Cry0

./rant
So my car's SES came on, had it scanned for free, code was for rear bank 2 whatever (code for the rear passenger side cat running poorly).

My car wasn't having any of the cat related performance issues so i assume its the rear o2 sensor. I would fx it myself but i live in an apartment with no way to get under the car.

I take it into a shop where i have had done before and tell them that it threw a code for the rear passenger side o2 sensor and i wanted to know how much it would cost me to have them fix it. They say they will look at it and give me a call with an estimate. About 2 hours later they call explaining to me how the o2 sensor is bad as if im an idiot, telling me how they tested all 4 sensors and that the one on the bank 2 side which is the passenger side is broken.

The kicker is they say it will cost $313 out the door to be fixed.

They broke down the costs at
74$ labor
86$ for diagnosis
140$ for the o2 sensor.

How can a mechanic get off charging 86$ to diagnose a problem that i told them about before they even touched the car, and then tell me it will be 74$ ontop of that to fix the problem and then another 140$ for a 75$ part.

Needless to say i took my car home and had to eat the bullshit diagnosis charge and am going back next week when the owner is there to talk with him.
I brought the car in wanting to know how much it would cost to put the new sensor in not have the **** diagnosed and have an attempted ripoff on a part thrown at me.

As soon as i move i am buying a ramp so i can fix this **** on my own in the future im tired of dealing with mechanics i cannot trust.
./endrant

71-Camaro-98

iTrader: (17)

Pain in the *** bullshit... They definitely should not have charged you for anything. Let us know what the owner says.

Splitz

iTrader: (1)

I'll sell ya new Bosch O2 for $50 free shipping.

Take it to a place where they let you work on your car for a NOMINAL fee..and do it yourself.

greg_74

iTrader: (9)

Thats some bull. I had a SES code similiar to yours but mine was actually the cat and it was covered by GM are you sure its the O2 sensor. Like you though they told me if I brought it in and it was something else other than the cat they would charge me for the diagnostics and they said that would have been anywhere between $35-$75. If you knew it was the O2 sensor you should have just bought a O2 sensor and changed it at a friend's house or something. Hope everything works out.

dimedsbc

iTrader: (2)

it takes a whole ten mins to change them!!

the_merv

iTrader: (88)

The Diagnostic Charge is supposed to go in the Labor Charge if there is any work done.

Personally I wouldn't go there at all for any work.. just go there and tell him infront of his guys how they are douches..

Get you a 7/8 Wrench and a Jack, and do it yourself. That's the easiest way.

I'm just curious.. why don't you do that now?

Vogs020

iTrader: (2)

i know thats way overpriced for an easy fix but being a technician myself i completely agree with what they are saying...when you take your car to a "reputable" shop they should garuntee their work, and anyone thats ever worked in a shop has seen people come in and pay them to throw parts at their car and complain when it doesnt solve their problem. there's just no way for any shop to know if a customer really knows what they are talking about, no offense to you. thats just how it works.

wtomlinson

iTrader: (6)

just changed mine today for the 2nd time (guess i learned my lesson: if you're going to extend them yourself, make sure the connections are waterproof). took a whole maybe 10 minutes, and that time included getting tools and raising the lift.

the_merv

iTrader: (88)

^^Yea.. but if the people in the shop know you well enough to take your word..or have seen you there many times, they should.

Me personally, my car doesn't go to any shops, except for an alignment. I do all the other work..routine maintenance/build the Engine, take out/install Tranny, wiring..etc. The Auto Transmission goes to a shop that a friend of mine runs.. I tell them what happened, and they tear it down. Then again there isn't really anything to diagnose on a Tranny when you blow the internals up..

I know a bunch of the guys at the local GM Dealership. If I say I got a problem, I tell them the details and they give me something to look at if I can't think of anything. They know me well enough to know that if I got a problem it's something major.. there is nothing in my car to have a minor problem..

Vogs020

iTrader: (2)

well i dunno in this case how well he knew the people that run that shop. and it all depends on the shop and the people working there. but it all comes down to business. a shop is there to make money plain and simple. if they didnt charge an arm and a leg for everything they wouldnt be up and running. and i'm the same way when it comes to my car. i work on it at home because i know if i take it to work and do anything i'm getting screwed.

lubsvitek

iTrader: (2)

Buy a jack and jackstands at walmart, get under there with a wrench and change the o2. Reset the PCM by disconnecting the battery and you're done.

