Most of the cost is probably labour. - Edit 1
Before modification by Nate at 18/01/2012 04:01:46 AM
They charge crazy amounts for labour. $60 an hour is not uncommon, I believe, and you can bet they round up. The mechanic is paid for his time and the shop gets the rest. That's why it's always much cheaper if a person can do some work themselves, where the only cost is parts. But most people understandably don't want to do that (myself included for all but relatively simple things).
It's impossible to say how urgent any of the things they suggested are. Depends on how honest/reputable the garage is. Lots of places are not above suggesting work that might be good to have but isn't really needed, and some places will outright make up problems for them to fix if they think they can get away with it. That said ...
I can't speak to all of their suggestions, and I'm no expert, but:
Tire rotation is one of those good-ideas-but-not-mandatory things most of the time. Your front tires wear differently than your back tires, so switching them can help the whole set last longer and delay the onset of bald spots that won't grip ice or snow and are easier to puncture. This is something a person could do themselves, but it's much easier in a garage setting where they can get your car up off the ground.
Belts were once the bane of my driving existence. If a belt snaps, your car stops working. If the wrong belt snaps and you don't realize it, the engine could be ruined. This is not the sort of thing that will flip your car over, but it could strand you easily (it stranded me once five hours from home in the middle of nowhere, Montana).
Cleaning the battery terminal is a good idea. Too much corrosion can cut off the flow of power and possibly cause the battery to drain too fast. You can easily do this yourself though. Get some rubber gloves and some steel wool. Pop the terminals off and scrub all the gunk away. Reattach and you're good to go.
I can't speak with confidence on the other items. And even on the ones I did speak to, I would look stuff up online before I blindly trusted myself on any of it.
The tough thing is that you have to look at the vehicle yourself to really determine if any of it is necessary. Otherwise you either do what they say or take your chances. Is there a lot of white gunk around the battery terminals? If there's only a little, no big deal. Are the treads on the back tires visibly more or less worn than those on the front tires? Does your power steering work all right, or is it groany and struggly? When you pop your coolant cap (after the car has fully cooled off) is there a visible amount of coolant sitting there? If so, that's good, if not it needs more. Get your hands in there and tug on the belts. Are they loose, or do they feel tight? They should be nice and snug, not wobbling around any. Can you see any visible frayed areas on any belts? That's bad. Does your car make a squealing noise when you start it? If so, that's probably a belt, and that's bad. Can you hear a knocking sort of sound when you go over bumps or make sharp turns? If so, the control arm is probably damaged.
It's impossible to say how urgent any of the things they suggested are. Depends on how honest/reputable the garage is. Lots of places are not above suggesting work that might be good to have but isn't really needed, and some places will outright make up problems for them to fix if they think they can get away with it. That said ...
I can't speak to all of their suggestions, and I'm no expert, but:
Tire rotation is one of those good-ideas-but-not-mandatory things most of the time. Your front tires wear differently than your back tires, so switching them can help the whole set last longer and delay the onset of bald spots that won't grip ice or snow and are easier to puncture. This is something a person could do themselves, but it's much easier in a garage setting where they can get your car up off the ground.
Belts were once the bane of my driving existence. If a belt snaps, your car stops working. If the wrong belt snaps and you don't realize it, the engine could be ruined. This is not the sort of thing that will flip your car over, but it could strand you easily (it stranded me once five hours from home in the middle of nowhere, Montana).
Cleaning the battery terminal is a good idea. Too much corrosion can cut off the flow of power and possibly cause the battery to drain too fast. You can easily do this yourself though. Get some rubber gloves and some steel wool. Pop the terminals off and scrub all the gunk away. Reattach and you're good to go.
I can't speak with confidence on the other items. And even on the ones I did speak to, I would look stuff up online before I blindly trusted myself on any of it.
The tough thing is that you have to look at the vehicle yourself to really determine if any of it is necessary. Otherwise you either do what they say or take your chances. Is there a lot of white gunk around the battery terminals? If there's only a little, no big deal. Are the treads on the back tires visibly more or less worn than those on the front tires? Does your power steering work all right, or is it groany and struggly? When you pop your coolant cap (after the car has fully cooled off) is there a visible amount of coolant sitting there? If so, that's good, if not it needs more. Get your hands in there and tug on the belts. Are they loose, or do they feel tight? They should be nice and snug, not wobbling around any. Can you see any visible frayed areas on any belts? That's bad. Does your car make a squealing noise when you start it? If so, that's probably a belt, and that's bad. Can you hear a knocking sort of sound when you go over bumps or make sharp turns? If so, the control arm is probably damaged.