.

Oh, and get yourself a set of wobbles for your socket wrench. Those and maybe a universal joint will make getting the plugs out much easier. Maybe a couple different extensions as well. Remember, you're saving hundreds by DIY. Spend some of that on good tools and they'll make your job much easier. They'll also pay off forever.

 

[djsk8r33]

if'n you MUST get a mech to do the work why cant you find a good mech around town? the steelership ALWAYS overcharge EVERYTHING. even a good in-town, HONEST HONEST mechanic will be cheaper.

although, as been said, most of that can be done in your driveway

 

[voivod]

Latest developments:

They called me today, and supposedly they have to change the entire intake manifold gasket set ... which according to them it costs around $300 !

- how can gaskets cost that much ?
- and supposedly they have to change the entire set once they remove the intake manifold .. whether they are busted or not, is that true ?

 

[Gator Jeff]

0.01 gasket. 299.99 in labor. Trust me, it's not that far off. Should ask if they are able to combine the labor with anything else they're doing.

 

[voivod]

0.01 gasket. 299.99 in labor. Trust me, it's not that far off. Should ask if they are able to combine the labor with anything else they're doing.

lol, believe it or not thats the price EXCLUDING Labor !!!

i found this set on ebay, do you think those will do ?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...STRK:MEWA:IT&viewitem=&item=170213518700&rd=1

 

[Gator Jeff]

Probably would. Good luck having the stealership install them though. That's crazy though. I'm pretty sure it was the head gaskets they replaced on my truck and I think it was something like 3.50 a gasket. I replaced the intake plenum gaskets and they were about 7.00 total. I don't know what to say, but I feel for you man.

 

[prayforsurf]

dude do it yourself. theres such a satisfaction in knowing that you witnessed and performed the whole process, and you now know even more detail about your truck. when the dealership does it you get it back working, but you have no idea if they lost a bolt or screw, or had to fab something up. its just nice when you know everything about your car and what clever fabrications you had to create to make something happen. plus the money you save is unreal, and the knowledge is priceless.

 

[voivod]

dude do it yourself. theres such a satisfaction in knowing that you witnessed and performed the whole process, and you now know even more detail about your truck. when the dealership does it you get it back working, but you have no idea if they lost a bolt or screw, or had to fab something up. its just nice when you know everything about your car and what clever fabrications you had to create to make something happen. plus the money you save is unreal, and the knowledge is priceless.

The intake manifold is kind of a big step , dont you think ?
Its not an easy job at all, that im sure of

 

[prayforsurf]

The intake manifold is kind of a big step , dont you think ?
Its not an easy job at all, that im sure of

Well only you know your limitations, or at least how confident you feel about certain tasks and its good you recognize them. However, I would do all the other stuff that can be quite easy, at the most annoying, just remember though a lot of things aren't neccessarily hard, they just require perserverance.

All in all I say, do some research like you are, find out what you think you can handle and go for it. Let the dealership do the rest. Good luck!

 

[gijoecam]

The intake manifold is kind of a big step , dont you think ?
Its not an easy job at all, that im sure of

If you're at all mechanically inclined, you can do the intake manifold gaskets... $300 for the set??? Are they gold-plated!??!

You haven't mentioned if you have the 4.0 SOHC or the OHV motor... The OHV is a bit more involved from what I understand, but the SOHC gaskets are like $45 for the set, and all it takes is some patience, a rainy afternoon, and a good set of torx bits for your socket set. The first time through it should take about 3 hours using the step-by-step write-up from this site. Any subsequent attempts should take about an hour, less with the hood off the vehicle.

It's not bad at all...

-Joe

 

[voivod]

If you're at all mechanically inclined, you can do the intake manifold gaskets... $300 for the set??? Are they gold-plated!??!

You haven't mentioned if you have the 4.0 SOHC or the OHV motor... The OHV is a bit more involved from what I understand, but the SOHC gaskets are like $45 for the set, and all it takes is some patience, a rainy afternoon, and a good set of torx bits for your socket set. The first time through it should take about 3 hours using the step-by-step write-up from this site. Any subsequent attempts should take about an hour, less with the hood off the vehicle.

It's not bad at all...

-Joe

My truck is an OHV.
And nah, im not good with car mechanics at all ... the most complicated thing i did was change the stock air filter with a K&N FIPK kit

i made a deal with the dealership though, that ill get them the gasket set and they'll install it and only charge for labor, around $300.

Im really up for doing it myself though, but im afraid i might mess up my truck .

 

[voivod]

So since my last post here, i ordered a gasket set from ebay.
A mechanic installed it for me, but the car was still the same (if not worse) !

So i took it back the other day to the stealership and they said: (there is still leak in the intake manifold, and since you have already replaced the gaskets that means the intake manifold has a deformity and it needs to be replaced) !!

A deformity in the intake manifold ?! what do they mean ?

And they said the intake manifold would cost around $660 (excluding labor charge) !!

 

[MustangAndy]

So since my last post here, i ordered a gasket set from ebay.
A mechanic installed it for me, but the car was still the same (if not worse) !

So i took it back the other day to the stealership and they said: (there is still leak in the intake manifold, and since you have already replaced the gaskets that means the intake manifold has a deformity and it needs to be replaced) !!

A deformity in the intake manifold ?! what do they mean ?

And they said the intake manifold would cost around $660 (excluding labor charge) !!

Deformity - deformed. They're basically saying that somewhere the manifold is either bent, warped, chipped, etc. Somewhere on it there's a problem.

Did you change just the gaskets or did you do the plugs and wires as well? My '98 has a misfiring problem that I fixed just by changing the plugs (check heat range) and the wires.

-Andy
D.J.O.R. Netzhauptmann

 

[voivod]

Deformity - deformed. They're basically saying that somewhere the manifold is either bent, warped, chipped, etc. Somewhere on it there's a problem.

Did you change just the gaskets or did you do the plugs and wires as well? My '98 has a misfiring problem that I fixed just by changing the plugs (check heat range) and the wires.

-Andy
D.J.O.R. Netzhauptmann

I changed the plugs and the TPS aswell when i did the gaskets !

Could it be that the guy installed the gaskets wrong ?

 

[Russ in CT]

On what are they basing their diagnosis that now the intake manifold is damaged? I can see that running rough one might think vacuum leak, and perhaps they have experience to know that this is sometimes the intake manifold gaskets, but did they do some test to determine it was the intake manifold leaking, and not, say, a simple $2.00 vacuum hose someplace?

My take is they misdiagnosed the intake manifold (or knew from the start it was just a leaking hose or maybe the IAC valve, and were just going to rip you off, fix it cheap, charge you out the wazoo), then got pissed when you had the nerve to bring it someplace else to get fixed, so they are trying to double-screw you by saying the other shop damaged the intake manifold. Even if they know they did misdiagnosis it, they know whatever it is will be cheaper than the intake manifold price they are giving you, so they can fix it for cheaper and still come out on top.

Make them explain how they can be sure that it’s a leaking intake manifold, and not some other intake leak. Are they just guessing, or did they do some definitive test? What test, how?

If for some crazy reason you DO have them change the intake manifold, insist up front they save the old parts. Afterwards have them show you where the ‘damage’ is. They said its ‘deformed’, make them get a straight edge, etc, to show where the deformity is. If they can’t, you shouldn’t have to pay.