🚀 go-pugleaf

Thomas Stone wrote in message <6a5vph$lrj$1@news.duke.edu>...
>I live in Durham and am looking for an honest mechanic to tell me if I
>really need the new radiator, hoses and belts that the dealer claims I need
>(all told about $800). Does anyone have any recommendations for this?
Thanks

Tom,

Even if you *did* need all of this done, these jobs fall under the realm of
"DIY".  I am by no means a mechanic, or even very mechanically inclined.
However, changing these items is downright simple.

Belts - Loosen the bolts (but don't remove) for the accessory that you are
changing the belt for.  Pivot the accessory a little until the belt is slack
and then replace the belt.  Pivot the accessory back, so the belt is pretty
tight, and tighten up the accessory bolts.  Done!

Hoses - This is even easier than belts.  Drain your radiator (there is a
valve on the bottom that opens up and drains all of the antifreeze) into an
approved container and save the antifreeze for later, unless you haven't had
the fluid changed in awhile.  Once it is drained there are two clamps per
hose, one on each end, that need to be loosened.  Common clamps are worm
gear clamps that you merely loosen one screw to get the hose off.  Very
simple replacement.

Radiator - This is the trickiest part of the who operation.  I suggest
getting a Haynes manual to show how to do it on your particular vehicle.  It
seldom requires more than removing the fan shroud, hoses, and a couple of
brackets.  But each vehicle varies here.

All told, you can do all this yourself for under $300 depending on how much
the parts are for your car.

--

Chris Hedemark - http://www.yonderway.com - chris @ yonderway . com
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