Can a pipe really be that expensive?

[mrwagner]

Hi, new to the forum and looking for (rarely needed, thank you Camry) repair advice.

My wife was told by a heretofore trusted dealer service shop that the cost to repair a leaking front exhaust pipe on a 1997 V6 auto trans would be about $1700, most of which was parts cost of the front exhaust pipe assembly. Can this be right? This is about 40-50% of the value of this previously cheap-to-maintain car.

Thanks,
mr

[Chris Crash]

That is RIDICULOUS. No. That is nuts.

Depending on where it's leaking determines the price, but I can't imagine more than $300 for brand new exhaust pieces to be installed.

[the_professional]

They are replacing the front exhaust pipe.
I don't recall how much the front exhaust pipe costs OEM. But, I would assume it is a couple of hundred. Their labor rates are horrendous, do not bother with them. I got an aftermarket pipe for $76, maybe you arent comfortable with Aftermarket, but I thought its just a pipe, and the quality has been great for me, 1 year in & no issues.

If your getting OEM, it shouldnt be more then a couple of hundred to get it installed.

They're just stealing your money @ that dealership.

[Gothmog3VZ]

rip-off;
My mechanic quoted ~$2k + labour for a front exhaust job (replace headers & flex) if he was to order the parts from his "Genuine Toyota Source".

I got the new header earlier today in UPS, shipped in 2 days, costed a bit under $200. Another $100 for my mechanic to bolt it in on saturday, and that's that.

always check the prices of the parts yourself, and do as much labor as you can in your garage

[csaxon]

Dealers sell it as a single unit with cat converter for around $1300 plus labor.

[haux]

^ what he said.

The MSRP for that downpipe assembly is $1,331.83, assuming I got your car specs right. My 2000 I4's is about a thousand.

Plus they always rape you in the ass with labor.

Do you know where it's leaking? Obviously for that kind of a price they're just replacing the entire unit. Unless it's rusted like crazy with holes all over, you may just be able to get it fixed for a hundred. If the flex pipe is leaking, maybe a couple hundred for the new piece?

[groovemasterodi]

Dealer ship told me I had the same thing man, for about the same price. Ended up being the exhaust gasket and I fixed the problem with a 2 dollar bottle of RTV around the fitting. Don't know if that will help you, but it worked for me(was throwing a CEL)

Happy New Year to the TN community!

[360glitch]

Thank God you did not pay that, as that is insane. As others have said, you have other much more affordable options.

[Frodo65]

Originally Posted by mrwagner

Hi, new to the forum and looking for (rarely needed, thank you Camry) repair advice.

My wife was told by a heretofore trusted dealer service shop that the cost to repair a leaking front exhaust pipe on a 1997 V6 auto trans would be about $1700, most of which was parts cost of the front exhaust pipe assembly. Can this be right? This is about 40-50% of the value of this previously cheap-to-maintain car.

Thanks,
mr

As others have indicated, the pipe, by itself, isn't that expensive. Do keep in mind a few 'driving factors' the tech has to deal with.

1. The tech wants to avoid a 'come-back'. That means that they're more likely to replace 'marginal' parts that could go for a while (or fail real soon). In many dealerships, the tech isn't paid for come-backs.
2. The tech isn't going to have time to deal with rusted-together connectors (they are typically paid 'flat-rate', based on 'standard work hours', and salvaging rusted parts busts that), or ones that are likely to fall apart. That means that they're going to be biased to replacing the part.
3. Of parts in the 'rust belt' or 'salt belt', 13 year-old parts are quite likely to be rusted and integrity compromised. See point (1) above.
4. The dealership makes a buck on parts, and the tech makes a buck getting things done as quickly as possible. That means that it's against both their self-interest to reuse marginal parts, especially if doing so takes any time.
5. The dealership typically warrants the repair. Marginal parts that fail within the warranty period would make that expensive for the dealership (see point 1 above). This biases both to replace anything the least suspicious.
6. Techs don't get paid too well for diagnosis. This makes many unwilling to look beyond the first fault, and throw parts at problems until they go away. In cases like yours, this makes them replace a pipe when a gasket fails. The issue is that a gasket failure could be from a flange or pipe bracket that isn't clamping sufficiently or is compromised by corrosion, so it's often the right thing to do. But it doesn't lessen the pain in the wallet when a $100 gasket repair could have been just as effective as a $1500 pipe-and-catalyst one.

As with lots of things in life, the 'follow the money' advisement will show why things happen the way they do.

[Frodo65]

Originally Posted by groovemasterodi

Dealer ship told me I had the same thing man, for about the same price. Ended up being the exhaust gasket and I fixed the problem with a 2 dollar bottle of RTV around the fitting. Don't know if that will help you, but it worked for me(was throwing a CEL)

Happy New Year to the TN community!

RTV + exhaust system = bad news. RTV will degrade quickly under exhaust system temps. Plus, it could take the O2 sensor out with it if it oozes on the inside of the joint - the combustion products of RTV can poison sensors and catalysts.

There are sealants rated for temps in an exhaust component - RTV isn't amonst them. Most will degrade and burn off within a fairly short time. If you used the stuff rated for exhaust use - cool, and possibly a reasonably durable repair. If you used stuff like generic RTV, you're likely to need to go back in and re-repair.

[slpr1mz]

find the leak go to an exhaust mod shop and have them fix just that section. alot of shop if not buys my even take a look at it for free... good luck though

[groovemasterodi]

Ahh yeah, it was the high temp RTV, and just a temp fix to stop the engine throwing a CEL so I could pass emissions, have since gone back and patched it up better until a proper fix is done.