BG Auto - Am I getting fucked?

[Atreides]

Ok so my check engine light has been on in my Civic (2004 Civic Hybrid) for a while now and my fuel economy has been kinda meh. I took my car in today and I'm getting regular maintenance but they're saying I need the following:

Replace Oxygen Sensor $520 with parts and labor (part alone costs 300, they say)
Battery $139.95
Coolant $69.95
Emission Service $149.95

I would rather not pay so much since I'm already having regular maintenance and the front brakes replaced (which I'm pretty sure they're overcharging me on too), are they trying to screw me on the sensor or any of the other services? Thanks in advance

[deidre]

Take it somewhere else and get another quote.
Oh, and that oxygen sensor is $40 online >.>

[Eliseos]

Judging by this link, it seems a pretty standard price. You could fix it yourself if you felt you could do it, it would just be replacing it. You'd also have to know if it was the engine sensor or the exhaust sensor.

http://www.civicforums.com/forums/18...o2-sensor.html

Everything else seems like standard dealer prices.

[Dantrag]

Where are you getting this done?

Batteries at Sears cost from 49.99(with exchange and the cheapest one they have) to 209.99 for something that you'll never need.
Which coolant are they replacing?

[Atreides]

i dunno what coolant it was, it's just what he told me over the phone, I told him to fuck off basically. I'm going to take the estimate for the stuff im not getting done to sears and see what they say, but yea I think that sensor is a lot more than 40

[Correction]

google sez you're getting lied to about the oxygen sensor

http://www.amazon.com/36531PLE003-36.../dp/B0034EQCOW

find another mechanic.

[Atreides]

think Sears Auto would fix the sensor too, or should I only really go to them for the battery?

[Acturus]

You should be able to get quotes over the phone at most reputable repair shops.

Just call a handful of them in your area and compare prices over the phone. Don't be afraid to question the price on some of these items based on research you might have done (like here, for instance, or through Google searches).

[Correction]

It's not a tremendous amount of work to replace a (front O2) sensor, but they should at least be more honest about the cost of the part. Quoting $300 when MSRP is $220 is pure scalping. You only need one sensor right? It's rare that they'd both fail.

70 bucks for coolant is just what you pay when you don't do it yourself. The fluid is like thirty bucks.

Can't speak to the battery/emission service cost, I don't know hybrids very well.

[Ragnus]

Unless there is something special with the O2 sensor or where it's located then the guy is bending you over the table for it.

[Olo401]

Looks like standard pricing on OEM parts & service from the dealer on a JP car.. You can take it elsewhere (a non-dealer auto repair shop) and pay less.

[Norellicus]

According to my uncle the check engine light generally comes on when any one of those sensors faults as a precaution (so it can be replaced before multiple ones fault), so yeah it's probably just the one. They're expensive no matter where you go in my experience but I don't really pay attention to the parts pricing outside the repair shops since I don't actually know shit about doing them myself lol

[Milks]

i had my O2 sensor replaced for a small fee a while back. check around your area if there is any kind of emissions thing with the state government or anything like that. in alabama there is a group in birmingham called the alabama partners for clean air. they gave me a voucher that paid for 80% of my repair cost, up to $500.

[Callisto]

Yeah I also just had my 02 sensor replaced and I think parts + labor ran $70, another part of my emissions system was busted too, flex pipe I think, and that ran like another $100 tops. I don't know jack shit about cars so I know what it's like when people try to hose you, I would try to ask friends if they know any dependable local mechanics and get a second opinion.

[Meat]

changing a sensor is a pretty easy diy if you've got access to tools, should be easy to find a guide online

[Atreides]

lol I just called Pep Boys and they were like "WE DONT EVEN SELL HYBRID PARTS YOU SHOULD GO TO THE DEALER" and then tried to tell me that I shouldn't buy the part for 150 from autozone because "going with an aftermarket part is going to cause me a lot of headaches". I really would like to not spend 500+ on this bullshit

[Acturus]

lol I just called Pep Boys and they were like "WE DONT EVEN SELL HYBRID PARTS YOU SHOULD GO TO THE DEALER" and then tried to tell me that I shouldn't buy the part for 150 from autozone because "going with an aftermarket part is going to cause me a lot of headaches". I really would like to not spend 500+ on this bullshit

Keep trying. If you call another shop and they say the same thing, tell them you are trying to get a second opinion on pricing and ask if they can recommend anyone other than a dealership. Take it with a grain of salt, though, since some shops get kickbacks for recommending business they can't handle to other people.

If time is on your side here, take your time with it. Auto parts places make their best money on people who can't afford to wait.

[miokomioko]

Fluids are always disgustingly overpriced at a mechanic of any sort.

Dealerships make most of their money off of people who don't know where else to take it... and even more money off of the vehicles that can't be fixed anywhere else. You can buy all your parts elsewhere to save some money, but the catch is going to be that no mechanic will give you a guarantee/warranty on any part that they didn't supply. I used to be a mechanic and I saw a lot of shady shit go down. It's really sad how much everyone gets shafted all of the time and how very little can ever be done about it without learning how to work on your own car. I imagine this goes for a lot of specialties that the average person can't (or doesn't have the time to) wrap their head around or have the highly specialized tools for.

Also, I think the going rate for labor is $80~$100/hr depending on the area... and some places like to round each "job" up to the nearest hour even if they could do 3 different jobs on the same car in 45 minutes. I would recommend googling and rummaging through forums to look for people who have done the job themselves to see if there's stupid design issues that result in excessive disassembly which could make the labor costs realistic. The whole "and x amount of that is parts" could be complete bullshit just to make it sound like a cost you can't avoid no matter where you go as they try to mask their probably inflated labor rates.

[Maaglin]

I know people hate taking their cars to the shop, but there really is nothing wrong with them charging those prices. Marking up $80 on $220 part isn't "robbery". It's called a business, they aren't in it to sell you parts at cost and install them for free. It's just like any other specialty service; you're paying for their expertise which is worth a certain amount. Things like changing your oil and flushing your coolant system are easy, but it's a hassle to get the parts / fluids, actually do the job, dispose of the shit afterwards, etc. I'd gladly just roll up, pay some mechanic while I watch Jerry Springer or read a magazine in the waiting room for 30 mins. And drink shitty free coffee.

A better idea, if you are concerned about auto shop costs, would be to take some of the money you would have spent and invest it in some tools and learn to do easy repairs like this yourself.

[miokomioko]

We were way overdue for one of those posts in here, weren't we.