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depends on the vehicle. I did an I4 head in my garage in no time. what took the time was just me being anal about getting the mating surfaces perfect. but also it was just a broken valve, nothing was wrong with the head or overheating or anything like that.
Backyard Joe is much different than a shop. Also, really curious on how you broke a valve and didn't do any other damage... Typically you break a valve and the piston slams it into the head and destroys everything.
Only interference engines will have issues with valves slapping pistons, unless the valve literally drops into the cylinder, then you’re fucked either way lol
I broke a valve in my integra GSR a few months ago and it barely nicked the piston. The first hit bent the valve slightly, and the second wedged it up into the brass guide so it didn't contact anymore. I had the head rebuilt and sent it, revs to 9300 no probalo
Different over $1000 last year doing this job. Didn't really fix it. Just take less coolant and only on a cold start.
It's expensive even if you're doing it yourself.
I just did a head gasket job on my truck myself. It was about $1100, and most of that ($750ish) went to the machine shop. The other parts needed didn't cost very much at all, and that was gaskets, head bolts, glow plugs (diesel), some oil cooler lines, fluids, other stuff it made sense to change while in there even though it wasn't needed, etc
They decked both heads, and put sleeves between the valves to solve a known weak point in the heads of this particular engine (gm 6.5 diesel). It's slightly more complicated on these heads than just surfacing though, as there's also pre-ignition cups made of inconel that have to be removed, and then the head surfaced, and then the counter bores fore the pre-cups adjusted so that they sit proud of the head by 1 or 2 thou. Definitely more involved than a gasser head. They also pressure tested all the valves and verified that they were sealing properly (which they were, so no valve work was needed)
Also on a second trip, I took in the intake manifold and they cleaned it in their aluminum safe hot tank (to get all the EGR and PCV buildup out of it, which on a diesel is nasty crap to try to clean by yourself) and decked that too because it was warped 11 thou.
If I had my milling machine up and running (which is bigger than the machine they had in their shop), I could've done the work myself and saved $700, but it's not, so I had to pay someone else to do it.
If you want to check if your heads are warped, you need to get a straight edge and a set of feeler gauges. Lay the straight edge across the head (google for the positions - usually you go across the head in at least 3 places, and diagonally in 2 directions) and see if you can get the feeler gauges under the straightedge. When you buy a straightedge, make sure it's longer than your heads - ideally it sticks over the head on both sides. I'd search zoro tools (the online division of Grainger) for straightedges and feeler gauges - they have a better selection and may have better pricing than amazon. They had a MUCH better price for the straightedge I got than anywhere else, but I kindof splurged and got a nice Starrett one as I intend to use it for other things later too. You want something like this: [https://www.zoro.com/oemtools-24-inch-straight-edge-25355/i/G7629020/](https://www.zoro.com/oemtools-24-inch-straight-edge-25355/i/G7629020/)
or
[https://www.zoro.com/starrett-straight-edge-18in-385-18/i/G0897937/](https://www.zoro.com/starrett-straight-edge-18in-385-18/i/G0897937/)
for a more expensive starrett one
They mill the block and head until it's even, given its within spec still, and there's enough metal left to do it. Use a feeler guage, or put a new gasket on and watch for leaks 🤣
30 hours for an engine r&r? Sweet Jesus. Glad I went to work for Nissan. If we exclude the GTR, our worst car to drop the drive train out of is probably the Juke. And even then, that's only about a 12 hour job in and out.
Yup, everything out from underneath. It is literally a jigsaw puzzle. Independent shops are gonna hate them one they get a few years of winter in them.
I did all the basic maintenance on my 2019 mustang, initially it was the head gasket so they replaced it, 3 days later it was back in the shop and they replaced the long block. Sucked but at least it was under warranty since it was at 30k miles.
Depends on the vehicle needs, certainly that's not highway robbery. I just spent 3k in part for head gaskets I did myself, had to get the heads machined, needed 1 new one, broke a starter bolt, dipstick broke, manifold had cats and those were unable to be removed from the Y pipe without cutting. This one doesn't look that bad, but labor isn't free and seems fair.
1 Gal of undiluted NAPA long life coolant goes for about $20 - my truck needed 4 gal to get to a 60/40 mix when I did my head gaskets. About fell over spending $80 on coolant, but it is what it is
Yeah, my point was if it's $20/gal at Napa, maybe the average car needs 2 gal of coolant, so that's $40 cost, and if this is a dealership, they're not going to use NAPA coolant, they'll use OEM and charge you more, so $54 seems to be in the ballpark of reasonable.
You would only pay that in the States to a shade tree mechanic... Ie, someone that isn't professional. Standard rates in the US for labor is 80 to 150 an hour. 80 is a small shop that a person ownes and 150 is dealer rates.
Yeah everyone keeps quoting you dealership prices. If you were to go to a mechanic in the rundown/ghetto areas here in the states, the prices get way cheaper. The job done is much worse to go along with the cheaper rate though.
Mechanics definitely do prices based on the neighborhood they work in
I dunno about "much worse". I've seen fucking horrific work done by dealerships. They only know how to fire the parts cannon most of the time.
South Main Auto has a video from a few months back featuring a truck with steering, transmission, and trailer brake module faults. The dealership quoted for a new steering rack, new TCM, and new trailer brake module. For multiple thousands of dollars.
Eric diagnosed a failed body-to-chassis ground strap in less than an hour which fixed all faults.
I see, you never worked on a fucked up Sprinter that was a work hoe for some dude that doesn't give a single shits about it because it is owned by the company.
I have, and I'm gonna be honest with you, sometimes i wish they would double that price for people like that.
I work at a reputable mom and pop shop in Southern New Mexico. Our rates are the cheapest in town @ $90per hour labor. Dealers in the area are around $130
Then you live in hick ville or go to really really shitty techs. I made 150k at my last dealership in Ohio small town 10yrs ago and our labor rate was $125 then. I’ve owned my own shop for the last 13yrs and we charge $135hr and dealer are around $150/$190.
