I’ve just taken my '98 Civic Ex 4AT(80K mile)to the Honda dealer for a diagnosis. The tech guy said I need to have my Timing belt changed (which was WAYYyy overdue), the oxygen sensor replaced(wrong A/M part, which causing the car to hesitate when started: “dumb a**!”), and both rear bushings plus alignment done.
When I heard the price to have all this repaired, my head rolled out the garage.
My Question: if I take my car to another Honda Service, would I be charged more or less the same? Should I buy the parts from Honda, and have the services done locally? or just have my mechanic order the (genuine) parts and service together? What are my options?
sincerely,
Head_in_GloveBox
Ops, forgot to mentioned: the dealer’s quote was $1500 + tax for the repairs.
Dealers are no better (or worse) than independent mechanics for almost anything you might need done on your car. They will almost always charge more per hour and often more for parts and supplies. They also tend to look at repairs a little different than the independent.
A dealer may well recommend work that strictly may not be needed, but could be connected to the problem or maybe replace a part when a little repair would fix it ALMOST as good a new.
There is no need to bring your car to the dealer for any service other than service that is going to be paid for by a recall or original warrantee.
I suggest that most people would be better off finding a good independent (Not working for a chain) mechanic.