Will take you 30 min tops and if you dont have room to store the jack +stands sell em on craigslist or give them to a buddy for a pack of beer.

the_merv

iTrader: (88)

Actually you don't have to disconnect the Battery.. just un-plug the larger connector on the Fender there.. or whatever one had the Orange Wire in it.. that's the constant power for the PCM, and it will reset it.

TaterSS

I understand your situation, being a tech myself i deal with these situations all the time. The diagnosis charge is a industry standard practice. Your paying for the technicians time, running diag. with the tech 2, and other various diag depending on the situation.

It pays 0.4 hour to replace the 2/2 o2 sensor. so the price varies with the shop labor rate.

If you would have supplied your own part, then they wouldnt have been able to
charge you diag.

Cry0

Don't get me wrong i completely understand charging for a diagnosis. I wouldnt want to spend my time diagnosing it for free then having a customer go ok thanks ill fix it myself.

But I asked them how much it would cost to fix the o2 and then they come back holding my car for ransom on some diagnosis i didnt ask for and wasn't told i would be charged for ontop of another 75$ to fix the problem.

I would totaly understand charing for the diagnosis if i were to get that done and run, or charing for the diagnosis and putting that towards the repair, hell even saying 85$ for diagnosis and if you give us the part we will do it for 100$.

The part that gets me is them charging to diagnose it when i didnt even ask for that, then telling me it will be another 75$ ontop of that to actualy fix it, then another 140$ for a 75$ part.

And the joke was that their diagnosis was "Code p0430A - Cat system low efficiency bank 2, Checked o2 sensors, front working, rear bank 2 not. Recomend replace bank 2 cat and bank 2 rear sensor."

Correct me if im wrong but does that code not say something is wrong with either the rear passenger side cat or the o2 sensor? So why would you be testing the front sensors and then give a profesional diagnosis of replacing the cat and o2? Autozone could do that same "diagnosis" for $0.00 out the door.

I think im pissed because i had these guys do other work and they did a good job and then they pull this and it makes me want to throw a brick through their window. The manager of the shop gets back in town next week so ill have to talk to him about working something out then.

Cry0

Also if i knew they were going to charge for a diagnosis i would have rather just gave them a part, agreed to not bitch if it doesnt fix it and see what happens. Worse case senario, it wasn't the o2 sensor and it was the cat, so i replace a 02 sensor that had 50k miles on it and take it to gm to get cats fixed for free. I would still have the 86$ in my pocket lol.

Cry0

Im getting ready to move to colorado and when i get there im going to be near parents so ill be able to keep more car stuff there so i was trying to wait to buy a ramp ect since anything i buy now i would have to figure out how to move in 2 weeks.

Was trying to just bite the bullet and pay $70~ ish + part to get it done by a shop i trusted.

TaterSS

p0430 usually means your cat is on its way out, most people get thrown off when diagnosing this , they see the rear o2 "switching" wierd, when in reality it is the cat that has failed.....

Vogs020

iTrader: (2)

i'm with ya on the fact that if you didnt know you were going to be charged for the diag. it shouldnt be your responsibility. theres no reason they couldnt have given you a quote for the labor and the part right then and there. and the second they took your keys they should have told you the price for the diag they were going to do, and most places give you a written quote anytime they're going to do anything with your car.

Cry0

Ya my cats are on their way out but once i move and get registered/smogged i wanted to go for a catless dual so i could care less, as long as it passes.

99345hp

I totally agree with you. I used to work in a shop where we did a lot of diagnostic work. We wouldn't touch an electrical part on the engine without diagnosing the problem first. The diagnostic charge was cut in half if you did the work though. I know its an easy fix, and you told them what was wrong, but everyone has to make money. I dont know what the labor time is for the rear O2 sensors in our cars, but its probably around half an hour or so. The reason the cost of the part is so high is because they mark it up. That covers the shops *** if the part is bad and the parts store wont cover it.