Do these prices for service sound correct?

[peckster]

Hi!

I drive a '99 Camry XLE, and it just turned 71,000 miles. Having still not done the 60,000 mile service, I made an appointment for today to have it done. I also told them to replace the timing belt.
I had a budget of around $500 for all of this to be done.

Well, about an hour after taking it in, I get a phone call from the guy at the shop. He says that he has found the water pump to be bad, and it is a real big priority to get that replaced. And he said they would need to add a thermometer to it as well, and it would be much cheaper for me to do it now because I'd save on labor. He said that would be another $400 to do.

He also said that I'm developing oil leaks and some other leaks, and it should be fixed for an extra $370. And then he started talking about power steering cranks going bad or something, and said they could take care of that for an extra $1300!

So my budgeted $500 has turned into nearly $2500. I can't afford this right now! I told him to go ahead and do the service I wanted done earlier, plus go ahead and replace the water pump, but don't do anything else. My total will be $1,070 when I go pick my car up. Wow!

I'm going to have them put in writing what else is "wrong" and needs to be fixed, so I can take it a few other places. Does this seem at all fishy to anybody here? And are those prices too high? I know nothing about cars, and before I spend any of that other money, I'd like to get some opinions here.

Thanks!
Kevin

[menaboy64]

Pick up a damn Haynes manual and save yourself $1,000. Routine maintanence can be done by anyone if they are following a manual and have simple tools. As for the timing belt, water pump, and I think you meant thermostat, that can be done by yourself too but takes a little more know how. I would never pay even $1,000 for the $2,500 job they are charging you.

[peckster]

So you think they are clearly ripping me off? I don't know anything about cars, and don't have the time at all to do any of the service myself even if I did know how.

But you think I should take it someplace else rather than the Toyota dealership where I bought it, which is where it is getting serviced now? I thought it sounded a bit pricey...

[Velocity]

Look at it this way, just about any dealership, no matter who or what names they service to (Toyota, Nissan, Ford, ect.) will certainly be overpriced compared to a private shop or maybe even take advantage of you as a customer. Dealers always tend to bring up unexpect problems that need repairs now as I have experienced, and you know its not as crucial as they express it. The only thing i would do at the dealership is simple oil changes and maybe flushes which still i do on my own. I would suggest taking it to a reputable private shop and having them quote you or as mentioned above pick up a haynes or chiltons manual and DIY.

[cam2Xrunner]

the extra labor for the water pump should only be half hour to one hour at the most if doing the timing belt already, the water pump itself is probably around 89 bucks.the thermostat should be 14 bucks and half hour to change the thermostat, 35 bucks. it looks like you paid the extra labor anyways and he didnt save you the labor like he said he was doing. You got charged 150 to 200 more than what the mitchell book says you should have paid. But if you authorized the work already there is nothing you can do and they did not break any laws by overcharging you. unless they marked up the prices on the parts which they cant do. Dealerships usually always double the labor because they can and if you agree with the price you are stuck.

[cam2Xrunner]

oh and the waterpump itself probably wasnt bad, but it is a very good idea to do the waterpump while you have the timing belt off. The waterpump and the thermostat should have been recommended as preventative maintenance service and not stressed that you have to change them, but it is a good idea to do them at this time.

[peckster]

Thanks for the replies. I just picked the car up, and my total was $986.41. Here's the breakdown:
The 60k service was $299.95 with my $100 off coupon. the timing belt replacement was $246.25. And now, the water pump charges:
The pump itself was $110.45.
The thermostat was $18.70
Antifreeze was $15.12.
LABOR - $240.00
Total - $384.27

Doesn't sound like it saved me much on labor, does it?

Now, his recommendations:
Oil pan resealed, oil pump resealed, cam and crank seals - $469
Power steering rack, flush, and alignment - $1363.13

I just broke the bank on this service today, going way over budget. I don't think I can afford this other service at all, but I'm going to take it to a few of my other shops. I'm a corporate accounts manager with Enterprise Rent-a-Car, and I know a few shops along the way that will be fair with me.

Thanks!

[menaboy64]

Unless something is wrong with your steering I don't see why you should have to change the rack and pinion. That's a major job and isn't really necessary unless you have steering problems. For a 99 that is highly unlikely. As for all your gaskets and seals being bad too I don't know why your 4 year old car would be in such hellish condition. My car is 16 years old and dosen't need any of those things and I drive it like hell.