[acser123]

Hello,
I have 2008 Honda CR-V. I have been taking good care of it: oil change every ~3500 miles, etc. I have a decejt mechanic - had not been taking the car to the dealership for service. The car has 107k miles on it.

I started hearing a rattling noise from the belt. I thought it would be a good idea to take the car to a dealership for then to take a look at it.

They came back with a $5200 quote. In addition to the rattling noise I reported to the. they discovered the power steering losing fluid and said that the stabilizer bars were broken.

The labor rate is $170/hr.

I have the following questions:
1) Is 17.5 hours of labor to perform all the work listed in the attached quote realistic? If not, how many hours you think are realistic?

2) Are the Honda genuine parts priced right?
If not, what’s your estimate?

3) Is it worth taking the car to a dealership or should continue with my mechanic (who did not discover any of the problems that the dealership did)?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
A

 

[EXcommunicated]

Hello,
I have 2008 Honda CR-V. I have been taking good care of it: oil change every ~3500 miles, etc. I have a decejt mechanic - had not been taking the car to the dealership for service. The car has 17k miles on it.

I started hearing a rattling noise from the belt. I thought it would be a good idea to take the car to a dealership for then to take a look at it.

They came back with a $5200 quote. In addition to the rattling noise I reported to the. they discovered the power steering losing fluid and said that the stabilizer bars were broken.

The labor rate is $170/hr.

I have the following questions:
1) Is 17.5 hours of labor to perform all the work listed in the attached quote realistic? If not, how many hours you think are realistic?

2) Are the Honda genuine parts priced right?
If not, what’s your estimate?

3) Is it worth taking the car to a dealership or should continue with my mechanic (who did not discover any of the problems that the dealership did)?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
A

Might want to edit your post to show the correct mileage 🙂

 

[acser123]

Done, thank you. It is 107k miles.

 

[boilerbob2001]

Hello,
I have 2008 Honda CR-V. I have been taking good care of it: oil change every ~3500 miles, etc. I have a decejt mechanic - had not been taking the car to the dealership for service. The car has 107k miles on it.

I started hearing a rattling noise from the belt. I thought it would be a good idea to take the car to a dealership for then to take a look at it.

They came back with a $5200 quote. In addition to the rattling noise I reported to the. they discovered the power steering losing fluid and said that the stabilizer bars were broken.

The labor rate is $170/hr.

I have the following questions:
1) Is 17.5 hours of labor to perform all the work listed in the attached quote realistic? If not, how many hours you think are realistic?

2) Are the Honda genuine parts priced right?
If not, what’s your estimate?

3) Is it worth taking the car to a dealership or should continue with my mechanic (who did not discover any of the problems that the dealership did)?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
A

I suggest a 2nd opinion from either your regular mechanic or a 3rd party.

 

[johnalfa]

Take it to your usual mechanic. He'll be able to confirm what really needs to be done. De-carb and throttle body services are definitely ripoffs; "grumbling noise" may be only the belt tensioner. Please report back what your shop finds.

 

[HollyTiggy]

Hello,
I have 2008 Honda CR-V. I have been taking good care of it: oil change every ~3500 miles, etc. I have a decejt mechanic - had not been taking the car to the dealership for service. The car has 107k miles on it.

I started hearing a rattling noise from the belt. I thought it would be a good idea to take the car to a dealership for then to take a look at it.

They came back with a $5200 quote. In addition to the rattling noise I reported to the. they discovered the power steering losing fluid and said that the stabilizer bars were broken.

The labor rate is $170/hr.

I have the following questions:
1) Is 17.5 hours of labor to perform all the work listed in the attached quote realistic? If not, how many hours you think are realistic?

2) Are the Honda genuine parts priced right?
If not, what’s your estimate?

3) Is it worth taking the car to a dealership or should continue with my mechanic (who did not discover any of the problems that the dealership did)?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
A

I've always found dealerships way too expensive, and they always find "other things that need immediate attention" so only go there for service notices/recalls. I found a local garage within walking distance of my house, that I know and trust, over 35 years I have never felt taken advantage of by these guys, which is important as an older female. My advise would be to ask friends and neighbours who they use and if you start hearing one garage's name several times then try them.

