The vast majority of us have had to pay to repair a car at some point. Ideally, the labor is skilled, and the quote is affordable. But that’s not always the case, so I ask you—what is the worst repair quote (or bill!) you’ve had from a mechanic?
As car enthusiasts, a great many of us take pride in doing our own wrenching. At the same time, we can find ourselves in situations where we can’t do our own work. Maybe we don’t have the space, or the weird, obscure manufacturer tool to do some odd and challenging job. In those times, we have to hand the job over to a professional and trust that they do it correctly and for a fair price.
I’ve had some nasty ones over the years. When I crashed my first car into a curb in 2008, I sheared the Watts linkage right off the differential. The quote to replace the differential was over $1000, which was a truly insane figure for a 17-year-old me. This was perfectly justified on the mechanic’s side—it cost $800 for a wrecker diff, and took a couple of hours of labor to install. Instead, I elected to go a cheaper route—asking if they’d instead merely replace the damaged back plate on the diff, and refix the Watts linkage. They quoted me $300. Reasonable, right?
Only, things didn’t stay reasonable. The workshop was right next to the caravan park we were staying in, and we saw the car sitting outside for most of the day. It could have been inside the shop for an hour or two at most. Only, the mechanic then rang me at five o’clock with a long story about how hard it had been to remove the bolts on the diff cover and how they’d spent “all day” working on it.
I knew this didn’t check out, since I’d seen the car hadn’t even been in the workshop for most of the day. I rustled up my friends and went down to the office to discuss the problem. The mechanic retold the same unconvincing story to four unimpressed teens. His efforts to pad the bill would come to naught; the problem was that I simply didn’t have any more money.
After the fourth time, I flatly stated I had $400 and not a cent more, the mechanic gave up. I paid the bill and we left, pissed that someone had tried to bilk us for more money.
I’ve had a few nasty experiences since. The most recent from the mechanic working on my Audi TT. He suggested replacing the wipers, which was suspect enough given I knew they were in peak form. He wanted $130 to do the job, particularly shocking given you can get a set for under $50 and most parts shops around here fit them for free. Offering to change the cabin filter for $125 also felt pretty egregious. There was also the time ten years ago when a Mazda dealer wanted to charge me four figures for a cam angle sensor. That sucked, too.
These are my tales, though, and this is Autopian Asks. So I turn to you—what is the worst quote you’ve had from a mechanic, and what went down?
Image credits: Lewin Day (provided)
I actually got three quotes for over $10,000 to get the engine replaced in my 2014 Kia Sedona. The quotes were from two Kia dealers and a reputable independent shop. The engine was burning an excessive amount of oil, and they all said my rings were shot. Apparently none of them did a compression check.
A friend and I figured out that it was just sucking lots of oil into the intake through the PCV hose.
I replaced the PCV, but couldn’t figure out why it was still sucking in so much oil. I installed an oil catch can in the PCV line, and it solved the problem. It runs perfect and uses no oil.
My father came home from a visit at the Mercedes-Benz service centre and said,”they couldn’t find anything wrong with the air conditioning system.” Of course, that was his code words for “they wanted a first born son plus ten goats plus twenty pigs.” Pressed for the exact quote, he blathered, “€2,500!”
I perused the owner’s forums to diagnose the system. Ah, the malfunctioned infrared red sensor and “leaking” sealants in the HVAC regulation box.
The sensor unit cost €125 at Mercedes-Benz store, but I could obtain the identical sensor at Conrad Electronics for €17. I took the unit apart to replace the sensor and put it back together.
The owner’s forum was more than helpful by specifying which type and size of rubber discs at the home improvement store. I bought seven for the grand sum of €0.60. I drilled the holes in specific size then replaced all of rubber sealants in the box.
The system functioned again. My father realised how resourceful I was for fixing his Mercedes, something he didn’t allow me for a long time.
So, as a former mechanic, I’m going to let you in on a little shop secret. If the mechanic doesn’t want to work on your car (it’s filthy, a heap of junk that shouldn’t be on the road, or mechanically complicated and the job will take ages) you will get blindsided by a repair quote that is WELL beyond what you’re expecting.
