05corolla airbag light on,dealer asks for $2395

[majalis112]

My corolla 05 airbag has been illuminated for several days. I went to the dealer today and he stated finding damaged wire in engine bay. Looks to have been chewed through by some type of rodent. Needs wiring harness. He asked for $2395. I am not sure whether the cost is reasonable or he is trying to rip me off.

Shall I take my car to see another dealer? Thank you so much.

[NMGeorge]

For that amount of money, I would get at least 2 other quotes! Take to the shop and tell them that it is coming out of your pocket, not an insurance claim. Good luck - let us know how it comes out.

gk

[aspen007]

Couple of thoughts.

At first glance $2400 to replace the wiring harness seems high. However, the wiring harness part alone costs about $1200-1400. I'm not familiar with all the work needed to replace the wiring, but there could be quite a few hours involved. I concur with NMgeorge that you should get additional quotes.

If the dealer will confirm that the damage to the wiring was accidental due to a rodent and not due to normal wear and tear, you may be able to have the repair covered by the 'Comprehensive Coverage' under your personal automobile insurance. Unlike homeowners insurance, most automobile policies don't exclude damage caused by vermin.

I haven't seen the condition of your wiring, but if only your ABS system has been affected by the damage to your wiring, I've got to believe the damage is fairly limited and should be able to be repaired without the replacement of the entire wiring harness. I'd take the car to an independent mechanic who may be more willing than a dealer to fix, rather than replace the harness.

Finally, you may want to consider finding a used wiring harness from a salvage yard. You should be able to pick one up for around $200 and then pay an independent mechanic to install the entire harness, or just the section needing replacement. I expect that approach would cost well under $1000. Still expensive, but quite a bit less than going through the dealer.

[arabianobsession]

The high beams in my old Sunfire did not work, and it was more than likely due to a defective section of the wiring harness. GM's fix for this was to NOT replace the ENTIRE harness, but a small section. See if you can look into that....it would be much cheaper this way.

[ryfly]

Originally Posted by arabianobsession

The high beams in my old Sunfire did not work, and it was more than likely due to a defective section of the wiring harness. GM's fix for this was to NOT replace the ENTIRE harness, but a small section. See if you can look into that....it would be much cheaper this way.

Agree, wiring is wiring and any electrical nerd will know how to replace the wires that need to be reconnected.