Glad it is being taken care of.IWish wrote: ↑Sat Sep 25, 2021 5:29 pm4runner is at the body shop - replacing fender and door. They have a special camera (like Home Depot) that codes the color formula - they mix their own paint. Yeah... it's def their problem. Ha! Getting the work on the engine for free - pretty sure that won't happen. The engine work was simple, really, replacing 2 hoses on radiator and the alternator belt. Got a quote when I was there a week prior... they called me the week after letting me know of a 'special' $100 off the price quoted. This is a full service Firestone - not just tires. I'm in-between mechanics and just wanted to get the work done. Lets not kid ourselves... finding a good mechanic is, pretty much, a crap shoot.
No doubt, finding a good mechanic is not easy. Glad I can do most of the work myself, lol. Don’t remember the last time I went to the shop - not in the last 10-15 years, I don’t think, tires aside.
The accessory belt and a couple of hoses for $700 is quite a bit, imo. Especially, because it is a four-cylinder engine. Then again, I have no idea what the labour costs down your neck of the woods are. Still… I changed the belt on my V6 4Runner a couple of years ago and it took me 10 minutes and $40 for the belt. Earlier this summer, I noticed that the “new” belt looked like fudge, so I put the old one (I kept it for an “emergency”) back on (again 10 minutes) and ordered another one from the dealer for $80 (they are much better), which I still didn’t pick up. Given they are Firestone, they are probably putting aftermarket parts in, so the belt shouldn’t be more than $30-40. The hoses would probably run about the same. Given that it is sometimes hard to find aftermarket hoses due to fitment, they may have gotten them from a dealer, which would run a bit more (doubt it is the case though). Assuming, on the higher end, they are charging you $200 for the belt and hoses (perhaps, also antifreeze, which they may have had to drain and refill, depending on the hoses, and clamps and whatnot), they are also charging you at least 4 hours worth of labour, probably more (I doubt it’s over $120 per hour). That seems to be a lot of time for minor repairs like that. But I am not a mechanic, lol. Of course, there could be more that you didn’t mention (like, maybe, say, $100 for “diagnostics”, etc), but the stuff you did mention likely wouldn’t take me more than a couple of hours on my driveway without a lift and other “proper” equipment and tools. Also, I am talking in Canadian dollars; on your side of the border, parts are cheaper.
Regardless, glad they are repairing their drymount up. The paint thing was an excuse. Any decent shop will match almost any colour if you bring the vehicle in.