My engine light came on recently and so I took my car to a shop for diagnosis. I know absolutely nothing about cars and wanted to know if the price I will be paying is appropriate for my issues. Also, they mention that repairs at the dealer would cost over $2000. Thanks in advance.
I commend you for posting the actual readout. It always helps to have the actual codes. However, please understand that the codes are only the beginning of the diagnosis. They don’t tell you why you have an EVAP leak, or why you have a lean operation, only that you do. More diagnosis needs to be done before an estimate can be quoted.
An EVAP system leak could be as inexpensive as a bad gas cap or as expensive as a rot hole in the gas tank. There’s no way of guessing without at least doing a “smoke test”, where smoke is pumped into the system and will hopefully make the leak point obvious.
A lean operation condition could be anything from a simple bad injector to a weak fuel pump. Like the EVAP code, it needs more looking into.
Since the shop gave you an estimate, I assume they did the further diagnosis (?). Can you tell us what they wrote on the shop order as the causes of the codes?
@cdaquila - Carolyn I am not sure if the repair shop web address really belongs here.
mountainbike - Unless it’s still not sufficient, the other image I posted contains that information. The leak is due to a bad gas cap. The lean condition is due to pcv valve leaking. I’d be paying around $1200 for all problems listed.
$1200 for a new gas cap and PCV valve is insane.
Are you sure that’s all that’s involved?
No, that’s not all that is involved. Please see all the attached images.
mountainbike
$1200 includes the gas cap, pcv valve, diagnosis, tax and the upsells
For what it’s worth, it sounds like this shop is on pretty solid ground
The customer came in with a complaint. It was diagnosed properly . . . if they saw the gas cap seeping, that means they hooked up the smoke machine . . . and a proper estimate was provided, complete with recommended upsells.
What I see looks pretty reasonable
Depending on what kind of engine we’ve got here . . . straight 4 or V6, replacing the plugs might be a bit of a job
it doesn’t look like the shop is proposing anything outrageous. Cleaning the maf and throttle body makes good sense, in my opinion
And . . . this may be a stretch . . . it sounds like they might recheck the evap system for leaks after installing that new cap.
On a side note . . . this diagnosis proves how indispensable an evap/smoke machine is for proper diagnosis. Yes, there are sometimes other methods which work, if you don’t have a smoke machine. But an evap/smoke machine sure makes life easier and it sure beats running out of lung power, blowing that cigarette smoke, trying to spot the leak. Yup, I’ve seen guys do that
And nobody said OP has to go for those upsells, either
Fair enough. Perhaps I spoke too quickly without thinking. {:-/
And let’s not overlook that the price includes a new motormount.
Thank you all for the responses. I will most likely go ahead with the repairs.
Please let us know how everything turns out
It would also be nice if you could post some more pictures of the final repair order, after all is said and done. It would be interesting to see how it’s worded
I’m assuming the final repair order will be quite well itemized . . .
Get another opinion. They saw you coming.
insightful - can you elaborate?
Get the gas cap and pcv valve replaced, then see how it runs. Did they show you the broken motor mount?
in fact…
YOU can buy the gas cap and pcv valve and put them on. While putting in the pcv…check all the hoses going to it . I’ve seen many of those deteriorate from oil soaking and the hose is the only problem.
It may need the codes cleared but it easily be all it needs.
There’s no harm done getting the work noted done. It probably will help the car’s reliability and performance. But if you want to go the cheapo route, you could buy a new gas cap from a dealership and a replacement pcv valve and either install it yourself of pay the shop to install it. That might be all you need to get the check engine light addressed.
I should add it is usually in the owner’s financial interest to keep all the suggested routine maintenance in the owner’s manual up to date as best you can.
What issues found justify the note “not safe to drive with these issues”? I don’t see any safety issues. I would stay away from any shop trying to scare people into getting work done.
I think the safety issue is that an evap leak could mean there are gas fumes escaping from the vehicle, which could ignite at an inopportune time.
Well you asked for an opinion so I am going to give mine. If I were you, unless you know this shop to be honest, go out and ask friends and family for a second shop to get this looked it. I just question so much of this. If its just a leaky gas cap and a new PVC, even with diagnosis, maybe $400? The the issue of the motor mount, have it checked elsewhere, it is rare for them to go. Just seems fishy here. Don’t listen to these posters claiming if you keep your car up to date that it will hold its value better. There might be nothing wrong with your motor mount and therefore all this part replacements will do nothing for the value.