Absolutely ridiculous.
Can you imagine the repair bill $$$ for what should be a relatively simple timing chain replacement?
There is a shortage of mechanics, kids don’t want the job…who wants to deal with this insanity?
Assuming this engine was properly maintained (BIG if), this is more a case of premature wear from bad design. Most timing chains (not all, I know) last the life of the engine. In other words, the main problem isn’t the complexity of the repair, it’s that the repair shouldn’t be needed.
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Both are a problem.
Look at all that amber/brown inside the engine; looks like the oil ran way too far.
For the cost of that chain replacement, he could have paid someone to change the oil every 1000 miles.
On 3800 engines they said the timing chains would often go at about 150k. Not the chain but the gears. I did my own for about $150, plus 50 mile tow charge, on a weekend. Don’t forget to pack the oil pump with Vaseline.
The “Roadside assistance” package through my car insurer is dirt cheap. They will pay “all reasonable costs” to tow the vehicle for repair. With multiple young drivers on my account, that make out of town trips, it’s great piece of mind.
Several tows, flat changes and jump starts over the years. They even paid 100% to tow 30 miles to my house, right past repair facilities, no hassle.
I had/have the Amoco motor club and got to know the driver/owner. The normal charge was about $100 to drive up and tow me home. The club paid I think the first 15 miles and the hook up charge and then I paid the rest of the mileage. I didn’t think it was too bad. I also have it on my insurance policies and use it once in a while. I have little need now but I like the idea of having one number to call no matter where I’m at.
One time I locked my keys in the car at the cabin and they sent a guy 30 miles away to come and unlock it at no charge. So I’m fairly happy. One time the wife had not shut the trunk all the way at the airport and the battery was dead. They finally sent someone but the person on the dispatch had trouble finding Minneapolis. So who knows what country they are using now.
I think it is about $30 every quarter. I used to sell AAA so switched clubs when I quit. Nothing wrong with them but not cheap.
I just hate people that don’t know how to hold a damn camera when taking pictures or video… 
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Yep, it really annoys me when cell phone videos are shown on TV and the phone was held vertically rather than horizontally.
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I see people taking pictures of groups visiting the museum I volunteer for ALL the time in the vertical position. When they ask me to take the picture so all can be in it, they seem confused sometimes when I turn the phone horizontal.
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I would like to know who “they” are? My last car was a 1999 Monte Carlo with the 3800 V6. Except for some intake manifold problems with age it was a good engine. I ended up selling it with 224,000 miles on it in good working order.
I changed the oil every 5,000 miles and used Castrol 10W30. A few years before I sold it I did remove the intake manifold and re-installed with high quality gaskets.
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I’ve had timing chains go on a properly maintained vehicle. But I haven’t seen that happen in 30+ years. Better designs and manufacturing. I’ve replaced a few timing chains in my day. Some are extremely complex…others are not much more complicated then a timing belt.
The OP is lucky he’s not dealing with an Audi S4, which has a V8 with the timing chains at the rear of the engine. It’s an engine-out repair, $5k - $10k.
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Now that’s a cluster F waiting to happen !!
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lol …Not for the faint of heart, but fixing something like that looks like a fun diy’er project if you had plenty of free-time on your hands. But my oh my what a complicated mechanism! I have difficulty just figuring out how my cassette tape recorder mechanism works …