I was wondering if anyone has run into this problem before. My chevy trailblazer 4 x 4 5.3L V8,with 184,000 miles has a start problem. The shop that I took it to is telling me that to replace the starter/solenoid they have to lift the front of the engine. Thereby charging me 8 hours of labor costs. Because of all the 4 x 4 stuff in the way. The mechanic ended up rebuilding the solenoid on the old starter. Has anyone run into this problem with labor costs? Is this normal?
Yes, others have. Yes, labor is charged for repair work.
The labor guide shows 3.8 hours of labor to replace the starter assembly but as you have learned, people will charge as much as they want.
Did they only repair the solenoid as you stated? If so, that is very misguided in my opinion on an 18 year old vehicle with going on 200k miles. The starter motor bushings and brushes are likely worn which means more current draw which means more wear and tear on the solenoid.
If you approved the repair before it was done then you have to live with it.
1 Like
I agree with @ok4450. It would have been better to replace the whole starter assembly since it is so old and could fail later on. You might get by though as is.