 

[Wes Kootenay]

Take it to your usual mechanic. He'll be able to confirm what really needs to be done. De-carb and throttle body services are definitely ripoffs; "grumbling noise" may be only the belt tensioner. Please report back what your shop finds.

2nd that.
Also, do a search in this sub-forum for 'power steering leak', it seems to be a common problem but most just keep an eye on the fluid level.
Good luck with this.
Oh, and welcome to the forum

 

[ajchien]

I don’t think you should put much into the “labor time”. It is a preset payment for the task, supposedly based on having all the necessary tools immediately available and performing it on a new, rust free car where everything goes perfectly. There is a standardized “book” for the “labor time” for every task.

things like stubborn or broken/stuck bolts or rust will obviously add to the time needed to finish the task. On the other hand, mechanics often buy and invest in the tools to be able to finish the task faster. These variables are not included in the “labor time”.

I think you will find that your personal mechanic will be using the same “labor time” as the dealership. However you will find “labor rates” will be different. Realize that the mechanic gets paid roughly $20-30/hour and not making the “labor rate” of $170/hr. Independent mechanics usually have less overhead than a dealership, thus they often offer “labor rates” that are less expensive.

 

[Higgy Baby]

If your regular mechanic is a Honda mech- if so I'd give him a shot at it. If not- then I'd look for an independent Honda shop. Some of them can do some pretty serious repairs- and much less than a dealer.
Don't know where you are- but try to google 'Honda shop' and see what you can find. You might get lucky.

 

[chidog]

On the repair quote, what is "OTHER" and the huge mark up after it. The labor is sometimes way lower than the "OTHER" find out what the "OTHER" is. Yeah if it was an old 1950's car so much easier to work on, no areas that are impossible to get either your hands or the tool into.

 

[Lammmbda]

Sounds like my story couple years ago, came back w a 4K quote for transmission and axle seal related work, took it to my regular mech, spent only 800 to do what’s actually important. the rest are just the dealer trying to make a 10yr old car to a new car.

The dealer didn’t even bother to explain to me that most of these items are not related to the issues that brought me in there.

def go back to your regular guy

 

[sunrise]

Ridiculously high stealership quote!! Definitely try going to a local shop, a recommended one that does good work on Hondas. That quote would bankrupt a lot of people......dealer definitely trying to make a 14yo car new again. Better yet, read up on your specific problems, watch lots of youtube repair videos and DIY all those repairs yourself, bit by bit, to save thousands. Or, enlist another DIYer to help with the fix.

 

[Beejayblue49]

Hello,
I have 2008 Honda CR-V. I have been taking good care of it: oil change every ~3500 miles, etc. I have a decejt mechanic - had not been taking the car to the dealership for service. The car has 107k miles on it.

I started hearing a rattling noise from the belt. I thought it would be a good idea to take the car to a dealership for then to take a look at it.

They came back with a $5200 quote. In addition to the rattling noise I reported to the. they discovered the power steering losing fluid and said that the stabilizer bars were broken.

The labor rate is $170/hr.

I have the following questions:
1) Is 17.5 hours of labor to perform all the work listed in the attached quote realistic? If not, how many hours you think are realistic?

2) Are the Honda genuine parts priced right?
If not, what’s your estimate?

3) Is it worth taking the car to a dealership or should continue with my mechanic (who did not discover any of the problems that the dealership did)?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
A

Your car is 14 yrs old. As such, spending that sort of money is not a worthwhile proposition.
However, the parts required for the water pump can be purchased for far less if you use aftermarket parts. Any reasonable mechanic can perform the work at far less cost as well.
As for the power steering, if you weren't aware of the leak, it can't be too bad. Try an additive to soften the seal.
As for the stabiliser bars, it is normal for the connecting links to wear and need replacing. These are cheap and easy to fit.
You should be able to get it all done by a reputable mechanic for $500 to $1000 depending on parts and labour costs and your car will last a few more good years.
Cheers, Baz

 

[Climber]

