Massive car repair


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2005 Honda Pilot. 136,000 miles

Blue book Value  = $3,899

 

Honda Report------------------------------------------------------

FAILED - CRITICAL CONCERNS
Description Price Approved INFO
Belts, All - Replace 267.25
Bushing Compliance, Front Lower Arm - Replace 420.76
OIL PUMP RESEAL W/T BELT PACKAGE 1608.13
Four Wheel - Align 99.95
Tensioner/Pulley, Belt - Replace (Labor Only) 298.92
Compressor, A/C - Replace 1590.33
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total after tax/fees = $4,862
 
 
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am getting a second opinion but not if it costs me another $115 like Honda is charging!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Options:
1) sell the car to Honda for whatever they are offering.
2) sell the car online noting the issues and discounting the blue book value because of the issues.
3) donate the car and claim the full bluebook value on my taxes.<--not really sure how much benefit I would get.
4) keep driving it until it breaks completely and see if insurance will help me out with something??? <--no idea if this is how insurance works.
 
 
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Insurance only covers accidents, unless you bought mechanical service insurance (which is quite expensive) and I don't think it's the type you have.

 

IMO try to sell it online noting the issues. Honda will give you cents if anything.

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The repair's worth more than the car! I'd have it done at an independent garage, not main dealer! If any of those faults are safety critical, like the bushings, you won't just be able to drive it till it breaks. The wheel alignment is a concern to me too.

 

$298 to do a BELT and PULLEY change? I used to do that on cars, and still do on buses, for less than

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Not sure if you're in the US but I recommend taking it to CarMax and letting them price it.  It should be pretty close to what the car is actually worth.  If Honda will give you that towards a new (or used) car then go that route, since you would save on paying the taxes on it.

 

Edit:  And yes, I would never take a car to the dealer if I knew of a REPUTABLE mechanic.  As for the fixes being worth more than the car, it depends on how much it will cost to get you into another car.  If you like the car then there's nothing wrong with spending the money to have it done right.  I spent more than what my 5 series was "worth" because I liked the car and had it running like almost new.

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Not sure if you're in the US but I recommend taking it to CarMax and letting them price it.  It should be pretty close to what the car is actually worth.  If Honda will give you that towards a new (or used) car then go that route, since you would save on paying the taxes on it.

 

Edit:  And yes, I would never take a car to the dealer if I knew of a REPUTABLE mechanic.  As for the fixes being worth more than the car, it depends on how much it will cost to get you into another car.  If you like the car then there's nothing wrong with spending the money to have it done right.  I spent more than what my 5 series was "worth" because I liked the car and had it running like almost new.

 

CarMax doesn't pay **** for trades.

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If you like the car then there's nothing wrong with spending the money to have it done right.  I spent more than what my 5 series was "worth" because I liked the car and had it running like almost new.

I completely agree. I have a 1992 Dennis bus I keep in my friend's bus depot because I like it and it runs like new. Not all people want to keep cars on the road if it costs more though, it depends if they like the car enough. I do like an excuse to get a shiny new car though :)

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CarMax doesn't pay **** for trades.

You might think that because it's offering below what you expect it to but having worked at a dealership for many years I can tell you that it gives you a good idea of what a dealer will give you for it in trade, without the hassle of dealing with sales people at the dealership.

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I completely agree. I have a 1992 Dennis bus I keep in my friend's bus depot because I like it and it runs like new. Not all people want to keep cars on the road if it costs more though, it depends if they like the car enough. I do like an excuse to get a shiny new car though :)

humm good point... I was planning to not buy anything new for a year or so but i get why I would spend more than a car is worth just to keep it running because i like it so much...

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Looks like it's time to get a new car. Even a new car at $18,000 would run about $350 per month depending on your interest rate.

 

Get a use vehicle with a pre-owned warranty around $13,000 and your payment would only be around $230 a month. Worth it having a working card, and piece of mind knowing that if something goes wrong it's covered for 2 years.

