Christine, there is your first problem, the dealership will always charge twice as much as a local shop. That was way too much money for a tune up. Tune ups are really easy to do. Get your self a manual at a parts place. I'm not sure as to your yr of the truck, but generally all a tune up now a days are is plugs, wires, filters. Maybe if you have a distributor still, cap & rotor. Everything else is computer controlled. Even the front brakes are easy to change out. Ask if someone here can that is near you can help out & show you how to do it. It'll blow your socks off how much you can save in the labor cost alone. The avg. shop labor cost is $65/hr, the dealer charge as much as $80. Worth looking into.
Christine, Actually, I DO!!! I rebuilt 3 engines in the early 90's, and they were of the type that you had to clean and adjust the carburetor, not pay someone to clean injectors. Once the rotors show stress cracks, a shop is NOT SUPPOSED to turn them, but even at that on my 3/4 ton Dodge w/ a Diesel, I only had $400 on a set of front brakes AND rotors about 2yrs ago. Now these are BIG rotors too, that had to be taken to a "TRUCK" shop to be turned, so they're not cheap. I suppose a 4 rotor job, that might not be a bad price though considering INFLATION(and not the tire type). The days that we could work on vehicles are past, but I am actually still dabbling a little, swapping out alternators and starters and O2 sensors as needed, but anything to do with fuel injection and all the emissions stuff I ain't touching. I was actually working on cars with my dad in my mid-teens 14-15 doing oil changes, changing out starters, etc.
Brake jobs are high profit makers. I worked in a parts store many moons ago, and turned many rotors, but now it's usually easier to replace the rotors. My wife's Taurus wore out the brakes somewhere around 100grand, so being lazy I took it and had it done (I used to and now again do all my own brakes.) They charged us around 400$'s, about 3 months in they started grinding, the guy said if a caliper was stuck then it voided the warranty. I figured I was gonna get screwed with that so I went to see what it would cost me to do them myself. The rotors were like 25's a piece, and the pads were like 19$'s. So for about 70$'s and an hours worth of my time I redid them myself. I know everybody can't do that, but for people who are slightly mechanically inclined it's worth looking into doing it yourself. Just imagine how simple it is for a dealer to pull a car in put it up on the lift and suspend all four tires at once then pull and replace rotors and brakes. Most new cars the bearings and hubs stay on the car the rotors are held on by the calipers and wheel lug pressure.
Exactly. Now they make pretty much throw away rotors, $25 now vs $100 15-20 yrs ago, but they were beefier back then. The toughest part on a tune-up is the fuel filter, which may be part of your problem. The filter may be $20/30/40, but its the labor. Nowadays most fuel filters are inside the fuel tank, right alongside the fuel pump. Mechanics cost is like 400 plus, but they really aren't that hard. Check your last tune up bill to make sure they changed it, they shold last 75Kplus. If you do it or have it done, ask for cost on the fuel pump, its right there next to the filter(save 400)but it may cost $120 aftermarket,$200plus for ACDelco original. If your Chevy is say 1987 or later, its in the tank. Otherwise, its in-line on the frame rail(easy to reach). Good Luck.
Exciting news. (no not really but I'm bored) The truck starts! Put a Farm y Fleet battery in it. Finally drove it today. (all the way up to Chicagoland) Strangely it also now starts on the first crank. We'll see how long that lasts. (it's a 2001, by the way) I noticed the phone charger in the truck self-immolated so I wonder if that killed the old battery. Oops. I also noticed my windshield developed a crack that spans all the way from the driver's side post to the passenger side post. Grrr....
Windshield crack, call your insurance company. When the windshield guy comes out to replace it, make sure its been sitting inside overnight, and he replaces it inside. That way the windshield adhesive is warmer and makes a good seal. If it went post to post, its essentially in 2 pieces already...Good Luck!
Well, my battery finally decided it was too damn cold out. Made the call and gonna get an Interstate Megatron Plus with 850 cold crankin amps through a neighbors father. 85 Month warranty and enough juice to start a semi truck! All without the need to feed the Devil!!!!
Bol Sheep!!! I have a Cummins in my Dodge, and I NEED 2 1200 CCA batteries to bump it over when it's COLD (less than 20*). I just replaced one about a week ago in my truck, the battery just went bad, not explanation, it would hold 300CCA's but that was it. Put a new battery in, and good to go, for me, anything under 20*, I need to keep the truck plugged in, or it may not want to start, but the starter on it is about like 5 starters for an old Chevy 350!!!
Ha... Must be because I'm up in Chicagoland, spreading bad truck juju. So far my truck is doing ok. We'll see if I can make back home now. How heavy is that battery raceway? Will it fit?
Here's another question for youz guys. I have two batteries under the hood of my Chebby. I asked the service dude at dealer what that other battery was for and he didn't know. I've asked lots of other folks and they don't know either. It says nothing about it in my owners manual. The best anybody can figure is that it's there to run the 12v stuff when I'm hauling trailers and what not. Anybody know?
Ah, 47lbs isn't too bad. You should see the batteries we have on the boat. Almost get a hernia just lookin' at them.
Battery fit great and truck is back to life! Plus my money went to a Vietnam Vet who runs an auto shop and not the DEVIL!!:evil:
yeah i had a battery from ***-**** (the cult) go bad also i hate that damn store but the wifey loves it i think for as much money as she spends there they should send me stock lol but yeah dont buy anything from that damn place it is all junk
Thanks alot Christine You put a jinx on MY truck with all this truck trouble talk I just spent 4 hours under mine dropping the fuel tank to change the fuel pump and wouldnt you know it, it was 3/4 full of gas It runs like a stripped A$$ ape now
Bummer Bannana Fingers. You can replace mine anytime you're looking for something to do. BTW, more of the jinx: http://forums.bowhunting.com/yaf_postsm23832_Now-I-know-where-I-get-it.aspx#23832
I know not what your talking about Im getting a complex here You know Dubbya will be dissapointed your mother got a wrinkle in her duck tape