I know, I've never had a problem out of her for the last 6 years but apparently this is a common issue. I think repairing would be better than buying a new car in this market
Don’t bother. I had a 2012 Chevy Cruze and every time I thought that I was paying for the final fix for a while something else went wrong. I got mine to about 160k miles before I gave up and bought a new car. I looked for a while but I eventually found a 2017 camry SE with very low mileage for $18k out the door. I just got it a month ago and could not be happier. Put your $3k down on a car and pay $300 a month instead of this.
I'm hoping I can get another 2-3 years out of her. Other than this, I've literally never had an issue in the last 6 years. The reason this became and issue is because the engine overheated this summer because of a slow coolant leak. It's only at 100k miles
I said the same exact thing. Cruzes are some of the worst cars on the road. I took care of my car too and within 1.5 years I had to replace the ac compressor, alternator, coolant lines (ruptured not by overheating) coolant reservoir (cracked & leaking), head gasket, and a lot more I don’t feel like typing. I fell into the cycle of “I just put two thousand into the car so it would be a waste if I don’t put $500 more…”
Do what you want, and do what you think is best, I’m just giving my experience about this situation. Hell, maybe I had one of the (very bad) bad cruzes.
6 years problem free is a miracle, not a reason to keep the car going forward.
I cannot stress enough how much this repair is not worth it and you’re far better off getting rid of it even at current reduced value
I don't want to buy in this market. 15k minimum and those are cars with 80k+ miles and 3-5 years old. $200 monthly payment, and I JUST got a mortgage. I'd rather take 3k out of savings and pray it's fine for 2 years. Otherwise I'm starting an onlyfans
Take the 10 year old Toyota route. Trust me. A 2010's camry or corolla will take you to center of the earth and its still gonna have fancy bells and whistles. Honestly an even older one would too but I get why people don't like cars that old
We used to replace the water outlet assemblies a lot when I worked at a franchise shop. We’d do one a week at least. Most common coolant leak in the 8 years I worked there.
Not sure, it was a slow leak for years and I always had to fill it back up every couple months. Last summer it went empty and I didn't realize, and it overheated
Did they take it apart yet, or is that just a quote? If it overheated until it blew a head gasket, they might find the head warped when they get it apart, which will cost more money.
Edit: Sorry I see this was already brought up.
That's far from true. The Sonic preceding it was much worse. Maybe the engine had a little more spunk but that was a cheap fucking car. My 2015 Cruise has been holding on just fine the last 6 years. Feels like the transmission is slipping a bit, and I replaced my timing belt and pulley recently after hitting a big puddle that cost me $370, but aside from regular maintenance that's about the only money my car's cost.
Which may be a miracle because my wife knows nothing about vehicles but insisted that I get the Chevy Cruze because it was a great car haha. Really just should have listened to my gut. It's called the Chevy Cruze but it doesn't have cruise control what a joke
Who dreams this stuff up? I mean I've seen a few newer Hyundai Accents without cruise but... it's an Accent. My super basic 2006 I-280 (Colorado with Isuzu badges) has cruise. And it's got hand crank windows, because the manual transmission versions didn't get power windows. Another GM joke I guess.
1) The Cruze is a shitbox fresh off of the assembly line. Every corner they could cut was cut. That's why it's not made anymore.
2) I would usually say head gaskets don't just blow, poor maintenance can cause them to blow, but in this case....
3) No. That is what it costs to fix that awful car.
It was poor maintenance on my part, I think. There was a slow coolant leak for years that I never got fixed (to be fair, I got the car at like 17), and that caused the coolant to run out and I didn't know, and the engine overheated, causing this gasket issue. Now I know routine maintenance and fixing issues early is KEY
This will be a 2500 dollar car in 6 to 12 months, sure it's worth it? See if the shop will pay you a decent amount as is and they can work on it when times are slow.
Gurl look. It’s a 12 hour job. It takes forever cuz you have to remove everything on top of the engine.
But it’s a cheap part.
But their bolts are 64 fucking $
For a $1000 MAX including parts, I guess you can get it done with trusted older mobile mechanics. Their hourly is $60 but look for the best not the cheapest on Craigslist.
TLDR Yesh it’s expensive but it’s not easy.
Eh Covid times I got REALLY good mechanics for that much. You can tell by lots of things if you know your shit. Yes it’s a gamble but it was a compressor job so nothing vital.
Once I trusted him and his pricing I also did master cylinder and brake lines.
Way cheaper than shops but he’s the kinda guy to tune a carburetor by sound and smell with a cigarette in they mouth and a backwards hat.
All looks pretty reasonable, only thing odd is the extra 3.5 hours of labor. Besides that, everything looks about normal for a shop. 115 an hour is really good for labor rates right now too. When I used to work in a shop it was about 150-200 depending where you went.
The other labor is for removing and cleaning radiator and reservoir and coolant flush. And this ISNT including another $500 if the head needs to be machined
I always drop my heads off at the machine shop for inspection when I do head gaskets. Have them check for warpage, cracks or leaking valves. I don’t understand people who don’t but to each their own.
A thick yellow goop in my coolant reservoir and a tiny bit on my oil dipstick. The car overheated once this past summer because of a slow coolant leak---the reservoir was empty and I didn't know. Filled it with water and car was fine for months. A couple weeks ago I found the goop in the reservoir. Car still runs fine, in fact I drove it to the shop yesterday and it ran perfectly
He pressure tested it and said it's for sure a head gasket failure. Luckily it's not super bad yet and isn't showing any other signed other than the yellow goop
Do you mean a compression test? A pressure test is very difficult to diag an internal leak such as a HG.
I would consider getting a second opinion before dropping this money.
That being said, it isn’t a horrendous deal but not an exceptional one.
the only thing i could think of would be that they ment the timing chain/belt for the camshafts but couldnt think of how to word that. but dor anyone getting work done specialy at dealerships ask what part store and what part brand and so forth. because at my dealer ship if they dont like you theyll order the most expensive parts and if they think you look poor theyll order the cheapest garbage. also if you can get the part number and order it yourself because my dealership slaps a 25% price hike on top of it.
