Can you believe the price of this?

Question

I took my 94 Chevy 1500 into the shop the other day becasue it was bunring water. The mechanic is a friend of my dad, so i took it to him. He took the heads off, and the gasket was causing the leak. He quoted me $900 for a new gasket set and labor. His book said it would take 13 hours to repair it, so that is where he got that price from. Can you believe its that high? Or that it would take 13 hours? Ive quoted anothe shop and he was only geussing under $500! Is anyone a mechanic who could tell me how much it would be in your area, or has anyone had this done recently?

And the motor is a 350 if that makes any difference.

Answer 1

Man, you are feeding my paranoia. Just bought a used GMC 2000 and know it was used to tow a trailer. I've been waiting for the shoe to drop although I got all the printouts of what was done to the vehicle. In my area, $80.00 per hour labor is pretty standard. I know the area you live in Aaron and it is a pain to have to pay that.

However, you pay them for their tools and what they know and you can bet the mechanic isn't getting that money. The shop will get about half that if not more. All I know is that since I was a kid ( 40 years ago) that kind of work cost alot then.

I actually used to be able to do some work myself but when I open a hood now, it is all foreign to me. ( Course I'm talking about mechanic fuel pumps and engine that were 216CC etc.) If it figures out to less than 50 bucks an hour, you're probably getting a deal.

Sure wish it wasn't that way but those fellas got earn a living too. Too bad the mechanic inst getting all of it, then the price would be less.

Answer 2

Do you have any idea what is involved in removing the heads from an engine. It's a hell of a lot of work. You have to remove the entire top half of the engine and all that is left in there is the block. The exhaust manifold bolt are always a pain in the *** because they are rusted and sometimes they break off and you have to drill them out. Then you have to clean all the surfaces where the gaskets go back. Actually that's a good price from a shop and may include having the heads checked and reworked.

Answer 3

Call at least one other Chevy dealer's service department and ask to have the job quoted to you over the phone (labor and parts). Then, compare. If they're similar, then you know it's not a scam. You might try calling several service departments including non-dealer mechanics. If they all quote you 13 hours labor, then it really does take that much. Be sure to ask for number of hours along with the total price.

Certain jobs take excessive numbers of hours because a lot of the engine has to be dismantled to get to the parts that need replacing. This can lead to high numbers of hours in labor which does increase the cost.

Answer 4

it may take 13 hours without power tools but most shops use power tools I'm a mobile mechanic and i use power tools i would do that job for 400 for labor and your parts should run about 200 but i dont buy parts i let whoever car I'm working on buy their own parts and he shouldnt have to take the head off to find out if thats the problem unless you authorized him to but 900 for a head gasket is high i have rebuilt motors and transmissions for less than that

Answer 5

I did the same plus new generation fuel injectors and oil sludge removal-- works great--up to 15 mpg--no burned oil--all new gaskets--new valves and guides--no vacuum leaks--1400 is cheap compared to a new car or truck--even used it would have been expensive to buy a vehicle. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.

Answer 6

Shop around

Answer 7

very high price. chevy trucks are easy to do engine work on... i would guess the 500 is a good price, but call around.

Answer 8

If it is me i would get a second opinion.

Answer 9

that is a good deal...you better take it...