dealership vs. local shop for timing belt/water pump

[white_n_slow]

This thread leads me to ask the fellow members a question. I don't mean to thread jack but I figure you have your answer by reading your reply.

I have consider putting up a local add to do timing belt/water pump and whatever other maintenance one would want while in there, belts, tensioner, etc.

I figure if I charged 200 for my service, the job could be done for under 400 parts in, only t belt, pump, and new toyota coolant.

Would you as tr4 enthusiasts consider having a backyard mechanic do this work? I by no means am certified as a mechanic, although I am an engineer and I have more than enough experience working on vehicles.

The main reason I haven't put up an add yet is I am concern(don't know enough) about the legal implications of working on another persons vehicle. I would never want to touch anyone's brakes for that reason, but I do see backyard mechanic adds on my local criagslists pages so people are doing this kind of thing. Thoughts?

There's a guy around here who's made a great reputation for himself as being a mobile land cruiser expert who does "house calls." People who know land cruisers trust him to do work they would not trust a dealership to do. I'm pretty sure it took decades for him to earn that kind of clout though. And I think it's all word of mouth. CL just makes you seem questionable or ghetto to a lot of the population.

 

[LINY4Runner]

What is the big difference in the Toyota coolant vs the green stuff? I know in the case of GM's dexcool(deathcool), they settled a class action suit due to that coolant eating intake gaskets. They still claim that it didn't but if so then why settle the suit? I am not saying that the Toyota coolant is bad, just wondering why it is so different than, say ,Prestone or Peak?

Chemically, I have no idea of the difference. I have just seen bad things happen when green coolant is used.

Green coolant won't damage anything

Slow down buddy...I've seen green coolant take out quite a few gaskets, especially water pump gaskets in the years I've been at a Toyota dealership. When a car comes in with a cooling issue, you can usually tell it's got green coolant in it before removing the cap...how can we tell? We know better.

 

[Stick Figure]

This thread leads me to ask the fellow members a question. I don't mean to thread jack but I figure you have your answer by reading your reply.

I have consider putting up a local add to do timing belt/water pump and whatever other maintenance one would want while in there, belts, tensioner, etc.

I figure if I charged 200 for my service, the job could be done for under 400 parts in, only t belt, pump, and new toyota coolant.

Would you as tr4 enthusiasts consider having a backyard mechanic do this work? I by no means am certified as a mechanic, although I am an engineer and I have more than enough experience working on vehicles.

The main reason I haven't put up an add yet is I am concern(don't know enough) about the legal implications of working on another persons vehicle. I would never want to touch anyone's brakes for that reason, but I do see backyard mechanic adds on my local criagslists pages so people are doing this kind of thing. Thoughts?

Remember a shop charges what it does because it isn't all profit. You need to make enough to cover either insurance premium or to pay out of pocket if something does goes wrong. The other issue I've run into and why I don't currently do any side work is that people seem to want the side work prices but not the time frame. If i am offering a side work type of pricing it because I am doing it in my spare time however often people will drop a vehicle off on Wed night and call you Thursday wanting to know how its coming. Yes this is often after making it VERY clear that you aren't quitting your day job to work on their project.

Basically there can be good money in side work, but make sure you have the talent and tools (or access to them) to fix far more than you are advertising for just in case.

 

[Stick Figure]

Chemically, I have no idea of the difference. I have just seen bad things happen when green coolant is used.



Slow down buddy...I've seen green coolant take out quite a few gaskets, especially water pump gaskets in the years I've been at a Toyota dealership. When a car comes in with a cooling issue, you can usually tell it's got green coolant in it before removing the cap...how can we tell? We know better.

usually the mix of them is the biggest problems that I have seen, but they are different compounds and have different advantages. I have read some good articles in the past on the chemical comparison between Ethylene Glycol and Propylene Glycol, but can't find any decent links right off to help you out.

 

[chimpy]

I was told it would be $676 out the door at Yokem Toyota in Shreveport, LA. They would be changing the water pump, timing belt, and all drive belts. That seemed really fair to me. I bought my truck from them almost 5 years ago and they have always been reasonable and straightforward with me.

Very good price from a dealer. I have a buddy that is ASE certifed at a local "Muffler Brothers" full service garage and he changed the timing belt,water pump,thermostat,coolant and idler/tensioner pulley all for $600. The best part is that his brother has owned a 3rd gen 4runner since it was new and my buddy has done all the maintenance on it so he knows those 3rd gens inside and out!

 

[Steve240]

Thanks for the response I appreciate it.

There's a guy around here who's made a great reputation for himself as being a mobile land cruiser expert who does "house calls." People who know land cruisers trust him to do work they would not trust a dealership to do. I'm pretty sure it took decades for him to earn that kind of clout though. And I think it's all word of mouth. CL just makes you seem questionable or ghetto to a lot of the population.

I agree with you, and I would never consider taking my car to anyone of the add's I've read. There is a local ontario toyota truck forum so that might be a good place to start.

Remember a shop charges what it does because it isn't all profit. You need to make enough to cover either insurance premium or to pay out of pocket if something does goes wrong. The other issue I've run into and why I don't currently do any side work is that people seem to want the side work prices but not the time frame. If i am offering a side work type of pricing it because I am doing it in my spare time however often people will drop a vehicle off on Wed night and call you Thursday wanting to know how its coming. Yes this is often after making it VERY clear that you aren't quitting your day job to work on their project.

Basically there can be good money in side work, but make sure you have the talent and tools (or access to them) to fix far more than you are advertising for just in case.

This is also very true. I would state I want a weekend to do it. The main reason I would want to do this work is so I can invest every dollar earned back into my own vehicles and not feel bad about savings or any of those other anoying life expenses.

And for the earlier post regarding brakes, you didn't read my post well enough, it has nothing to do with the difficulty of a certain job, it has to do with the legal implications, ie someone drives off the road and tries to blame me for a bad break job. The worse that could happen with a t belt is it breaks and leaves the person stranded, or I guess over heating from a bad pump and ruining an engine. But those are the two things I'm trying to work out and evaluate if the risk is worth it. Right now I'm thinking it's not without some sort of contract, but with a contract in place it probably means no one would want the work done, even if the price was right.