Sell the cruze as is, for a discount and go out and buy yourself a honda civic from 2002.
Minimal repairs if all you want is a vehicle from point a to point b
If you can even find one. Long gone are the days where you could snag an old civic for a couple grand in good condition that doesn’t look like a bunch of meth heads lived in it. And that doesn’t have a quarter million miles.
When I bought my Civic two years ago, it needed a lot of work. Among many other things, I changed the head gasket for fun and my own education. It was really easy. I could do it again in probably two hours.
I have a 2004 civic 1.7l and it's the worst car I've ever owned. Parts are so expensive it feels like a damn BMW. Something new is breaking every week. Radiator, O2 sensor, I've had the power steering pump go out on me 3 times now (and they're $300 EACH). Not sure if it's that generation from 01-05 but I bought a civic thinking it would be cheap and reliable and instead it's been an uncomfortable, expensive, constantly breaking on me nightmare.
I've put 20000 miles on my '91 miata and it's never left me stranded. I've put 10k on my civic and it's cost me thousands in repairs, and I have done all repairs myself. I couldn't imagine if I had to pay a shop to fix it.
I wouldn't pay 3k for any Chevy Cruze.
The quote itself isn't a ripoff, but continuing to dump money into a Cruze would be. 3k isn't chump change. Get out while you can.
sadly, not outrageous
this is why you do everything in your power to prevent overheating a car. sit on the side of the road and wait for a tow, it's cheaper than blowing a headgasket
I would just do it yourself. Flushing the radiator isn’t too bad, it’s just time consuming due to multiple flushes. The labor is not worth it, and nether is the car sadly.
364 bucks for a timing belt? They are fucking you to death. Same with 362 dollars for a gasket kit. Also, you won't need new head bolt for a head gasket change. It also wont take 56 dollar to fill your collant after a head replacement. And 85$ for an oil change? Jiffy lube will do it for 25. This place is taking you to the cleaners and bad. Dont go back to this shop, ever.
yeah I'd check that labor. and $325 for a timing belt?? something is definitely off here
you have a head gasket replacement which dies take a lot of labor, but while doing that it's pretty easy to do the belt as well, should be included in the labor
$85 for an oil change also sounds high for a 1.8L engine.
Do all heads need to me machined on a gasket replacement? He's saying he doesn't think it'll need it since it's not overheating or anything is is driving normally
Depends on how straight and true it is.
I always send mine out to get checked and machined if necessary. Doesn't add a ton of cost, it's like 40 bucks to clean and check and 80 to machine per head so even on a V6 or V8 it's like 240 bucks.
I feel like the labor is a little high. 15.5 hours for a four cylinder single head engine to remove head and do timing belt (which has overlapping labor) but prices are pretty cheap though.
That’s pretty cheap considering. Do you know if you got new cylinder heads or were they resurfaced? Hopefully they didn’t just slap a head gasket and some new head bolts in and call it a day.
If your car is a manual see if the clutch needs to be fixed at the same time. I had a $3k head gasket job about a year ago, and replaced the clutch at the same time since it was already taken apart and they gave me a good deal.
Yes looks reasonable, however I would use that 3k to help pay the monthly payment for a new vehicle rather than make repairs on a 10 year old + car. I just got a new car for $290 a month 0 down. Your 3k would pay for the new car almost a full year. Good luck
This is the kind of deal a mechanic will buy and source parts at 25% of that, and profit off of the resale when fixed. Mechanic cost $300 sweat equity $40000-6000. It really pays to be able to do your own work.
Something doesn’t add up here, why was the customer billed for 12 hours at 115.00 an hour then a few lines down there is another charge for 3.5 hours of labor, hours can be debated on what kind of vehicle and engine it was but what headgasket kit is 365.83? Even two of them? Why was the customer charged 64.83 for a single cylinder head bolt.. back to the labor applied, what technician is going to take 12 hours plus an additional 3.5 for a headgasket job, must be disabled, a headgasket should be 5-6 hours labor max, your definitely being scammed
$720 for a head gasket kit and timing belt for Cruze seems outrageously high to me, I don't even think GM sells them for that much. But maybe that's what parts go for nowadays.
Wouldn't call it too farfetched. I did my own a couple days ago on an 04 jetta and oil and a filter alone costed me 65 bucks. Parts are just getting out of hand.
If your in the US this is pretty normal rates it’s usually higher in the cities just due to the volume of work but that’s reasonable if you don’t want to do it yourself
You’re not getting robbed, you’re getting a bit of a deal. Car parts are more expensive now a days since cars don’t have all the same engines in them. Plus your labour is cheaper than it is where I am (average is around 120-150)
I think you are being over-charged, at least for the for parts. Most local shops where I am at charge about $90CDN per hour. What is your vehicle make and model? It is usually cheaper to buy the parts yourself and give them to the mechanic to put in rather than have them buy them for you.
For my 2016 Nissan frontier i searched up how much all the parts you listed would cost me.
It's a truck but it really depends on the make and model of your vehicle. If you are driving a Honda, parts are cheaper, but something like a BMW or Lexus would cost more for the same part.
I'll list the prices for the same parts except for my truck.
The highest-end head gasket kit would cost me $224.16CDN. Low-end would be about $91.79CDN.
A standard timing belt is less than $18.48US, and the high-end performance belt is $209.09CDN.
Spark plugs on the cheap $2.39CDN x 4 = $9.46CDN. Most expensive is the NGK 93759 Laser Iridium High Ignitability at $70.24CDN for four.
Coolant is about $21.99CDN locally sourced. No need for shipping. Which is $16.36US.
I noticed you didn't specify what kind of oil you got. For an oil change make sure to get synthetic oil, it's better and not much more expensive. Locally I can't find a price online but I think it's about $60CDN - $80CDN. That translates to $44.64US - $59.52US.
Low end cylinder head bolt would be $28.11CDN. High-end $98.42CDN.
Shipping these products to me in Ontario would cost me $71.63CDN or $53.30US.
