My 97 Honda Civic has 89,000 miles and needs
a new timing belt and water pump…
what should this cost along with the normal
major service items?
$600 to $1000 dependent on your locale in the US.
I agree. The price varies with location, but $1,400 is seriously high. We don’t know, however, what other “services” the dealer was trying to tack on to generate additional profit.
I’d suggest you get a price from an independent mechanic. You could save some money.
Your post appears to be pretty fuzzy from my perspective without knowing the locale and having the amounts broken down.
A 90k miles service is a major service so it’s possible the 1400 could be legitimate depending on exactly what is being done. Details please.
What is your question? The original quote was $1,400. Then the dealer dropped the quote to $710. Does the lower quote get you all the same services or were some items dropped from the service order to lower the cost?
I had a timing belt and water pump job on my Toyota Sequoia for $600 including tax. They replaced the old coolant with new, and put on a new serpentine belt included in that price. A timing belt job similar to this should be less on a 4 cylinder car.
Your $710 quote should get you similar services but other stuff like flushing brake fluid, etc. could increase your bill. I don’t have a 97 Civic service guide so I can’t tell what services are recommended at 90K.
Take the car to a couple of mechanics and/or get some phone quotes for the same services and select who you want to do the work. I got 2 quotes from Toyota dealers and 2 from independent shops and choose the local independent shop based on the quote and his reputation.
I got this same work done on my 98 Civic at Goodyear for about $550 last year (timing belt, belt tensioner, and water pump). This also included a new crank shaft seal. Yours will probably be leaking oil and should be replaced at the same time if it is. I had a 10% off coupon, so you might have to pay about $600 if you don’t have a coupon. Check their web site to see if there are any coupons and get some quotes from some other non-dealership mechanics. Shopping around can save you money.
Why go to the dealer for this service?? The car is 10+ years old. Find a good independent and have them do it. It should be a LOT cheaper then what the dealer will charge.