I recently noticed some small red fluid drips on the garage floor. I took the car in to my local dealer who over the years has been very good to work with. A new feature they offered was a video review of the inspection which I really liked.
http://isre.us/bwp4Fd to view the video
They did however return with a very costly repair estimate covering four different observed leaks/issues. Three of them are gasket replacements and one (the largest) is to address the power steering rack boots.
Upper coolant plate gasket under intake manifold leaking - $792.77
Transmission pan gasket leaking - $384.04
Power steering rack leaking - $1,760.62
Oil pan gasket leaking - $898.85
I'm the original owner of the car and it's been fantastic over its 16 year life (4/1/2005 purchase). Annual mileage is no only about 4k as it's a more of a weekend/fun drive.
As the only drips hitting the ground have been coolant and very small amounts to date, how necessary are any of these?
Are the estimates above 'reasonable'?
I am planning on getting additional estimates from two other repair shops. I would appreciate your view on this.
I would take the car to a local honest mechanic and have them check it.
RIPOFF!
Way too much money for those repairs even if they are actually needed. (Nearly $400 to replace a pan gasket?) A good independent mechanic will be substantially less.
pan gaskets can be big job depending on the car. Sometimes you have to drop subframes and axles to get to them.
Those are in line with dealership prices, but for what you need done I'd use a good independent shop. I think you'll find you can save a good chunk of money that way. Curious to see what your additional estimates come back with.
The video review is a cool service. It's nice that they share it with you. Many shops do this anyway to cover their asses, because sometimes customers will come back claiming mechanics broke something while working on the car.
Anyway, the estimate sounds about right for a dealership. The quote they gave you was for restoring everything to perfect condition with no leaks. It's their job to tell you about it, and price it out, and that's what some customers want. But I don't think it's really worth doing all that work on your car.
- I would get the coolant leak fixed. That could turn into a serious problem if not looked after.
- The pan leaks I wouldn't stress out about unless they are making a mess on the ground. It's not really worth fixing on a 15 year old car. You can probably drive it that way for the rest of the car's life.
- If the power steering still works, I would put that off too. If it starts to fail then it will need to be replaced eventually. But it can seep like that and still work OK for a long time.
- Based on the video, the next maintenance item will be that CV joint that he mentioned had a torn boot. Keep driving it for now, but if you start to hear rhythmic clunking when making turns, then it's time to replace the CV axle.
If you can find a trustworthy independent mechanic, you can save some money by having the work done there. (small shops don't have to pay for fancy showrooms)
Thank you. I appreciate the detailed response.