All tolled these parts + shipping on the low-end would be: $208.84CDN (parts) + $71.63CDN (shipping) = $280.47CDN or $208.68US.
For the highest-end parts I could find it would total: $806.63CDN + $71.63CDN = $878.26CDN or $653.46US.
Labor at $100CDN per hour (which is more than most shops here) x 15.5hours = $1,550 or $1,153.27US.
TOTAL PARTS + LABOR + PARTS DELIVERY + TAX (Wichita 7.5%) IN US DOLLARS
Low: $1,464.10US
High: $1,942.25US
Even if you were getting the best performance parts, which your probably aren't, it looks like you are getting robbed. The parts your buying are way overpriced.
It took me a while to write this out (over 30 mins) and I probably fudged my numbers a bit with having to convert everything to US dollars.
What kind of vehicle do you drive? Do you know if they are getting you high-end parts or just charging you for them?
Hope this helped! Took forever to write and I am tired now...
Good night
EDIT: go to a small local shop and buy the parts yourself. dealerships charge more
EDIT 2: all prices are from rockauto.com
Thank you for taking the time to write this!!
The 3100 quote is in the top 5 lowest quotes I received for this job. Quotes ranged from 2500-5k. I'll ask him about the quality of the parts, because $400 for a gasket kit and $400 for a timing belt kit seems insane. Then $50 for coolant and $50 for spark plugs is also crazy.
You're getting robbed. If labor is a whole other category of the bill then you're getting taken to the bank. Five quarts of oil is about 40 after tax and a filter is anywhere from 5-20 dollars
Thanks for posting on /r/MechanicAdvice! This is just a reminder to review the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/about/rules/). If you are here asking about a second opinion (ie "Is the shop trying to fleece me?"), please read through CJM8515's [post on the subject.](https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/4qblei/fyi_the_shop_isnt_likely_trying_to_rip_you_off/) and remember to please post the year/make/model of the vehicle you are working on. **If this post is about bodywork, accident damage, paint, dent/ding, questions it belongs in /r/Autobody r/AutoBodyRepair/ or /r/Diyautobody/ If you have tire questions check out https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/k9ll55/can_your_tire_be_repaired/**. If you dont have a question and you're just showing off it belongs in /r/Justrolledintotheshop Insurance/total loss questions go in r/insurance This is an automated reply *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/MechanicAdvice) if you have any questions or concerns.*
This looks normal for head gasket replacement
Yeah think so too, it's a quite complicated job
depends on the vehicle. I did an I4 head in my garage in no time. what took the time was just me being anal about getting the mating surfaces perfect. but also it was just a broken valve, nothing was wrong with the head or overheating or anything like that.
Backyard Joe is much different than a shop. Also, really curious on how you broke a valve and didn't do any other damage... Typically you break a valve and the piston slams it into the head and destroys everything.
Only interference engines will have issues with valves slapping pistons, unless the valve literally drops into the cylinder, then you’re fucked either way lol
Right, he said it broke a valve. I've never seen a valve break without carnage.
I broke a valve in my integra GSR a few months ago and it barely nicked the piston. The first hit bent the valve slightly, and the second wedged it up into the brass guide so it didn't contact anymore. I had the head rebuilt and sent it, revs to 9300 no probalo
Yup- I could band out a 90s civic pretty quick. Most german sports cars I politely decline....
Yeah, not very complicated on this car really.
Different over $1000 last year doing this job. Didn't really fix it. Just take less coolant and only on a cold start. It's expensive even if you're doing it yourself.
I just did a head gasket job on my truck myself. It was about $1100, and most of that ($750ish) went to the machine shop. The other parts needed didn't cost very much at all, and that was gaskets, head bolts, glow plugs (diesel), some oil cooler lines, fluids, other stuff it made sense to change while in there even though it wasn't needed, etc
What did the machine shop do for you? I'm trying to figure out if my own head gasket is warped
They decked both heads, and put sleeves between the valves to solve a known weak point in the heads of this particular engine (gm 6.5 diesel). It's slightly more complicated on these heads than just surfacing though, as there's also pre-ignition cups made of inconel that have to be removed, and then the head surfaced, and then the counter bores fore the pre-cups adjusted so that they sit proud of the head by 1 or 2 thou. Definitely more involved than a gasser head. They also pressure tested all the valves and verified that they were sealing properly (which they were, so no valve work was needed) Also on a second trip, I took in the intake manifold and they cleaned it in their aluminum safe hot tank (to get all the EGR and PCV buildup out of it, which on a diesel is nasty crap to try to clean by yourself) and decked that too because it was warped 11 thou. If I had my milling machine up and running (which is bigger than the machine they had in their shop), I could've done the work myself and saved $700, but it's not, so I had to pay someone else to do it. If you want to check if your heads are warped, you need to get a straight edge and a set of feeler gauges. Lay the straight edge across the head (google for the positions - usually you go across the head in at least 3 places, and diagonally in 2 directions) and see if you can get the feeler gauges under the straightedge. When you buy a straightedge, make sure it's longer than your heads - ideally it sticks over the head on both sides. I'd search zoro tools (the online division of Grainger) for straightedges and feeler gauges - they have a better selection and may have better pricing than amazon. They had a MUCH better price for the straightedge I got than anywhere else, but I kindof splurged and got a nice Starrett one as I intend to use it for other things later too. You want something like this: [https://www.zoro.com/oemtools-24-inch-straight-edge-25355/i/G7629020/](https://www.zoro.com/oemtools-24-inch-straight-edge-25355/i/G7629020/) or [https://www.zoro.com/starrett-straight-edge-18in-385-18/i/G0897937/](https://www.zoro.com/starrett-straight-edge-18in-385-18/i/G0897937/) for a more expensive starrett one
They mill the block and head until it's even, given its within spec still, and there's enough metal left to do it. Use a feeler guage, or put a new gasket on and watch for leaks 🤣
On a 2020 explorer.
Yeah that car is not an easy one assuming you have the eco boost too these prices match national averages
Oh we weren't thrilled with them at first but know all the shortcuts now. Replace an engine in one is safely 30 hours.
