My creeky and rusty 1991 Ford Tempo passed its annual inspection a couple of days ago. This was great news because if I had been slapped with a big repair bill to get it to pass I probably would have scrapped the car entirely.
For an auto that has been parked on the street all these years and that has been treated with little more than indifference by its owner (me) this old heap has served me surprisingly well. I figure it deserves a *little * extra TLC, so I’m considering having some repairs done that the inspection report suggested. Can some auto-savvy Dopers tell me what I could expect to pay for these repairs? I live in the NYC area, if that matters.
Also, I once e-corresponded with a freelance mechanic on Craigslist who claims to do inexpensive repair work. Is this something I could trust him to do, or is it better left to a full-service shop with all their equipment?
Replace front struts and mounts
Replace drive belt
This is a very rough, shoot-from-the-hip round figure guess, but I’d expect around 400-500 for the struts and upper mounts, and 100 for the drive belt. This is not adjusted for New York - I live in Kansas City.
Necessary equipment is a spring compressor, which he may or may not have. I’ve managed to substitute other devices for this on some cars, but it’s a pain, requires innovation, is a safety risk, and won’t work on all designs. But I’d be more concerned about the mechanic’s competence and integrity than his tools. Essentially, you have no way of knowing how able and trustworthy he is. With a reputable established shop, it’s easier to satisfy yourself that they know what they’re doing and will stand behind their work.