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Cadillac Northstar engines have the starter under the intake manifold.
Most cars have the starter under the intake manifold.
Somewhere under the intake manifold.
Knowing where and how to get to it is rather the trick.
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If you're mechanically inclined and you have the tools, it isn't too difficult.
Two more of those tricks.
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Most people though are scared of doing it and some shops will use that to their advantage.
Most people realize they don't know the few dozen other things they need to know (Torque? Do they know what torque is? Do they know what a torque wrench is? Do they know how to remove a stuck nut in a tight compartment? Do they know how to remove and replace a broken stud?) besides having the tools and being a bit mechanically inclined.
Mechanic - Hello Mr thecoalman this is joe the mechanic. I got your car here and it needs a new starter.
You- Hey there Joe. ok go ahead and do the work (thinking hell its three bolts and 10 minutes can’t be more than $150 for everything. And it’s freezing/raining/hot outside and i got other things to do
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It was more like here is my car, inspect it and change the starter with the expectation is was going to be about $200,
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The starter was just there?
Keystone is literally 1/2 a block from this place. It's the largest automotive warehouse on the east coast AFAIK. It's even convenient for DIY'er because if the parts store doesn't have it in stock you can take the order sheet and they will pull it for you.
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So........it’s not really just three bolts staring you in the face now is it?
And don’t forget trying to get a starter out of these newer FWD vehicles is not that easy,
This was on 2003 Buick Regal with a 3800, it's right in the front and nothing in the way. Now if they were going to change the oil pan gasket which is usually easy job and look s like easy job there may be an argument there. The pan won't come out without removing some motor mounts including the "bolt from hell" that is in the narrow space between the transmission and the engine. Easy to get out, not so easy to put back in.
Quick tip if you ever encounter a "bolt from hell". Take an electric glue gun and you can glue the bolt to a long skinny screwdriver. It's easy to break and sets up quick if you need to reset it.
It was more like here is my car, inspect it and change the starter with the expectation is was going to be about $200,
Keystone is literally 1/2 a block from this place. It's the largest automotive warehouse on the east coast AFAIK. It's even convenient for DIY'er because if the parts store doesn't have it in stock you can take the order sheet and they will pull it for you.
Actually it is..
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So you basically confirmed my post. You simply didn’t bother to ask for a total cost because you assumed it was gonna be cheap, That isn’t the mechanics fault. He did exactly what you wanted done. He didn’t ********* he didn’t take advantage of you.
THATS WHY I ASK FOR A TOTAL COST BEFORE ANY WORK IS TO BE STARTED. OR I SIMPLY WROTE ON THE WORK QUOTE —WORK ALLOWED MUST HAVE APPROVAL IF WORK EXCEEDS x AMOUNT.
Who cares how far it is. I don’t care if it’s across the street. He has to pay someone to diagnose, order, pick up or deliver that part and install it. And warranty it for x amount of time. Do you work for free at your work? Yeah its three bolts surrounded by $350 worth of work. This is nobody’s fault but yours. You unfortunately are looking at it from a diy perspective. It’s three bolts. All you gotta do is bing bang boom and you’re done. Simple. Yeah it’s three bolts holding it on the car physically. You still need to do other things before getting to those bolts. But I’m guessing you think that should be free and the chargeable time starts when he lays his socket on the three bolts to loosen them and chargeable time stops after he tightens them. All that other stuff is something you shouldn’t have to pay for
Yeah its three bolts surrounded by $350 worth of work. This is nobody’s fault but yours. You unfortunately are looking at it from a diy perspective. It’s three bolts. All you gotta do is bing bang boom and you’re done. Simple. Yeah it’s three bolts holding it on the car physically. You still need to do other things before getting to those bolts. But I’m guessing you think that should be free and the chargeable time starts when he lays his socket on the three bolts to loosen them and chargeable time stops after he tightens them. All that other stuff is something you shouldn’t have to pay for
I don't know how many times many years ago that I got into a car and saw that the situation was going to be a lot more complex than it appeared--such as a stud that's frozen because it was exposed to a few years of salt splash from winter streets.
Eventually, I gathered the additional expertise to predict complications that aren't in the manual and the extra tools to handle just about any possible complication that might arise even from "simple" jobs.
But magnify that by the knowledge of many cars and equipment for many cars.
So you basically confirmed my post. You simply didn’t bother to ask for a total cost because you assumed it was gonna be cheap, That isn’t the mechanics fault.[b]
Presumably you never complained about being charged too much for something?
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You still need to do other things before getting to those bolts.
No you don't, it was a 2003 Regal with a 3800. I'm sure any mechanic here familiar with the vehicle will confirm it's easy to replace.
Presumably you never complained about being charged too much for something?