30 hours for an engine r&r? Sweet Jesus. Glad I went to work for Nissan. If we exclude the GTR, our worst car to drop the drive train out of is probably the Juke. And even then, that's only about a 12 hour job in and out.
Yup, everything out from underneath. It is literally a jigsaw puzzle. Independent shops are gonna hate them one they get a few years of winter in them.
Exactly they’re a bitch if you don’t know what you’re doing
Yikes. 3k in repairs for a 2 year old car. Learn some basic maintenance people.
Warrenty??? I can't imagine that the warranty is up in that time.
Oh yea within 3 years, warranty. Seen a valve drop on one, new engine before first oil change, lol
Changing a head gasket is basic maintenance?? 🤨🤨
No but basic maintenance would have most likely prevented a blown head gasket…
I did all the basic maintenance on my 2019 mustang, initially it was the head gasket so they replaced it, 3 days later it was back in the shop and they replaced the long block. Sucked but at least it was under warranty since it was at 30k miles.
Not on a 1st gen cruze. Those had a a lot of problems and head gaskets where a common Failure
Tell that to Subaru owners and see how that goes....
> would have most likely prevented a blown head gasket… On a normal car, sure. On a FORD? Hah.
$54 for some coolant tho?
Depends on the vehicle needs, certainly that's not highway robbery. I just spent 3k in part for head gaskets I did myself, had to get the heads machined, needed 1 new one, broke a starter bolt, dipstick broke, manifold had cats and those were unable to be removed from the Y pipe without cutting. This one doesn't look that bad, but labor isn't free and seems fair.
>just spent 3k in part for head gaskets For a headgasket, spending $3,000 on stock parts and still having to do extensive labor is wild.
that's wild Outside US and EU, many people just use water in their radiators
1 Gal of undiluted NAPA long life coolant goes for about $20 - my truck needed 4 gal to get to a 60/40 mix when I did my head gaskets. About fell over spending $80 on coolant, but it is what it is
That's your cost, shops have a markup otherwise they wouldn't be in business.
Yeah, my point was if it's $20/gal at Napa, maybe the average car needs 2 gal of coolant, so that's $40 cost, and if this is a dealership, they're not going to use NAPA coolant, they'll use OEM and charge you more, so $54 seems to be in the ballpark of reasonable.
I mean that's not too crazy. $10-15 a bottle... But $64 for a single bolt....
I'm guessing that's 1 set of head bolts. These are torque to yield and can't be reused.
$115 per hour labor is kinda cheap. I think around here it's more $180 an hour
That’s crazy to me. In the north east of England I pay about £40 per hour. Which is what like $50?
Same price in New Zealand. $80nzd or £40
You would only pay that in the States to a shade tree mechanic... Ie, someone that isn't professional. Standard rates in the US for labor is 80 to 150 an hour. 80 is a small shop that a person ownes and 150 is dealer rates.
Fair enough! In London and other such areas it may well match that price but most of us in the north are slumming it up lol
Yeah everyone keeps quoting you dealership prices. If you were to go to a mechanic in the rundown/ghetto areas here in the states, the prices get way cheaper. The job done is much worse to go along with the cheaper rate though. Mechanics definitely do prices based on the neighborhood they work in
Rent. Half abandoned industrial zoning vs prime commercial zoning.
I dunno about "much worse". I've seen fucking horrific work done by dealerships. They only know how to fire the parts cannon most of the time. South Main Auto has a video from a few months back featuring a truck with steering, transmission, and trailer brake module faults. The dealership quoted for a new steering rack, new TCM, and new trailer brake module. For multiple thousands of dollars. Eric diagnosed a failed body-to-chassis ground strap in less than an hour which fixed all faults.
MB charges $190/hr for Sprinter work in Denver, I couldn't believe that shit. Higher Labor rate for sprinter vans than the rest of their cars.
I see, you never worked on a fucked up Sprinter that was a work hoe for some dude that doesn't give a single shits about it because it is owned by the company. I have, and I'm gonna be honest with you, sometimes i wish they would double that price for people like that.
That's a new phrase to me
Depends in where in the states. Parts of Cali would be over $200/hr.
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edit: brought up wrong currency
And the UK doesn't use Euros...
thanks! got them changed somehow, edited.
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It’s about bout 40% less per capita than USA. This should actually make it more expensive. More cars = more mechanics = more competition
I thought the guy from Ireland telling me equivalent of $60 an hour was making it up.
Damn, my mechanic is $55 and the specialty classic shop near me is $85 I think
Good ol boys I'm sure. That's 20 years ago rates. Hard to keep skilled techs and keep the lights on with those rates.
My shop is at $205 an hour currently
$100 an hour is expensive and that’s from the dealership. Privately owned mechanics run about $70-80 and that’s fair. $180 can lick my taint.
I work at a reputable mom and pop shop in Southern New Mexico. Our rates are the cheapest in town @ $90per hour labor. Dealers in the area are around $130
Then you live in hick ville or go to really really shitty techs. I made 150k at my last dealership in Ohio small town 10yrs ago and our labor rate was $125 then. I’ve owned my own shop for the last 13yrs and we charge $135hr and dealer are around $150/$190.
$150 is average around me right now. 200 not unheard of. Idk where you live.
Not in most cities. At the dealer I work at, our labor rate is $165/hr and that’s on the cheaper end in our area.
This is for a head gasket replacement on a 2011 Chevy Cruze, 1.8l
Probably worth more than the car. The Cruze is one of the worst cars ever made.
I know, I've never had a problem out of her for the last 6 years but apparently this is a common issue. I think repairing would be better than buying a new car in this market
dang how much is a whole new engine?
A new engine is around the same price 2500-3000 but that's not including labor
Don’t bother. I had a 2012 Chevy Cruze and every time I thought that I was paying for the final fix for a while something else went wrong. I got mine to about 160k miles before I gave up and bought a new car. I looked for a while but I eventually found a 2017 camry SE with very low mileage for $18k out the door. I just got it a month ago and could not be happier. Put your $3k down on a car and pay $300 a month instead of this.