I had someone tow in VW Phaeton (well-known for their electrical and mechanical reliability /s) with multiple electrical faults. I could visibly see the vehicle had been flooded up to the seat rails and knew that most of the expensive modules are mounted to the floor. This would not be worth my time. So, I quote every module and a wire harness. Send them on their way.
Another car came in stacked with trash, smelling like tobacco and marijuana, and requesting an oil change, rotate, and diagnosis on a check engine light. I did the requested work and found it needed timing chains. I know from experience that cars like this are not likely to be taken care of, so I go the extra mile and quote EVERY. SINGLE. FAULT I can find. I think it ended up being about $10k in parts and labor. Hopefully they learned to take better care of their car after I kicked them in the chest.
I don’t think I wanted to be a dick, but I felt like car owners these days have unrealistic expectations. The Phaeton was definitely a write-off. The other car should have been taken care of instead of used as a mobile trashcan and ash tray. I will say being a mechanic put me at my worst and drove me to smoking and drinking from all the stress. So maybe I was a little jaded.
I’ve only taken cars in for service twice where I dropped them off and asked them to diagnose:
1) ’85 Caprice that started missing on the way into work. I was done working on engines that week so I just dropped it off without an appt. It was just a dirty spark plug…$30 for diagnosis and labor.
2) ’95 F150 with leaks and vibration. Leaks deemed not worth spending the money on, vibration was assumed to be a U-joint but they found the tires/wheels needed balancing (was not the fix, still vibrating, need to take it back in). Only $175.
Everything else I’ve done myself, or have taken it to a shop with instructions to perform one specific job. The only upcharge I’ve ever faced was new bleeder screws on my ’98 C1500, which were rusty AF.
Had a dealer quote me $500 for spark plugs (due for replacement because of “the age of the car”). Mind you, this wasn’t an engine with a row of spark plugs wedged against the firewall or buried under a turbo – it was for a basic I4. The only thing in the way is an air box resonator which takes about 30 seconds to remove (it’s not even bolted on).
Just about fell out of my chair on that one. Went home and I would have finished it in 20 minutes except I discovered oil in one of the spark plug wells which eventually necessitated in a detour to replace the valve cover, which naturally requires removing two engine mounts.
Most expensive single repair bill for a car ever for me was for my current ’14 Mercedes wagon – and by a factor of about four. It puked up it’s Denso A/C compressor clutch, and while there are some hacks to replace it, sort of, you technically can’t just buy the clutch, you have to buy a whole new compre$$or. And it was due for spark plugs (bit of a project on an E350 V6) and the timing cover and cam adjusters were leaking (common issues, and the cam adjuster leak can cost many thousands if ignored). Totaled out to $4200 when all was said and done at the local indie shop. If I had been in Maine, in my shop with a lift and a full suite of tools, I would have DIY’d it, probably. In Florida on my back in my driveway roasting in the heat, I paid the man with very few regrets. Lots cheaper than car payments on a new one.
Couple of different stories from the same local Mid Missouri chain in the 90s:
This is why I am happy to use NJ state inspection stations, yeah you will end up waiting in a line and dealing with slightly frustrated MVC employees, but it is free and they aren’t trying to get additional business out of the inspection.
Not a mechanic per se, but my wife went to a random dentist who could get her in quickly for tooth pain and they recommend $14k in treatments (even with insurance!) including a root canal to take care of it. Got her an appointment with our regular dentist later and all she needed was a $500 crown.
Dental insurance may as well not exist. It usually maxes out at 2000-2500/year, which is about what it costs just to say hello to the dentist’s receptionist.
Over 3k at the local dealer quoted for my ’06 ram when I had one of the airbag recalls.
Your bearings need packed (just did them months before myself) and the front and rear hubs were seeping.
Told them I’m only worried when they aren’t leaking, it’s a Dodge after all.
