I suppose that all depends on your ability level.
Ford Edge water pump replacement
- Thread starter Scott S
- Start date
I suppose that all depends on your ability level.
Except it's (supposed to be, at worst) based on book hours and anyone who's done a few, will do it faster than book, exceeding the losses those few times you can't get a bolt out or whatever.
Any business has rent, utilities, insurance, employees, taxes, etc. expenses. $3200 is simply too high, it's booked at about 11-12 hrs labor. Do the math.
Yes you can also get taken to the cleaners by a dentist or hospital. In the case of vehicles it pays to have a backup plan so it's not an emergency like dental work or surgery often is.
One evil does not justify another, and another. Those are two other service industries that drastically need some overhaul, instead of the shell game played with insurance companies. Let's get real. You're in a hospital room, paying out the wazzo already, and if you need a 5 cent band-aid, it costs $5? It almost seems like coercion to achieve extortion when you trust a medical provider to do what they want to do, and bill for.
Reminds me of this one time I came back from college with a chipped tooth, and my regular dentist couldn't fit me in. I went to a different dentist, young person who for whatever reason, claimed I had ELEVEN cavities that needed filled. I balked, waited till my regular dentist could see me, he filled the chipped tooth and that was all that needed done. None of the pretend-eleven-cavities diagnosed over 25 years ago, have needed anything done to them since. Hmm. It's startling to think that there are dentists out there that will drill and fill perfectly good teeth just to increase income.
Always be in a position to say no, if you can. If someone tells you there are a lot of associated expenses, tell them you have a lot of expenses too, lol. On the other hand, don't gamble with a tooth abscess. That's an emergency, but it still doesn't mean you should pay 2x the normal rate. Be prepared, find a good shop that doesn't try to ream you. Busy shops are the worst because if they keep all the bays filled, they can inflate the prices as much as they want to, as long as those bays stay filled. It also means they tend to want to do a job as quickly as possible to get the next waiting job in, so they're taking even less care and fewer hours, yet billing way above book? Hey if you want to go to a shop like that, I won't stop you.
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Been a very long time since I did any auto wrenching, but I am under the impression that Cloyes was a premium timing chain manufacturer.I have a 2013 Ford Edge with a 3.5 with about 120K. I'm replacing the water pump out of preventive maintenance. I'm doing the timing chains as well; I plan on getting a Cloyes's timing chain kit Motorcraft water pump, felpro gasket set, OEM front main seal, OEM crank bolt. OEM thermostat. 3 gallons of Peak antifreeze, 6 quarts Mobil 1 synthetic oil. That he recommended I change in about a 1500 miles. Mechanic that will be doing it worked for Ford for 20 years till he opened up his own shop. So he's done a few of these..It will come with some sort of TechNet warranty Two years 24,000 miles Nationwide warranty. Plugs coil packs, serpentine belt has all been replaced, stretch belt has to be replaced can't be reused. Tensioner has been replaced as well.. my question is. Is Cloyes a good timing kit? Has anyone here used them before? I know they're very well known. Cloyes and Melling..
Thank you...
I went with all Motorcraft, for most parts, I think there was one tensioner, that wasn't available and I went with Melling.. gaskets I went with felpro.
Welcome to July 2023 - labor rates have gone up, yet again. ~$250/hr is the median rate in many metropolitan areas.
^ Then tow it out of that big city. Won't need to go that far to find an hourly rate closer to $150 for the average shop, less for one-off mom 'n pop or independent mechanics.
Just watch Rainman Ray's fun with the subaru water pump I think it was, one bolt equal engine replacement. Being a tech, and if long enough in the trade you should understand.
Ability level? Another one. VW a W8 spark plug change I think it was, turned into an engine replacement. Not for lack of ability the fellow was very experienced. The main cause was engineering and manufacturing stupidity. A nice little intake manifold dowel pin dropped in a port. What where they thinking? It should not be an easy slip fit, so many ways to accomplish that and never have a problem. So not always the mechanic or tech is the fault. Yeah he should have looked harder for that pin but you know rush rush for that flat rate.
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