🚀 go-pugleaf

Its just this area!  Dang auto shops will really take you for a ride if you let
'em.

Last year a synchro went out on the transmission of my Mitsubishi Eclipse.  I
started phoning.  Best estimate I got was $950.  Had estimates up to the $2900
range, and lots of steps in between.

I moved here from Indianapolis in 1996, and in Indy I had the same job done for
$450 last time.  So, I called my dealer in Indy, Dave Mason Mitsubishi, and made
the arrangements.  Drove to Indy, rented a car to drive back, let 'em fix it,
and drove back the next weekend to pick it up.  There was more wrong with it
than before, so it cost about $650 for the tranny repair, plus the $160 or so
for the rental car for a week.  I also got some more done at the time, including
new clutch, TO bearing, water pump (there was 120,000 miles on the car, and it
had never been changed), new timing belt, 60,000 mile service, etc.  All that
and still $1300 under the top estimate around here just for the tranny.

If/when another syncro goes (this tranny seems to eat one about every $40K miles
- other than that, its a very reliable car) I will probably be in for another
1200 mile round trip.  No reason to put up with the garbage that goes on around
here...

DPH

John R Cambron wrote:

> Walt Horning wrote:
> >
> > We all know the high cost of auto repairs. But you do not have to get
> > the shaft (no pun intended).
> >
> > Some years ago, I got an estimate for a muffer job of $130. I called
> > around and the guy down the street said he'd do it for $110. I told
> > the first guy that, and he said he'd do it for $110 too.
>
> Some shops will match lower bid.
>
> > The other day we took a car to the shop. They wanted $1400 to fix the
>
> For that much you could almost swap it out for a factory new one.
>
> > automatic transmission (rebuild it). I found another guy who said he'd
> > do it for $650.
>
> The deffrents in price depends on overhead what the shop owner pay his
> labor and wether he wants to put his kidds through Harverd or UDC
>
> I did the same thing to change out half shafts and ball joints on a
> 4X4, tire dealer wanted $50.00 more then gas station both shops in
> Calvert County.
>
> > It pays to call around.
>
> --
> ======================================================================
> NT Geek,                    John R Cambron                  Carpenter,
> Transit Geek,             North Beach MD USA              I am getting
> Road Geek,           Remove '*' to reply by email               to old
> Railroad Geek,      fairland@mail.*chesapeake*.net            for this
> Model Railroader HO N                                    kind of work!
> ======================================================================