My wife took her 2007 Toyota Yaris hatchback in for service. Here is the diagnosis (filtered through my wife):
[ul]
[li]All four tires replaced (they were dry rotting and had insufficient tread) and balanced[/li]
[li]New brake pads[/li]
[li]Transmission and brake fluid flush[/li]
[li]Safety and emissions inspection[/li][/ul]
The price for this? Bearing in mind that “…and balanced,” can’t cost much – don’t some places do it for free? – and Jiffy Lube will flush and fill yourtransmission and brake fluid, and a safety inspection is a fixed cost here in Virginia (like $20.00 or so, iirc?) So the vast bulk of the price quote must refer to four new tires for a small, seven-year-old, non-sporty car, and brake pads.
Are you ready for this quote? Have a guess in mind?
$1,347.38
That can’t, uh, possibly be correct, can it? I mean, not even close to appropriate.
Doesn’t sound particularly unreasonable. Last transmission flush I got was $150. Brake flushes are like $70. Tire Rack charges ~$100 for OEM tires for her model. Now double it because she went to a main dealer (I’m guessing.)
Well, the price on the tires would depend obviously on the quality of them, but I could see that getting you about halfway there if they’re good ones.
I suspect the big item is the brake job. They’re probably wanting to pull the rotors and turn them, which adds a buttload of labor, especially if they’re doing all four of them. A lot of shops used to turn rotors routinely on every brake job, but the general consensus these days is that it’s not necessary unless the car is showing symptoms. The quality of the pads will also affect the price there too.
I would have replaced my tires at Costco for around $800 (max) with Michelins (they balance them too). Put in $100 (max) of good ceramic brake pads, paid for the safety/emissions inspection. And would have skipped the transmission/brake flushes - they are typically not needed. Bringing my total to $920.
If my wife took it to a shop - I would expect to see the bill you are seeing. Plus - they would have damaged something else while doing the flushes. Don’t be surprised if you find a transmission leak soon :).
It’s not “front and back brake pads,” it’s front brake pads & rotors, but nothing on the back.
[ul]
[li]All four tires replaced (they were dry rotting and had insufficient tread) and balanced[/li]
[li]New front brake pads & rotors[/li]
[li]Transmission and brake fluid flush[/li]
[li]Safety and emissions inspection[/li][/ul]
Also, they want to charge for a front-end alignment ($106.80) after the new tires are on. I am not mechanically-inclined, but isn’t front-end alignment part and parcel of 4 new tires? I thought they aligned and spin-balanced as part of the tire-mounting process, not a separate charge.
Alignments aren’t part of the mounting process. It’s a suspension/steering adjustment done with the wheels on the car to make sure they’re all pointed straight (within factory specs).
Get another quote somewhere else, don’t bring up this first shop’s list and see what they recommend.
I was going to guess $1000 with medium quality tires. The rotors would add about $170-$200 more to that.
How many miles? I’d think about skipping the transmission flush if less than 100K miles and/or you are thinking about trading in the car in 2 or 3 years.
The front end alignment is not included with new tires. In some places even balancing is extra. Note: They may well find something else wrong when doing the alignment, but have it done anyway. You can ruin the new tires pretty quickly if the alignment is off.
4 tires, mounted and balanced: $450
Trans fluid flushed: $150 - $180. (Don’t do this, not worth it. After 100k miles, do a drain/replace but never do a trans fluid flush)
Brake fluid flush: $90 (also not usually required)
Front pads and rotors: $300-$400
Front end alignment: $70 (over $100 should be a 4-wheel alignment)
Inspection: FREE
So they’re a little high but not ridiculous. You usually don’t need an alignment with new tires, unless the car is pulling one way or the other. Skip the trans fluid for sure and maybe the brake fluid too.
Bolding mine. I hate to be contrary but I feel this is bad advice. Brake fluid is VERY hygroscopic and if it has never been flushed before, is probably loaded to saturation. What this translate to for the driver is a softer brake pedal than when the car was new, and that it will be easier to boil the fluid under a panic stop, AKA brake fade (where you’re pushing harder but the car is braking slower). Brake fluid SHOULD be changed every year, but at the very least every two years. Lots of stop and go driving, I’d be changing at least every year.
My advice on each bit is;
Four new tires: Going to keep the car a while? Get decent all-seasons but don’t spend an arm and a leg on them. Discount Tire has good budget tires and they won’t rape you on the price. Planning to sell fairly soon? Buy good used tires with at least 75% of the tread left.
Alignment: If you go to a place like Discount Tire, they often have the facilities to align your car there. Let them. If you go elsewhere, find a local place that specializes in four-wheel alignments. A fair price for a good alignment shop to do it is $60-80.
Brakes: If you aren’t capable of doing these yourself, find a decent privately-owned mechanic shop (no Brake Check or Firestone!). They will let you buy your own parts (cheaper) and charge you a fair price for install. Unless the rears are making noise, I would just replace the front pads and rotors. If you are unsure, ask the mechanic for his opinion. ABSOLUTELY have them flush your fluid. It’s cheap insurance and you’ll notice the difference.
Transmission service: As has been said, skip the flush and opt for a drain/fill with a new filter.
You do not need to have all these services done at one place! Shop around and find places that specialize in each particular service you need done. You’ll probably pay less doing that, too.
Doesn’t seem to be too high for a foreign and/or luxury car. Jeeps tend to be viewed as luxury cars, and thus are somewhat expensive- front brakes and two new control arms were $1400 at a medium priced shop.
For Sailboat and anyone else interested- all 2007 and up Yarises are cruise control capable. The factory just charges extra for the stalk and some wiring. If you’d like to hook up the factory cruise control and are a little bit handy, go to DIY Cruise Control on 07-08 Yaris (step by step) - Toyota Yaris Forums - Ultimate Yaris Enthusiast Site for instructions on how to do it. You’ll have to sign up, but it’s free and safe.
I did this on my 2008 Yaris 5 speed- took an hour. It works great. Just be sure to study and follow the directions carefully.