Just reminded me. I was in Bullhead City AZ and took my Vehicross into the nearest Isuzu dealership for a warranty repair on something. They service manager said hey we noticed you need a rear axle fluid service. I asked you sure? He said yes. I asked if he could show me? He said yes. Then they opened the plug U said it looks full and put my finger in and showed clear red fluid, I had it changed a week ago, and said hey this not only looks full but looks pretty fresh doesn’t it. He mumble something I said I had it changed a week ago. Then he is like well we didn’t check it but it looked like it was leaking. So you want to charge me for something you never checked? Well sir you don’t understand. I need the Isuzu DM telephone number for the area. Sorry can we give you all fluids checked and changed for free?
Damn I got expensive repair estimates but they were for a reasonable price for the job. I guess it helps that at first when my mechanic couldn’t source parts I found them and he agreed only labor and outside source was fine. But then he started calling me to source supposed unobtainable parts, not real unobtainable just NAPA unobtainable. Funny thing is I needed a new motor they couldn’t find but after 8 months I casually mentioned needing a new/rebuild and AutoZone guy said we can get that. I was leery but they did. Then I learned my guy often sourced parts from this same AZ. Well I ordered it but asked my mechanic I’ve been looking for this motor for 6 months you said you were looking to and a regular daily supplier you used you never asked? Well worked out had a few issues I saved money by being an ass but paid $6k for a motor rebuild with a 4 years unlimited mileage warranty. But being me the motor sent leaked oil like a sieve but the provider only covered the warranty cost not the replacement cost despite it arrived damaged. So despite this I was only going to get a percentage of the problem paid for I went forward but complained politely and AZ and my mechanic covered what AZ motor supplier should have. The supplier thought I was shit but when their customer AZ who bought thousands of engines approached them things were different. So AZ great company to buy a motor from, who knew they sold motors, and my mechanic is awesome.
Sounds like a good mechanic. Too bad about the ordeal, though. It’s a drag.
Cabin air filter, you say? When my Santa Cruz was a year old I took it to the dealer for its second oil change. The service writer said they could change the filter for $299. I asked her how it could be so expensive. Well, besides using a GENUINE Hyundai filter they would use an aerosol disinfectant to clean the vents. I smiled my best smile and held an even tone and told her that there wasn’t a can of Lysol on God’s green Earth worth $300 and I would change it myself. She then had the gall to warn me to use a Genuine Hyundai filter or I could void my warranty. I was raised to not yell at women. Damn it.
That is extreme.
A local mechanic once gave me an astronomical quote and then told me that I sounded like a pain in the ass to deal with, and that I’d be better off just doing the wrenching myself. I mean, he probably wasn’t wrong — on both counts — but still.
Points for honesty?
The local Peterbilt dealer charges 50 grand for an in frame overhaul on a X15 Cummins. The Freightliner charges 40 grand and gets it done twice as fast. And the last one we had done at Pete had to be took back to the shop a week after it was finished because it dropped a valve.
If you are in Pennsylvania I can get you better price and service
I’m in AZ, and refuse to cross the Mississippi. But I appreciate the offer
I can get you better price and quality if you are around western central PA
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The worst quote was from Flower Jeep. $2000+ to troubleshoot (not fix) why all the dash lights would go on and turn off the cruise control in my old Jeep Wrangler JK.
I will never buy nor service another car there in my life, due to another issue involving fixing a squeak, charging me for a new hub, and the squeak was not fixed (there was dirt in the poly bushings). Grease solved that problem.
I dealt with no cruise control for a couple of weeks after talking to some other local mechanics who didn’t want to touch it after describing the issue. Finally, I drove over the Rockies to Denver for business and stopped at the dealer in Littleton, poking around. The service advisor pulled a mechanic from the back and they figured out it would be 6 hours of labor to figure it out and fix the problem, which was likely a ground out. Some troubleshooting to the harness above the gas tank and it was fixed for half the original estimate, with a quote of half the cost.
I bought a Toyota 4Runner 13 months later when it started again, and eventually my AMC Jeep (I wrench on it in the driveway with basic hand tools).
For all the Fiat/Jeep hate, I had 140k reliable miles except the squeak and harness issues. My Toyota is going to have many more, though.
Just ask DT
I booked my Elise into a Lotus dealer to bleed the brakes.
They called later that day with a list of parts they said were needed, which came to just over fourteen thousand pounds.
Not included labour for fitting.
I didn’t pay it, and never went back there again.
I think this is a winner!
