I have a dodge that has a cross threaded spark plug that I can’t remove. And these mechanics are quoting me a price of 1,200 to 1,800. Because they said they have to take off the head. What do I do?
Take it to another mechanic for a second quote.
I’d also guess the mechanics may be able to get the plug out with the head still on but are concerned they won’t be able to fix it without removing the head. Covering their hiney’s on the quote.
If they pull the sparkplug, install an insert and hand you a bill for $400 instead of $1200 you will be happy.
Ugly things will happen if they quote $400 and hand you a bill for $1200, won’t they?
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if you cant remove it comfortably than it must be tight? car runs ok? no combustion gas leakage?
The motor mounts need to be fixed. I need a coolant flush also. And I need to fix a valve leak.
You don’t say what year or condition of the vehicle but it may be that this thing has reached a point where you should not put much money into it.
Sorry. It’s a 2004 besides what I’ve listed everything else is okay. It was given to me so I didn’t really know much. And you may be right I’ve been told that the stratus isn’t worth spending money on.
Does this have the 2.7L engine? If so the mechanic may simply not want to touch this because when it blows up in a little bit, he is worried you will blame him.
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Yes and that’s probably why. Are those prices I listed accurate?
You might want to look at Kelley Blue Book to help you decide if you want to spend the amount of money that this 'Free ’ vehicle will take.
Without really checking out the problem it’s very very difficult to say there is a cross-threaded spark plug. Unless you did it. If the other plugs look like they are the originals from 11 years ago, which is possible, then the stuck plug is probably just that, stuck, but not cross threaded. I’m no expert on removing stuck plugs, but it’s not a very uncommon problem these days. You might try a different shop, and tell them that you’ve been told that a spark plug is stuck, but not the cross threaded theory.
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There are older cars driving around with one original plug still in the motor because that one plug was very difficult to access. So they left it alone and only changed the others. The question to ask- is it worth it? What caused you to change plugs in the first place; preventive maintenance or some actual problem? What did the other plugs look like that did come out? Did they appear used up or almost like new? These are the things I would be considering before I decided to remove one stuck plug at all costs…