Hello there. I wanted to post a question to everyone in hopes that someone can help. I have a 2003 Saturn L200 with 71000 miles that I am going to be driving across the county in two weeks. I took my car to a local shop to have them do an oil change and check everything out and was told that I have a loose tie rod that needs to be replaced. The mechanic quoted me $200 for parts labor and an alignment. He told me that while this is not a safety issue that its not so bad that my tire will fall off I need to have it addressed because it could cause my tires to wear unevenly. My question is this…should I have the tie rod replaced before my trip? Or is this something that I can wait till later for? Also, is that a fair price for all the labor? If someone can help me out with these questions and help me come to a decision, that would be much appreciated. Thank you!
Sounds Good To Me!
This sounds quite reasonable. You are getting good advice and service. Do it now! Why wait to have the tie-rod and tire replaced?
I don’t think you’re gonna get it done for much less than that. FYI: The part is about $30 at Autozone, alignment about $50-60 so… you’re paying $110 for labor for a job that should take a shadetree mechanic with novice skills about 20 minutes to change out. An experienced mechanic with all the tools and lift can do it faster.
This isn’t necessarily how your invoice/estimate will be broken down - likely they’re charging you a premium for the part, an hour minimum for labor and then the alignment.
I’d offer $160 plus tax.
never put off repairing a suspension part since your life may depend on it. You will forget to do it if you put it off and eventually it will break…fix it now.
The price quoted is very fair and the repair should be done unless you’re planning on new tires in the foreseeable future.
The barter system or price negotiations does not pay the shop’s bills. Anyone given an estimate who attempts this should be given directions to the local parts store where they can purchase the parts, the tools, and the manual for a DIY job.
Again, a fair price, good service and honest advice. This technician did not try to pressure the owner and instead declared the vehicle safe, and risking losing the work, said it could wait. I’d be willing to bet all this service came “free” or nearly so with the oil change. Why would one jeopardize this good working relationship here?
Just “loose” doesn’t sound bad but it is bad. Bad alignment causes more strain on the engine and transmission. When you want to accelerate, you don’t want the tires to try to point at each other. You want them where they’re supposed to be. With the cost of gasoline today, I would want better fuel economy too. Less stress is better.
thank you all for your helpful replies…just to clarify a little…it cost me $175 for oil change, air filter change and for them to do the work researching the alignment issue, so all told I would be spending about $375…I trust this mechanic and I dont think they are trying to take advantage of me, its just hard to tell sometimes as I have been taken advantage of before…I have decided to take the car back in to have it repaired as I dont want to have this issue hanging over my head while I drive across the country
[i]Bon Voyage![/i]
Great! Thanks for the update.
Have a great trip!