When I originally took my car to be smog checked, it failed due to the piping underneath the driver’s side closer to the back tire coming undone. The check fuel cap and engine light were turned on, on the dash. Due to some other mishaps at the shop, the men there said that they would be willing to temporarily fix/reconnect the piping by cutting off some edges and reconnecting so new tubes to get the job done. Their shop wasn’t capable of dropping the engine to replace the part themselves, but they originally told me the part would cost $200 something. Due to the temporary fix my car passed smog and I was on my way. Three weeks later the engine light turned back in so I brought it into the Mazda Dealership. They originally quoted us the fix would cost $404 to fix the purge solenoid (a part that costs $75.34). While they were fixing it though they gave us a call back telling us it would now cost $1786 to fix the car because the shop before had butchered the piping. They say they need to fix the vein pipe (part = 503.71) and fuel pipe (part = 134.73). That would mean over a $1000 in labor to fix the car. They say they need to fix this due to a vapor leak, but I need to know. What are the repercussions of not getting this fixed? Am I getting played? Is this kind of pricing normal? I don’t know cars, but this amount seems absurd.
I would take the vehicle to another shop for a second opinion. It might very well be that the dealer is correct, but I would get a second opinion from a trusted independent shop. Dealers are generally the most expensive place to get mechanic work done.
Without seeing the car, we can’t possibly tell you if this repair is necessary or not. You did say that the previous guy cut and spliced some stuff as a temporary fix. It’s entirely possible that what they did damaged something, or made it so that you have to pay more when you actually get the job done properly. Beyond that, we’d need a lot more detail or better yet, access to the vehicle to tell you.
In addition to agreeing with everything said by jayhawkroy and shadowfax, I want to respond to one of the OP’s points that was not already answered.
Selliott821–You asked, "What are the repercussions of not getting this fixed?"
The answer to that question is that your vehicle will be unable to pass the emissions check the next time that it is due. And, you may have a hard time selling a vehicle that cannot pass an emissions test, thus putting you between a rock and a hard place in terms of this issue.
You will likely have no alternative to getting the problem repaired, but you can almost certainly have it done for less than the Mazda dealership is quoting. You might even want to check the price at a Ford dealer, since the Mazda Tribute is mechanically identical to a Ford Escape. Your best bet, however, is to find a competent independent shop.