[stephenson]

Hi All,

Getting ready to get this done on my sister's 2006 Solara (79K miles) - first time.

Indie in town (Pensacola, FL) quoted $1022 including the coolant and taxes.

Does this seem fair?

The dealer discussion, btw, was odd - the service guy sent me to the parts guy to get the quote on parts, then back to the service department where they said would need to work it up and call me back.

Thanks!

 

[ND Camry Owner]

That's about what I was quoted in 2016 when I went around to get estimates. Low as $800 High was $1300.
I did it myself for $200 in parts and 4 hours of labor. Not an option for everyone I know.

 

[stephenson]

ND - yeah, it is straightforward, but I am time short right now.

Last one I did was actually on a more complex (crappy) Mitsubishi V-6 ... but, I had time and a lift then

 

[Gen7-bestGen]

That car is not driven very MuCh

Was that price including any cam or crank seals that may or may not be dried and starting to rott eventually leading to oil leaks?

 

[stephenson]

Gen7 - good question and point - those are way easy to replace while in there, too!

 

[Gen7-bestGen]

Unfortunately there is usually additional cost for seals that cost maybe 10$ each to factor in, but always good to take care of them if they're original seals

 

[guyslp]

I had this done on my 2004 Solara in 2021 when it had 79K on it and it cost $710. We used the kit from NAPA.

 

[TheDude2000]

The quote for my '06 Solara (V6) was ~$1.4k. I don't remember the details, but it included all the "optional" stuff to replace while the mechanic is in there. Base w/o the options would've been closer to just over $1k.

 

[Thatotherguy88]

my shop does it for 1300 and we use Asian parts or oem Toyota

 

[yuke]

That's about what I was quoted in 2016 when I went around to get estimates. Low as $800 High was $1300.
I did it myself for $200 in parts and 4 hours of labor. Not an option for everyone I know.

Very good to know as I am having coolant issues on my 05.

 

[algtrader]

Hi All,

Getting ready to get this done on my sister's 2006 Solara (79K miles) - first time.

Indie in town (Pensacola, FL) quoted $1022 including the coolant and taxes.

Does this seem fair?

The dealer discussion, btw, was odd - the service guy sent me to the parts guy to get the quote on parts, then back to the service department where they said would need to work it up and call me back.

Thanks!

Hey stephenson - I've got older Toyota cars as well. To get pricing, what works for me is looking up shops in my area who specialize in Toyotas (or Japanese cars, ok too, but not dealerships). When you talk to the person/service advisor at the counter, if they use a system and start punching in your data (year/make/model) and repair requested, their software comes back with cost for parts and labor (how many hours). Then you rinse and repeat with 2 more shops and there you go - you have 3 quotes for comparison. You don't even need to visit them in person, you can do over the phone. As an example visited one shop and called 2 other shops for valve cover service - all of them came back with prices between $375 - $390. Often the difference in pricing is the shop's labor rate and the quality of the parts they will use. Then all it comes down to is which price want to pay, the shop's reputation, how comfortable you are with them and proximity.

 

[Moe Horowitz]

Hi All,

Getting ready to get this done on my sister's 2006 Solara (79K miles) - first time.

Indie in town (Pensacola, FL) quoted $1022 including the coolant and taxes.

Does this seem fair?

The dealer discussion, btw, was odd - the service guy sent me to the parts guy to get the quote on parts, then back to the service department where they said would need to work it up and call me back.

Thanks!

. Dealerships have a huge overhead and it's going to be expensive but if you're an average person with average mechanical skills you can do it you can download a section of the manual or there's plenty of YouTube videos watch several so you get the best from all the ones you watch it's not that hard to do. Good luck personally I trust myself over dropping my vehicle off somewhere and hoping for the best. And it also helps that you get to look at what's happening in the rest of that area that you're working on and you might spy something that needs attention also. Best of luck

 

[mr2tim]

Back in the midwest we changed out the belt tensioner and idle pulley while we had the patient opened up.

My problem with the stealerships is not being able to test drive the repairs performed by those young whippersnappers. And, the service managers who are in denial that you have had any thing but perfect work.

 

[marty0609]

Very good to know as I am having coolant issues on my 05.

Is your 05 Camry a 2.4 liter?

 

[TruckerI5]

My 2005 lexus, the shop quoted me $1400 and that did not include the seals, which would be extra. I did it myself with all OEM quality parts and saved myself over a grand. If you have plenty of spending money it is nice to just have someone else do it. And when the shop does it they are on the hook if anything they installed fails and causes any damage, if you do it yourself you are on your own. Also, beyond parts, you may need to purchase or rent/borrow tools to do the job.
If you have the coolant drained, it is a good time to pop in a new thermostat, maybe new upper and lower hose if they are old. and also new drive belts since they have to come off anyway, new drive belts should not add to any labor cost. That way you have new timing parts, new drive belt/s and a completely fresh coolant system.
Brake fluid and power steering Flush, Oil change, Trans fluid drain and fill, new air filter, tire rotation and you are all set.

 

[scubacat]

If you have the coolant drained, it is a good time to pop in a new thermostat, maybe new upper and lower hose if they are old. and also new drive belts since they have to come off anyway, new drive belts should not add to any labor cost. That way you have new timing parts, new drive belt/s and a completely fresh coolant system.

Definitely a good idea to swap out that thermostat if yours is original! I was unable to bleed the air out after my timing belt/water pump replacement on my 2002 V6 camry last summer. Either the thermostat or radiator cap failed, but considering they were both 20 years old, I replaced both. (It PROBABLY was the thermostat if I had to guess, but I didn't want to take the extra time to narrow it down.)

 

[fjguercio]

also good time to look at the power steering high & low pressure lines. They are a known leak point, ck right next to the power steering fluid tank. My solara v6 2006 40k miles is from FL and the hoses were leaking.... sniped off low pressure hose and attached again. When you change time belt, tensioner, pullies, valve cover gaskets, intake gasket, spark plugs, clean intake, coolant change, thermostat change, PCV change, few connectors will most likely break, dry or cracked coil boots, my vac hoses are all stiff and need replacing, the front of engine is clear.

GOOD time to change the power steering hoses. The Rack & Pinion is known weak point and regular change of fluid is suggested...... I siphoned out the PS Tank, ran the engine & steering, repeated a few times before driving car to MN where I live. Can also take off the low pressure hose and pump fluid into a bottle while you fill the power steering tank and move the steering back & forth..... This takes a few hands and help but is faster than drains & fills.

MY FL Car is rust free but the rubber is damaged by FL sun & heat. Big Project for me spring 2023.

There is a list of stuff that should be done with the time belt