You can roll your eyes till you’re as blue as that emoticon. You’re not hurting my wallet or my feelings pal. You know what.... I don’t do what you do. I always get a price before I start any work. I dont just walk in tell people to go ahead and do the work without knowing what my cost is. I may think the cost is gonna be x amount but I don’t know. That’s why I ask. I may not be happy with some prices simply because I think what it should be vs what it is ..... well that doesn’t mean squat. So while whatever I buy may be expensive i know what it’s gonna cost before I purchase it
You on the other hand were absolutely positively clueless as to the cost. That’s what is eating you. Becaus it was a “simple repair” you thought it should cost x amount becaus you could easily do it. Somyiur conclusion is the mechanic is overcharging you. I didn’t know shops adjust the prices to what a consumer thinks they should pay. Hell im surprised you even think you should of been charged.
Your method is like walking in a restaurant ordering the steak and lobster of the menu without looking at the price, eating it then when the bill comes you’re surprised it cost what it did. Because you thought it should cost x amount.
No you don't, it was a 2003 Regal with a 3800. I'm sure any mechanic here familiar with the vehicle will confirm it's easy to replace
Really. There is nothing to do to get to those bolts? Mechanic can just walk up to the car reach out with his arms and get to the bolts? Somehow I don’t think that’s the case at all.
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You simply don’t get it. But I’m willing to bet you’ll ask the price from now on before you ok the services
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You simply don’t get it. But I’m willing to bet you’ll ask the price from now on before you ok the services
You simply don't get it, I won't be asking the price on anything because I will be performing all of the work myself anymore. This is not the only issue I have had with work being done at shops. This is the straw that broke the camels back. This bill effectively works out to about $800 to $1000 an hour and that is not a reasonable amount.
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Hell im surprised you even think you should of been charged.
What I said in my original post was I was expecting it to cost about $100 over the cost of the starter. That's pretty reasonable for 15 minutes or less work.
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Mechanic can just walk up to the car reach out with his arms and get to the bolts?
Other than putting it on the lift pretty much. ...and no they did not have to push it on the lift. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the easiest this is about a 9.9. 10 would be taking a tire off.
You simply don't get it, I won't be asking the price on anything because I will be performing all of the work myself anymore. This is not the only issue I have had with work being done at shops. This is the straw that broke the camels back. This bill effectively works out to about $800 to $1000 an hour and that is not a reasonable amount.
What I said in my original post was I was expecting it to cost about $100 over the cost of the starter. That's pretty reasonable for 15 minutes or less work.
Other than putting it on the lift pretty much. ...and no they did not have to push it on the lift. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the easiest this is about a 9.9. 10 would be taking a tire off.
Says who? Oh.....that’s right......you......the wonderful customer who bestowed the shop with your presence. This is nobody’s fault but yours. Stop blaming the shop.
My biggest issue is dishonest mechanics. I know $125-150hr for labor is high considering the tech is probably only getting $20-40 tops out of that rate, and the rest is overhead of that multi million dollar building and fancy showroom if its a dealership, but recommending unneeded repairs is a huge problem with me.
Before the days of youtube videos and auto forums, sometimes I just threw parts at problems for certain codes and would go to a shop as last resort.
Went to a small shop and asked how much to have the engine mounts replaced and he said, do you really need them, I would love to have your business, but we dont want to replace them if you dont need them. I then went to Tires plus and the guy quoted me $300 and was ready to get the car in the bay, so from that point on, I drove 35 miles to get my car repaired at that small shop and they were great for years.
Went to a Pontiac dealership and was told I have dirty coolant and air and cabin filters and quoted $75 for a air filter and another $50 for Cabin Filter, then was asked if I would like my throttle body cleaned by spraying and wiping it for $60, so I went to another big dealer and was told both filters were clean and my coolant was perfectly fine and pretty much saved $300 in unneeded repairs.
Firestone stated I needed brand new struts and the struts were brand new, so after I told them, they said, its probably the springs then, but that was $700 in a bad diagnosis off the bat.
I could go on and on with all the stories my female friends have experience in repair shops. I know alot of people neglect car maintenance especially alot of females I have come across, so 1 problem they think they have could be 3 or 4 more problems, BUT I think alot of repairs shops would make a big bucks off repeat customers if they were to be honest about repairs as needed and state, you may need XYZ down the line, and if you dont need a repair, say it is not needed, and they will have people recommending them customers left and right when they know its a honest mechanic shop they are dealing with.
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Yeah its three bolts surrounded by $350 worth of work. This is nobody’s fault but yours. You unfortunately are looking at it from a diy perspective. It’s three bolts. All you gotta do is bing bang boom and you’re done. Simple. Yeah it’s three bolts holding it on the car physically. You still need to do other things before getting to those bolts. But I’m guessing you think that should be free and the chargeable time starts when he lays his socket on the three bolts to loosen them and chargeable time stops after he tightens them. All that other stuff is something you shouldn’t have to pay for
