I was recommended to a new mechanic by a good friend. They seemed knowledgable and fixed my issue quickly. However, I do want to fact check them. I had a coolant leak coming out from under the engine closer to the firewall somewhere. They told me I needed a “plastic heater hose assembly” which was $312.09 for the part. They said it was just leaking near one of the connections but needed to replace the entire assembly and that is was a large assembly of hoses. I wanted to fact check this and the pricing as I can’t seem to find any coolant related parts that match up to their claim. Looking under the hood, I don’t see any large sea of new hoses anywhere and they did not show me the part or under the car before or after the repair. We were both super busy so I just took their word for it. I just want to see if this repair seems legitimate before I do more business with them.
The T&C has several different configurations for the cabin heat system. I’m not seeing a price for the hose assembly, but assuming the most economical method is to replace the entire assembly, that price doesn’t seem out of line. If the leak was in a hose that connects from the firewall to the heater core, from what I see that requires the entire heater core be replaced, as replacing just the hose isn’t recommended. I presume that the problem is the same on the other side of the firewall, the entire hose assembly has to be replaced, replacing just a single hose isn’t the Chrysler recommended procedure.
You might try surfing over to rockauto.com and seeing if you can find the part there. Otherwise you can always stop by a Chrysler dealership and ask at their parts department. But I’d guess you’d just be wasting your time, $312 for almost any car part is a good bargain these days. You know that little plastic spray nozzle that sits on top of the hood, you press a button & it sprays water to clean the windshield? I priced that out at Toyota a while ago for my Corolla, cost for just a single nozzle? $45.
Depending on the heater hose assembly in the vehicle, it can get expensive.
Tester
Thanks so much for the reply. Great info! Yeah, I had already looked on Rockauto and did not see anything that matched the part they listed on the invoice. That’s what had me thinking if they were just making something up.
Thanks for the reply. Yes, great points. They did not mention anything about the heater core and my climate controls were working fine. Of course, I don’t really know enough about the coolant system to make sense of it 
These have been known to have a coolant Y fitting crack and leak under the hood and I think it’s near the firewall . In another site someone said this plastic Y is like $150 so that plus labor sounds about normal . Pretty sure thats what they replaced. Seems to be a common issue on these vans .
does your invoice from this mechanic/shop list part numbers for what was replaced?
Yes! He did mention a Y fitting now that I think of it but said the entire “plastic heater hose assembly” needed to be replaced. They charged me $312.09 for the part, $149 for the labor and $69 for a coolant system pressure check and diagnostic.
Thanks for the reply eddo. No, this place is considered “old school” from the person who referred me and says he has been using them for many years. No part numbers, etc., on the invoice, just text. They have pretty stellar reviews online and were swamped with business when I dropped off and picked up the van a day later. If I recall correctly, they have 6-7 bays. I have three minivans like this I use for my business and just want to find a honest shop that does good work.