I’m not sure if this is a better fit for GQ or IMHO. Mods, please feel free to move.
I have a 1998 Toyota Corolla in the shop. The mechanic tells me that the computer needs to be replaced. (I’m not a mechanic – this would be the computer that controls fuel injection. The symptom is that the #2 injector is not getting a signal. I guess that’s the ECM?) Anyway, the mechanic tells me that the cost to replace the computer is about $1400 (US) parts and labor. A googling leads me to believe that’s high, but I don’t know enough to be sure. Am I getting rooked?
If the info I have is up to date, my fee for replacing the computer would be around 1100-1200. Add to that the testing necessary to determine that the computer is faulty, and 1400 doesn’t sound unreasonable.
My aftermarket supplier doesn’t list a computer for this vehicle. New ones are available from the dealer. There are six different ones available depending on transmission type and EPA/California certification category - it’s important to get the right one. Prices vary depending upon which computer it calls for, and can vary from dealership to dealership.
There might be used or rebuilt computers available for it which would cost less. However, the shop may not wish to go that route, and if so likely has valid reasons for that policy.
Cool. Thanks for responding. I’ve always felt comfortable with these guys – they do good work and have always seemed to be straight with me – but I haven’t had the occasion to hand over $1400 yet. I just wanted to “trust but verify”. So, thanks for the reassurance.
Unless anyone else chimes in, I guess the thread can be closed. I will just take this opportunity to repeat my favorite car joke: Mechanic told me the #2 cylinder was missing. I told him it was under the hood last time I looked. Ba-da-dump. Thank you! Good night!
Yeah, this is the type of stuff I would track down in a junkyard or find someone on teh Internets parting one of these out and snag the computer. Last one I sold I charged $50 for.
I definitely understand people who don’t want to get their hands dirty, or don’t have the knowledge to do something like swap an ECU or whatever, and that is why mechanics can make a living. And if you need to have the job done right, absolutely, first time, and with new parts, then a mechanic is your guy. Plus, they have the diagnostic tools and experience to verify, test, and also tell you if you have additional problems (like, yuo have a faulty wire, instead of the computer being bad, or the lack of signal to the cylinder has caused other problems).
As your tolerance for time wasted, problem parts, scraped knuckles, etc. goes up, your cost goes down. It is all a decision about what is more important to you. Best case scenario, a person in the know could probably spend $100 or less on a used ECU, and slap it in in under 10 minutes (based on my experience with Celicas; Corollas may be substantially different).
Is it really a good idea to put a used ECU in a car? Who knows how long the wreck has been sitting out? You might well be putting ina defective one as well.
This is why people in AD 2060 will NOT be restoring the cars from about 1975 on-they are simply too complex and depend on parts which are no longer in production. You can easily fix a 1940’s-1960’s car, because there is little electronic content (about the only thing is transistorized ignition). The newer cars will become worthless, because they are so difficult to fix.
It’s probably a better idea than dropping $1400 to repair a ten year old car, if you know how to do it. That’s maybe half what the car’s worth, depending on the condition, which makes it one of those “fix it or junk it” decisions IMHO. At the aforementioned $50 your $1400 would give you 28 chances to get one that works.
Weather doesn’t seem to be an issue as long as the car isn’t wide open and getting rained on. I’ve pulled computers out of some pathetic looking wrecks and never had a problem.