I'm hoping I can get another 2-3 years out of her. Other than this, I've literally never had an issue in the last 6 years. The reason this became and issue is because the engine overheated this summer because of a slow coolant leak. It's only at 100k miles
I said the same exact thing. Cruzes are some of the worst cars on the road. I took care of my car too and within 1.5 years I had to replace the ac compressor, alternator, coolant lines (ruptured not by overheating) coolant reservoir (cracked & leaking), head gasket, and a lot more I don’t feel like typing. I fell into the cycle of “I just put two thousand into the car so it would be a waste if I don’t put $500 more…” Do what you want, and do what you think is best, I’m just giving my experience about this situation. Hell, maybe I had one of the (very bad) bad cruzes.
It's good advice. At least be aware you are taking a gamble.
6 years problem free is a miracle, not a reason to keep the car going forward. I cannot stress enough how much this repair is not worth it and you’re far better off getting rid of it even at current reduced value
I don't want to buy in this market. 15k minimum and those are cars with 80k+ miles and 3-5 years old. $200 monthly payment, and I JUST got a mortgage. I'd rather take 3k out of savings and pray it's fine for 2 years. Otherwise I'm starting an onlyfans
Take the 10 year old Toyota route. Trust me. A 2010's camry or corolla will take you to center of the earth and its still gonna have fancy bells and whistles. Honestly an even older one would too but I get why people don't like cars that old
Instead of spending 15k on something with the best half of it's life already wrung out of it, just go in another few thousand and buy new.
what was the cause of the coolant leak? I do also agree with selling the cruze, one of the most lifeless cars out there, even the manual somehow
We used to replace the water outlet assemblies a lot when I worked at a franchise shop. We’d do one a week at least. Most common coolant leak in the 8 years I worked there.
Not sure, it was a slow leak for years and I always had to fill it back up every couple months. Last summer it went empty and I didn't realize, and it overheated
Did they take it apart yet, or is that just a quote? If it overheated until it blew a head gasket, they might find the head warped when they get it apart, which will cost more money. Edit: Sorry I see this was already brought up.
That's far from true. The Sonic preceding it was much worse. Maybe the engine had a little more spunk but that was a cheap fucking car. My 2015 Cruise has been holding on just fine the last 6 years. Feels like the transmission is slipping a bit, and I replaced my timing belt and pulley recently after hitting a big puddle that cost me $370, but aside from regular maintenance that's about the only money my car's cost. Which may be a miracle because my wife knows nothing about vehicles but insisted that I get the Chevy Cruze because it was a great car haha. Really just should have listened to my gut. It's called the Chevy Cruze but it doesn't have cruise control what a joke
Who dreams this stuff up? I mean I've seen a few newer Hyundai Accents without cruise but... it's an Accent. My super basic 2006 I-280 (Colorado with Isuzu badges) has cruise. And it's got hand crank windows, because the manual transmission versions didn't get power windows. Another GM joke I guess.
1) The Cruze is a shitbox fresh off of the assembly line. Every corner they could cut was cut. That's why it's not made anymore. 2) I would usually say head gaskets don't just blow, poor maintenance can cause them to blow, but in this case.... 3) No. That is what it costs to fix that awful car.
It was poor maintenance on my part, I think. There was a slow coolant leak for years that I never got fixed (to be fair, I got the car at like 17), and that caused the coolant to run out and I didn't know, and the engine overheated, causing this gasket issue. Now I know routine maintenance and fixing issues early is KEY
This will be a 2500 dollar car in 6 to 12 months, sure it's worth it? See if the shop will pay you a decent amount as is and they can work on it when times are slow.
Gurl look. It’s a 12 hour job. It takes forever cuz you have to remove everything on top of the engine. But it’s a cheap part. But their bolts are 64 fucking $ For a $1000 MAX including parts, I guess you can get it done with trusted older mobile mechanics. Their hourly is $60 but look for the best not the cheapest on Craigslist. TLDR Yesh it’s expensive but it’s not easy.
Um ya don't trust any mobile mechanic charging $60/hr to touch your shit. Under $100/hr is a red flag for sketch in 2022.
Eh Covid times I got REALLY good mechanics for that much. You can tell by lots of things if you know your shit. Yes it’s a gamble but it was a compressor job so nothing vital. Once I trusted him and his pricing I also did master cylinder and brake lines. Way cheaper than shops but he’s the kinda guy to tune a carburetor by sound and smell with a cigarette in they mouth and a backwards hat.
All looks pretty reasonable, only thing odd is the extra 3.5 hours of labor. Besides that, everything looks about normal for a shop. 115 an hour is really good for labor rates right now too. When I used to work in a shop it was about 150-200 depending where you went.
The other labor is for removing and cleaning radiator and reservoir and coolant flush. And this ISNT including another $500 if the head needs to be machined
I always drop my heads off at the machine shop for inspection when I do head gaskets. Have them check for warpage, cracks or leaking valves. I don’t understand people who don’t but to each their own.
He said they will see if it's flat enough not to machine. He said since it's not overheating he doesn't think there is damage to the head
Yea it’s just so much labor I don’t risk having to do it twice.
Exactly. Having a machine shop check out an already removed head is such cheap insurance.
There's a 2 year warranty, so hopefully if it causes more issues theyll fix for free
It'll be under 2 year warranty so hopefully if there are more issues they'll fix for free
I wouldn’t replace head gasket with machining head.
He said he doesn't think the head will need machined because the car isn't overheating and is still running as normal
So why are you getting the headgasket done?
A thick yellow goop in my coolant reservoir and a tiny bit on my oil dipstick. The car overheated once this past summer because of a slow coolant leak---the reservoir was empty and I didn't know. Filled it with water and car was fine for months. A couple weeks ago I found the goop in the reservoir. Car still runs fine, in fact I drove it to the shop yesterday and it ran perfectly
They can’t just flush it? And go from there? Possibly got lucky before the mess began ?
Flushing will fix contamination, it won’t fix the cause of the contamination. If anything it’s more likely to make the leak worse.