They said it needed a new chassis, which was 12 grand. Plus some sundry items.
It needed a repair to the chassis, which was £200, and was in no way part of bleeding the sodding brakes.
$18,162 US dollars at today’s exchange rate in case anyone is wondering.
Was Elise your cars real name?
Back when the Elise was new here in the US (and I had mine) there was a lady owner with her 2005 that was suffering from major, major brake trouble (search lotustalk.com for “ice mode”). She ultimately had practically the entire brake system replaced by Lotus Cars under warranty. Wonder how much that cost?
They tried to add lightness to your wallet.
Most annoying up sell I’ve had was for four tiny pieces of rubber. The setting: June 2019. The car: 2007 RAV4 with about 42K miles on the original tires. The tread was getting pretty low and they were hard as hockey pucks being 12 years old, but they never really varied in pressure beyond what was expected due to seasonal changes in temperature. State inspection was coming up so I decided on a nice set of Toyo Celsius all-weather tires. Found a Mavis tire shop near work that had them in stock, set up an appointment, and dropped the car off on the way in that morning. Guy behind the desk asks if I want to have the tire pressure warning valve grommets changed along with fitting the new tires. I (thinking it’s probably a good idea seeing as the car is 12 years old) gave the go ahead. Well, beside the fact that they had the car all day, I noticed fairly soon after that these new tires would be down several pounds of pressure after about a week. Should new tires leak? Of course not, so it has to be that I let them change those damn grommets, and I’ve been dealing with it ever since (and religiously checking my tire pressures since in the intervening 6 years one or more TPM sensors have gone bad and the stupid TPM light is constantly on).
What are the chances of this?
I had Mavis pull the same damn crap on my 09 Scion xB.
And after 3 years the same result as yours.
I can live with the tire lights on vs $300 bucks for them to replace them.
Never going back to a Mavis store again.
Back in the 90s I knew a customer of our family business (a deli) that owned a little tire shop in Trenton, NJ called C & F Tire that was my go to whenever my dad or I needed tires. The owner was very honest and prices were great. Fast forward to the late aughts and I started to use either NTB or a place called Vespias. No issues with either. This was the first (and last) time I’ll ever use Mavis for tires also. Seems they bought out NTB after they closed up, too.
My gti’s former owner, I believe, accidentally smashed a side mirror off and replaced both with some shitty TEMU mirrors. The electronics wrapped out and after that it would always turn fully in every time I turned it off. Local VW dealer wanted EIGHT HUNDRED dollars to replace the mirror. I got a spare off marketplace for $90 and replaced it in an hour
I had the driver side mirror on my Volvo 740 scraped off by a delivery truck in Brooklyn. The local independent mechanic quoted me $600 to fix it, but then said that he could order a replacement from the salvage yard for me for 60 bucks, and then spent about 15 minutes explaining how I could do it myself, so I was only out $60 plus some weird plastic clip things from the Volvo dealer. It was easy to do it just took most of an afternoon.
Best mechanic ever.
Long ago my wife’s ’85 Ford Tempo died just past the tollbooth entering the Mass Pike. Towed by Triple A to a local garage. These geniuses pushed the car down the street and popped the clutch. Diagnosis was that engine was locked up and needed replacement. Towed to Ford dealer who diagnosed stuck starter solenoid holding the starter against the ring gear. Would have been just the solenoid replacement but the diagnostic geniuses managed to chip teeth off the ring gear during their flailing. Triple A came through with a refund for the ring gear and towing. Still have a hate on for that first garage.
More recently had my 2005 Tacoma in the shop for some needed care. Was quoted $1200 to fix a timing cover oil leak. No visible oil leak under the truck. No oil consumption between changes. Oil isn’t under pressure behind the cover. I decided it was safe to strike that item off the list of work I would approve.
I bought tires at Pep Boys and when I picked up my car they told me my valve cover was leaking oil and gave me a quote to replace the gasket. It was a Volvo with an overhead cam. I declined.
Some shop way back asked why I brought my Metro in for an alignment. Told him because I put new tie rod ends on. He responded with some “we charge an extra hundred dollars when people do their own work because it’s harder for us to do the alignment” bs.