If the stabilizer is indeed broken, that's a priority to fix. But I would take that to an alignment shop (suspension specialist shop), not the dealer. I had a very bad experience with a dealer that replaced a rear control arm and returned the vehicle to me without doing an alignment. I promptly left on a trip, only to discover that the rear wheels were toed out and either one or the other would grip more depending on road surface and snow coverage, causing the car to constantly steer itself from the rear. We made swerving progress down the road, with my elderly mom aboard. This was terrifying and destroyed two rear tires in about 400 miles. Upon my return to the dealer, they agreed only to replace one tire so I was out the cost of a tire because of their negligence and incompetence. Never again. The power steering rack leak may not be important. Some leakage at the ends is not unusual in a car that age, and unless it depletes the reservoir quickly such that there's a risk of running it dry if you forget to check it, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[tglenn]

Hello,
I have 2008 Honda CR-V. I have been taking good care of it: oil change every ~3500 miles, etc. I have a decejt mechanic - had not been taking the car to the dealership for service. The car has 107k miles on it.

I started hearing a rattling noise from the belt. I thought it would be a good idea to take the car to a dealership for then to take a look at it.

They came back with a $5200 quote. In addition to the rattling noise I reported to the. they discovered the power steering losing fluid and said that the stabilizer bars were broken.

The labor rate is $170/hr.

I have the following questions:
1) Is 17.5 hours of labor to perform all the work listed in the attached quote realistic? If not, how many hours you think are realistic?

2) Are the Honda genuine parts priced right?
If not, what’s your estimate?

3) Is it worth taking the car to a dealership or should continue with my mechanic (who did not discover any of the problems that the dealership did)?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
A

Does it need a water pump?
C and D are wallet flushes .

 

[J.R. Ruiz]

Might want to edit your post to show the correct mileage 🙂

Hello. Take it back to your mechanic and tell him what the dealer found to see his verdict. If you still feel unsure take it to a Pepboys or a commercial auto service station. They usually give a free estimate. Compare them and if they find the same issues go back to your mechanic and have him make the repairs at a fraction of the price.

 

[chrisrob1]

Hello,
I have 2008 Honda CR-V. I have been taking good care of it: oil change every ~3500 miles, etc. I have a decejt mechanic - had not been taking the car to the dealership for service. The car has 107k miles on it.

I started hearing a rattling noise from the belt. I thought it would be a good idea to take the car to a dealership for then to take a look at it.

They came back with a $5200 quote. In addition to the rattling noise I reported to the. they discovered the power steering losing fluid and said that the stabilizer bars were broken.

The labor rate is $170/hr.

I have the following questions:
1) Is 17.5 hours of labor to perform all the work listed in the attached quote realistic? If not, how many hours you think are realistic?

2) Are the Honda genuine parts priced right?
If not, what’s your estimate?

3) Is it worth taking the car to a dealership or should continue with my mechanic (who did not discover any of the problems that the dealership did)?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
A

Take it to a third mechanic. See what they say.

 

[8dragon]

Hello,
I have 2008 Honda CR-V. I have been taking good care of it: oil change every ~3500 miles, etc. I have a decejt mechanic - had not been taking the car to the dealership for service. The car has 107k miles on it.

I started hearing a rattling noise from the belt. I thought it would be a good idea to take the car to a dealership for then to take a look at it.

They came back with a $5200 quote. In addition to the rattling noise I reported to the. they discovered the power steering losing fluid and said that the stabilizer bars were broken.

The labor rate is $170/hr.

I have the following questions:
1) Is 17.5 hours of labor to perform all the work listed in the attached quote realistic? If not, how many hours you think are realistic?

2) Are the Honda genuine parts priced right?
If not, what’s your estimate?

3) Is it worth taking the car to a dealership or should continue with my mechanic (who did not discover any of the problems that the dealership did)?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
A

They are really throwing the parts cannon at you! Many of those services / parts are probably not needed. I would take that list to your own mechanic to get his opinion. A stethoscope goes a long ways towards narrowing down a noise problem. A (anti)sway bar seldom breaks, it is usually the links at the end that break - small rods that attached to the lower control arm & the (anti)sway bar.

 

[udraft]

Your car is 14 yrs old. As such, spending that sort of money is not a worthwhile proposition

Sure it is. Go buy a car for $5200, let us know how far it goes.
Plus, I'm thinking the essential repairs will be half that.