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Time to sell the car, IMO. 

 

BTW What how many belts are in that car? 

Belts, All - Replace 267.25

Tensioner/Pulley, Belt - Replace (Labor Only) 298.92

 

Replacing the belt and tensioner is a fairly easy job.  If you can change your oil, I would suggest taking a crack at it...it will save you ~400 bux according to this list. 

Alignment, you are going to get hit with that no matter what, it is a bit complicated to do yourself unless you are a car nut. 

 

This is a pain in the rear

Bushing Compliance, Front Lower Arm - Replace 420.76

 

Another belt???  1600 for what?  1000 in someones back pocket maybe

OIL PUMP RESEAL W/T BELT PACKAGE 1608.13

 

Since when was the AC critical to have in a car?

 

You are going to pay for a diagnosis.  No one gives these out for nothing.  Go to your local parts store and ask them 1 simple question...who/where are the good shops around.  Parts stores cater to many different shops in the area, they get the good feedback and the bad.   They are going to make the sale on the part no matter where you go so it isn't like they are going to be losing money by having you go to one or the other.  They dont pay the counter guys to say this is good or that is bad (I worked the counter in my early years).  They generally steer you in the right place (not many people ask that question, if they only knew what we knew...people coming in complaining about x or giving great praise about y). 

 

1) sell the car to Honda for whatever they are offering.  This
2) sell the car online noting the issues and discounting the blue book value because of the issues. Or this
3) donate the car and claim the full bluebook value on my taxes.<--not really sure how much benefit I would get. No
4) keep driving it until it breaks completely and see if insurance will help me out with something??? <--no idea if this is how insurance works.  This is what an extended warranty is for or a warranty plan.   This has absolutely nothing to do with insurance unless you get in an accident. 
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I would recommend against replacing the AC Compressor.  That's wayyyyyy too high or a price for that.  For all you know, it could just require a freon recharge.  Take it to a different garage and have them check for leaks and possibly recharge it.  That shouldn't cost more than $100-150.

 

Belts are also a really easy scam for a garage to pull.  Have them show you each individual belt and if they aren't cracked or making noise, they're fine.

 

An alignment shouldn't cost more than $60-75.  

 

I think overall you're getting screwed on those prices and need to take it to a different garage.

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price out the parts, and find a small shop that will do the labor for a reasonable price.

 

I had a car that needed a new engine wiring harness. dealer/stealership quoted me $4000+ (labor quoted as 8 hours). bought it off ebay for $400 with warranty, and replaced it myself in less than 2 hrs with no prior knowledge of how the 30+ electrical connectors snake through the entire engine. Im not even close to being a mechanic.  smaller shop wanted $800 for oem harness and a few hundred bucks labor. still would have made out like a bandit with the smaller shop compared to the dealer.

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That is a lot of money for that amount of work. Take it to a local indie garage, and I'll be VERY surprised if the bill is more than $1.5k.

 

An example here - the AC compressor. $1500 Honda want. The part is available for $250, and will take no more than an hour or two to fit. At $100 an hour (a good indie will charge no more than this I'd guess). That's $450 - 1/3 of Honda's price.

 

Compressor: http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/shop_parts/a-fs-c_compressor/honda/pilot.html

 

And $250 labour to replace the pulley?!? That should be included in the belt's labour (which is high as it is).

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Looks like it's time to get a new car. Even a new car at $18,000 would run about $350 per month depending on your interest rate.

 

Get a use vehicle with a pre-owned warranty around $13,000 and your payment would only be around $230 a month. Worth it having a working card, and piece of mind knowing that if something goes wrong it's covered for 2 years.

 

Yea, I am sure it varries from place to place.  I had a pre-owned 2009 Chevy Malibu I financed for 5 years was 12000 I paid 125.00 bi-weekly.   I just bought a 2014 F150, came to 36000 I got a 7 year term I pay 285 bi-weekly.

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