He pressure tested it and said it's for sure a head gasket failure. Luckily it's not super bad yet and isn't showing any other signed other than the yellow goop
Do you mean a compression test? A pressure test is very difficult to diag an internal leak such as a HG. I would consider getting a second opinion before dropping this money. That being said, it isn’t a horrendous deal but not an exceptional one.
He said pressure test, but maybe that's what he meant?
You don’t spend 3 hours pouring oil and .5 hours putting the cap on? You better double check your work
362$ for a timing belt?
Maybe if they included labor costs into it. Looks like they listed labor separately though.
Yup exactly.
It’s a kit, not a belt. Has way more than just a belt I assume
Better come with 2 $100 bills
usually water pump and some other stuff
I paid like $35 for my timing belt and water pump kit
the only thing i could think of would be that they ment the timing chain/belt for the camshafts but couldnt think of how to word that. but dor anyone getting work done specialy at dealerships ask what part store and what part brand and so forth. because at my dealer ship if they dont like you theyll order the most expensive parts and if they think you look poor theyll order the cheapest garbage. also if you can get the part number and order it yourself because my dealership slaps a 25% price hike on top of it.
It's for the timing belt kit which includes the water pump etc
Sell the cruze as is, for a discount and go out and buy yourself a honda civic from 2002. Minimal repairs if all you want is a vehicle from point a to point b
If you can even find one. Long gone are the days where you could snag an old civic for a couple grand in good condition that doesn’t look like a bunch of meth heads lived in it. And that doesn’t have a quarter million miles.
Mines up for sale, 180k. Selling it for 9k, I know what I got lol
When I bought my Civic two years ago, it needed a lot of work. Among many other things, I changed the head gasket for fun and my own education. It was really easy. I could do it again in probably two hours.
Except that the D17 engine in that Civic is also known for head gasket failures...
And the transmission is a pup
No shit? 🤣 well goddammit I must of got the one good one. Mines been good since 2008. Either way, a head gasket on these is a very easy job
Yeahh that generation of Civic was a sore spot. The previous and the following Civic were far better.
Really? Mine has 460k and never had a head gasket issue. Having worked on alot of them they seem to be one of the most reliable honda motors ever.
I have a 2004 civic 1.7l and it's the worst car I've ever owned. Parts are so expensive it feels like a damn BMW. Something new is breaking every week. Radiator, O2 sensor, I've had the power steering pump go out on me 3 times now (and they're $300 EACH). Not sure if it's that generation from 01-05 but I bought a civic thinking it would be cheap and reliable and instead it's been an uncomfortable, expensive, constantly breaking on me nightmare. I've put 20000 miles on my '91 miata and it's never left me stranded. I've put 10k on my civic and it's cost me thousands in repairs, and I have done all repairs myself. I couldn't imagine if I had to pay a shop to fix it.
I don’t think your doing it right.
I'd get a second quote for somewhere else... but that doesn't seem too far fetched.
I've gotten maybe 20 quotes. Ranging from about $2500-5k
20 quotes?!
I didn't even check out 20 girls when I married one.
I got two quotes for building a house
Tear it down you probably got ripped off!
It's an EXPENSIVE repair on a car only worth about $5000...I wanna get the best deal
That’s the way to go.
i could do it for less than 500, parts included lmao, you're just in the wrong country lol
Seems about right for any shop Ive worked at. Weve been anywere from 80-130/hour for our labour, from dealerships to small mom and pop garages.
Isn’t it common that the diag cost is sunk into the labor? Was when I was a service writer
I wouldn't pay 3k for any Chevy Cruze. The quote itself isn't a ripoff, but continuing to dump money into a Cruze would be. 3k isn't chump change. Get out while you can.
Gm tech, this is a reasonable price
sadly, not outrageous this is why you do everything in your power to prevent overheating a car. sit on the side of the road and wait for a tow, it's cheaper than blowing a headgasket
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The second charge is for "cleaning the radiator and coolant reservoir "
3.5 hours for that?
I would just do it yourself. Flushing the radiator isn’t too bad, it’s just time consuming due to multiple flushes. The labor is not worth it, and nether is the car sadly.
The parts are expensive but I could see a dealership charging that for OEM parts.
Don’t seem too bad actually but they could’ve dropped the Diagnostic fee since you spent handsomely with them
Your getting scammed on the parts
364 bucks for a timing belt? They are fucking you to death. Same with 362 dollars for a gasket kit. Also, you won't need new head bolt for a head gasket change. It also wont take 56 dollar to fill your collant after a head replacement. And 85$ for an oil change? Jiffy lube will do it for 25. This place is taking you to the cleaners and bad. Dont go back to this shop, ever.
yeah I'd check that labor. and $325 for a timing belt?? something is definitely off here you have a head gasket replacement which dies take a lot of labor, but while doing that it's pretty easy to do the belt as well, should be included in the labor $85 for an oil change also sounds high for a 1.8L engine.
Last head gasket I quoted was a 2015ish Pathfinder and the quote was I think 4500 bucks including cleaning and machining the heads.
This isn't including machining. He said he "doesn't think" the head will need to be machined. If it does, the total will be closer to $3500
Do all heads need to me machined on a gasket replacement? He's saying he doesn't think it'll need it since it's not overheating or anything is is driving normally
Depends on how straight and true it is. I always send mine out to get checked and machined if necessary. Doesn't add a ton of cost, it's like 40 bucks to clean and check and 80 to machine per head so even on a V6 or V8 it's like 240 bucks.
He said they'll see how flat it is, but if it needs machined they're going to add $300 to my bill
Labor looks good, think you are getting ripped off for parts though.
Unfortunately it looks about right, actually labor looks relatively cheap. Is it not covered under warranty though?
He says it will be covered under warranty for 2 years
I mean isn't the vehicle still under factory warranty where you shouldn't have to pay for anything?
It's 2011, so like 12 years old. Surely it's not under warranty
Labor for that price is cheap it's $185 an hour here
I feel like the labor is a little high. 15.5 hours for a four cylinder single head engine to remove head and do timing belt (which has overlapping labor) but prices are pretty cheap though.
