My 2007 Ford Escape’s upcoming 100,000 mile service calls for replacement of the PVC valve. I was given an estimate of $710 (!) from my mechanic (the dealer) including labor, and it’s mostly labor. Could this possibly be right? And second question: do I really have to do it?
Your post reads like the only thing being done is the PCV valve. That can’t be correct. Post what all they want to do and also compare it to your service schedule in the manual.
Why are you taking an 11 year old vehicle out of warranty to the dealership? Find a well recommended independent mechanic, show them the maintenance schedule in your manual for 100,000 miles, then ask them for a quote. I bet it will be far cheaper than the dealer.
When I enter the 100,000 mile repair estimate into repair pal, I’m seeing far cheaper estimates for all of the work in my zip code ($459-582):
Repair pal notes the 100,000 mile service is an oil change, coolant, PVC, and Spark Plugs, so the dealerships estimate is likely all of those services
No, there is also an oil change, etc, normal service at 100 K. But, he broke out the cost of $710 solely for the PCV valve in addition to all other charges. And the PCV replacement IS called for in the owner’s manual.
710.00 to replace a PCV valve ? Definitely find another place .
I doubt it’s $710 for just the PCV…I looked it up and spark plugs are also due at 100,000 miles. I’d imagine the large labor cost is mostly due to the spark plugs as it’s a V6 engine
This must be the V6 (3.0L)? The PCV is buried under the intake manifold and I think the intake has to be removed to replace it. Not a small job.
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Yeah I think @Rainflurry is correct. I can’t recall what car but I do recall looking at one and wondering what a problem it would be getting the valve out. For most cars its a $5 part and two minutes but evidently not all. Of course as they say, pay me now or pay me later since at some point the thing is going to fail.
Get estimates from at least two other shops and see what the cost is. It appears you are not experiencing problems, so this is preventative maintenance, and doesn’t have to be done immediately. If you don’t know any good independent mechanics, ask everyone you know for recommendations. Eventually there will be a couple that are mentioned a lot. Try them.
On the 2.3L 4 banger I’m seeing 4+ hours labor to replace the PCV valve. The intake manifold has to come out. So $710 actually seems pretty reasonable. If I had that car and the only reason to replace the PCV valve is b/c the odometer is hitting 100K, I’d defer that job until either a pcv related symptom appeared, or the intake manifold had to be removed for another reason. the part itself is less than $200 $20, but 4 hours labor, wow!
One idea you might check w/the shop tech : Is it possible to inject some pcv valve cleaner into the valve via the breather hose? Usually when the pcv valve develops problems, it is b/c it is gunked up. I’ve had very good success cleaning mine when this happens. I just soak it a little gasoline. The pcv valves on all my vehicles have always been very simple to remove, just pull them out of a hole in the valve cover is all. 5 minutes max.
One take from this: Good idea when buying a car to check the parts and labor cost of common replacement items like pcv valve, brake pads & rotors, struts, water pump, spark plugs, etc, before deciding on which make & model to choose from.
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If the PCV valve fails, there will excessive pressure in the crankcase and that will contribute to oil leaks. If it is time-consuming and expensive to change it, I would hold off. It may never be needed.
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I had a 2000 Ranger once with the 4 cylinder engine. Went to change the spark plugs in it. In additional to having 2 plugs per cylinder… one side of the engine was covered by the intake manifold. It took some finagling with socket extensions and contortions to get those plugs out. Never again; some engineer should have designed that better. That truck had a lot of weird quirks.
It is sort of an odd configuration for a inline 4 that the intake manifold would get in the way of changing the pcv valve. I can see how it might happen for some “v” configurations, but hard to see why they’d do that for an inline 4.
There are plenty of cars with twice your mileage on the original PCV valve. I’d just drive on and keep an eye out for any symptoms.
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OK, thank you.
I’m sorry, I don’t know if you got my response, but I will keep my eye on it.