2004 Toyota Avalon with 167,500 miles. The first timing belt/water pump (and related items) replacement was at 90K miles, ten years ago with OEM parts.
What do you think of the following estimate regarding labor and parts costs to perform the following maintenance as listed at an independent repair shop that specializes in Toyota vehicles. The total cost is $1418.46
Thank you
Vehicle: 04 Avalon
Activity Description Qty Rate Amount
2004 Avalon
Labor Full timing belt 5 150.00 750.00T
replacement with timing
belt, hydraulic
tensioner, idler pullies,
water pump, thermostat,
and radiator cap
Part Genuine Aisin timing belt 1 310.00 310.00T
kit w/hyd tensioner, wate
pump, and idler pullies
Part Genuine Toyota cam seal 2 12.50 25.00T
Part Genuine Toyota front 1 12.50 12.50T
crank seal
Part Genuine Aisin thermostat 1 29.00 29.00T
Part OEM Japanese radiator cap 1 14.00 14.00T
Part OEM Bando drive belts 2 16.00 32.00T
Part OEM Premix coolant 2 24.00 48.00T
Haz Mat FeHaz Mat Fee 1 5.00 5.00T
Labor Replace fuel filter 1 150.00 150.00T
Part Genuine Toyota fuel 1 43.46 43.46T
filter 23300-0A020
I’m not sure about the exact breakdown, but for a V6, the price seems fair to slightly expensive, for what is getting done.
Timing belts are a pain to do, IMHO, and well worth it if you find the right shop for the job.
Thanks Kaizen for your response, but could you explain your statement, “I’m not sure about the exact breakdown”?
What I mean by that. I am looking at the overall price in comparison to the overall price I have encounter in the past. So I don’t know how the unit price for service and parts was, when I was doing my research, I just no the overall price.
This was 3 years ago. For my 4 cylinder, $1200 was on the higher end of quotes, and $800 was on the lower end of quotes.
Thank you.
You can get most, if not all of the parts on amazon for cheaper.
The aisin kit is sold for it, with the oem Mitsuboshi timing belt.
Thank you. Yes, I understand that the parts are available elsewhere at lower costs, but the estimate that I posted was with the shop providing the parts. They do not allow the customer to purchase separately due to warranty issues.
take your list of items (without the prices!) to another shop for a 2nd opinion.
Thanks MMJ. I did take it to a few other shops which were less expensive especially in regards to labor costs ($/hr) but they do not employ certified Toyota mechanics, whereas the shop from which I posted the estimate works only on Toyotas with certified Toyota mechanics. For the job of replacing the timing belt, although it is not an internal engine job, from some videos that I have watched online I have heard mechanics performing this maintenance emphasize the specifics of a Toyota engine and synchronizing the cam shaft gears with the crankshaft properly using identifying marks on the motor provided by the manufacturer that some mechanics may not have knowledge of. I suppose the same would apply to a Toyota mechanic working on a Chevrolet, for example. If it was just changing the spark plugs or a brake job, I would not be as concerned. Maybe the best way to compare prices would be to get an estimate from the stealership, not that I would have it serviced there, but just for comparison. Hopefully this independent shop is less than the dealership and that would be some consolation. They do have excellent reviews and in my interaction with them, they seem to be upright fellows.
@avalon04: it will most likely be less than the dealership. The dealership rarely beats independent shops these days in terms of price. The only two thing I’ve seen dealerships beat others on are brakes and oil changes.