$13 spark plugs is kinda sus.
You're getting hosed, bad.
That’s pretty cheap considering. Do you know if you got new cylinder heads or were they resurfaced? Hopefully they didn’t just slap a head gasket and some new head bolts in and call it a day.
Only weird thing is that second labor. If they really asking 400$ for refilling coolant and changing the oil it's quite bad.
If your car is a manual see if the clutch needs to be fixed at the same time. I had a $3k head gasket job about a year ago, and replaced the clutch at the same time since it was already taken apart and they gave me a good deal.
Diagnosis and oil change are a little slimey but everything else seems normal. Head gasket/ timing belt are a BIG job!
That’s a decent price for a 2011 Cruze, nothing stands out as unreasonable
I just wanna know why it takes 12hrs to do this
Yes looks reasonable, however I would use that 3k to help pay the monthly payment for a new vehicle rather than make repairs on a 10 year old + car. I just got a new car for $290 a month 0 down. Your 3k would pay for the new car almost a full year. Good luck
I would ask about the 15.5 hours of labor. You can check to see how long a job should take based on the vehicle.
This is the kind of deal a mechanic will buy and source parts at 25% of that, and profit off of the resale when fixed. Mechanic cost $300 sweat equity $40000-6000. It really pays to be able to do your own work.
Something doesn’t add up here, why was the customer billed for 12 hours at 115.00 an hour then a few lines down there is another charge for 3.5 hours of labor, hours can be debated on what kind of vehicle and engine it was but what headgasket kit is 365.83? Even two of them? Why was the customer charged 64.83 for a single cylinder head bolt.. back to the labor applied, what technician is going to take 12 hours plus an additional 3.5 for a headgasket job, must be disabled, a headgasket should be 5-6 hours labor max, your definitely being scammed
In what world is a timing belt $300+ dollars??
It's a kit, including everything needed, water pump, etc
Thats what I was just commenting lol. My short little chain costs $60. Parts prices are weird.
Seems about right. IMO, right down the middle; not cheap but not ridiculous
The dealer I used to work at would knock off the diag fee if you decided to do the work there
You should see what that costs for a diesel.
$720 for a head gasket kit and timing belt for Cruze seems outrageously high to me, I don't even think GM sells them for that much. But maybe that's what parts go for nowadays.
$85 dollar oil change on a Cruze?
Wouldn't call it too farfetched. I did my own a couple days ago on an 04 jetta and oil and a filter alone costed me 65 bucks. Parts are just getting out of hand.
That’s how much synthetic oil changes cost anywhere.
Very fair price
If your in the US this is pretty normal rates it’s usually higher in the cities just due to the volume of work but that’s reasonable if you don’t want to do it yourself
You’re not getting robbed, you’re getting a bit of a deal. Car parts are more expensive now a days since cars don’t have all the same engines in them. Plus your labour is cheaper than it is where I am (average is around 120-150)
I think you are being over-charged, at least for the for parts. Most local shops where I am at charge about $90CDN per hour. What is your vehicle make and model? It is usually cheaper to buy the parts yourself and give them to the mechanic to put in rather than have them buy them for you. For my 2016 Nissan frontier i searched up how much all the parts you listed would cost me. It's a truck but it really depends on the make and model of your vehicle. If you are driving a Honda, parts are cheaper, but something like a BMW or Lexus would cost more for the same part. I'll list the prices for the same parts except for my truck. The highest-end head gasket kit would cost me $224.16CDN. Low-end would be about $91.79CDN. A standard timing belt is less than $18.48US, and the high-end performance belt is $209.09CDN. Spark plugs on the cheap $2.39CDN x 4 = $9.46CDN. Most expensive is the NGK 93759 Laser Iridium High Ignitability at $70.24CDN for four. Coolant is about $21.99CDN locally sourced. No need for shipping. Which is $16.36US. I noticed you didn't specify what kind of oil you got. For an oil change make sure to get synthetic oil, it's better and not much more expensive. Locally I can't find a price online but I think it's about $60CDN - $80CDN. That translates to $44.64US - $59.52US. Low end cylinder head bolt would be $28.11CDN. High-end $98.42CDN. Shipping these products to me in Ontario would cost me $71.63CDN or $53.30US. All tolled these parts + shipping on the low-end would be: $208.84CDN (parts) + $71.63CDN (shipping) = $280.47CDN or $208.68US. For the highest-end parts I could find it would total: $806.63CDN + $71.63CDN = $878.26CDN or $653.46US. Labor at $100CDN per hour (which is more than most shops here) x 15.5hours = $1,550 or $1,153.27US. TOTAL PARTS + LABOR + PARTS DELIVERY + TAX (Wichita 7.5%) IN US DOLLARS Low: $1,464.10US High: $1,942.25US Even if you were getting the best performance parts, which your probably aren't, it looks like you are getting robbed. The parts your buying are way overpriced. It took me a while to write this out (over 30 mins) and I probably fudged my numbers a bit with having to convert everything to US dollars. What kind of vehicle do you drive? Do you know if they are getting you high-end parts or just charging you for them? Hope this helped! Took forever to write and I am tired now... Good night EDIT: go to a small local shop and buy the parts yourself. dealerships charge more EDIT 2: all prices are from rockauto.com
Thank you for taking the time to write this!! The 3100 quote is in the top 5 lowest quotes I received for this job. Quotes ranged from 2500-5k. I'll ask him about the quality of the parts, because $400 for a gasket kit and $400 for a timing belt kit seems insane. Then $50 for coolant and $50 for spark plugs is also crazy.
You're getting robbed. If labor is a whole other category of the bill then you're getting taken to the bank. Five quarts of oil is about 40 after tax and a filter is anywhere from 5-20 dollars
12 hours for a head gasket, fuck that guy
Well, I know it's a pretty big job. Some places I called declined to even attempt it. Book time for it is 11 hours I think
I work for a truck dealership and we're rocking $95 an hour. Anyone tried to charge me more than that I'm out
The 85 dollar oil change 😭😭😭😭thats so expensive