Timing Belt changed by Yourmechanic.com

[warriorwagner]

I had my TB changed by a mechanic at my house from yourmechanic.com and he did great work. Joe was early, knew what he was doing and stayed until the job was done, even installed a new radiator for me.

I'm not trying to plug them, just stating he did a good job and it was much cheaper than any other shop I priced. I got the kit from Ebay (all OEM parts for about $300) and labor was right at $200 and I tipped him a little bit. So really $500 to get it done, although the new radiator was $100 and I bought the red OEM coolant which is a bit pricey. Much better than the $1200 from the dealer and $850 at other shops I priced.

I was going to try it myself, but after watch some videos on youtube, I thought it best to let a pro do it. Joe let me help out and taught me a lot during the process so I'm happy with the outcome.

Just an option for those out there who might want some help in the future, not a shameless plug and I don't have stock in the company. Just passing along my experience.

 

[JayRolla]

I had my TB changed by a mechanic at my house from yourmechanic.com and he did great work. Joe was early, knew what he was doing and stayed until the job was done, even installed a new radiator for me.

I'm not trying to plug them, just stating he did a good job and it was much cheaper than any other shop I priced. I got the kit from Ebay (all OEM parts for about $300) and labor was right at $200 and I tipped him a little bit. So really $500 to get it done, although the new radiator was $100 and I bought the red OEM coolant which is a bit pricey. Much better than the $1200 from the dealer and $850 at other shops I priced.

I was going to try it myself, but after watch some videos on youtube, I thought it best to let a pro do it. Joe let me help out and taught me a lot during the process so I'm happy with the outcome.

Just an option for those out there who might want some help in the future, not a shameless plug and I don't have stock in the company. Just passing along my experience.

Nice to see stuff like this still can work out. Do they warranty the work they do?

Also next time hit up Napa and get the Zerex Asian. Its the red and a bit cheaper than toyota red.

 

[chimpy]

That was a good deal,especially the fact that he installed parts that you supplied. I have a friend that is an ASE master certified mechanic. Even though he works at a shop, he let's me decide which brand of parts I want to buy and bring to him to install, not what the shop foreman/owner wants me to buy that is usually cheap quality with a ridiculous mark up. I only had to tell my friend's boss one time that he wasn't the only shop in town; it's my car and my money so I will use the brand name parts that I want. He didn't like it :cry2:but he sure liked the money that I paid him for the labor.

 

[LittleCaesar]

$200 plus his tip is a darn good price no matter what parts were used.

I am curious how he got the crank bolt loose.

 

[chimpy]

$200 plus his tip is a darn good price no matter what parts were used.

I am curious how he got the crank bolt loose.

True dat

 

[warriorwagner]

Nice to see stuff like this still can work out. Do they warranty the work they do?

Also next time hit up Napa and get the Zerex Asian. Its the red and a bit cheaper than toyota red.

Yes they do, 12months or 12,000 miles for labor since I provided the parts, and the same for parts they supplied.

$200 plus his tip is a darn good price no matter what parts were used.

I am curious how he got the crank bolt loose.

I had purchased the tool off Amazon since I was going to change the belt myself, so we just used that. He had another tool he was going to use, but since I had one, we used it.

I was happy with my experience and would certainly use them again, although I can do most everything else on my own.

 

[jeremyc74]

$200 is for labor is cheap!! I realize the guy has much lower overhead to cover (like paying for a shop), but I'm not sure how they can do it that cheap.

I figure the job is going to take close to 6 hours, if you're making sure you get everything back together right and get the cooling system properly flushed. So he's making less than $35/hr. That's decent money but you have to account for tools, and his transportation to and from the job, not to mention covering lost hours when something goes wrong.

I know I wouldn't do it for $200. Maybe for $300 if it were someone I knew.

 

[nissanh]

If mechanics charge a decent price, I wouldn't spend my time fixing my cars. They are happy and I am happy. Problem is they want to make a fortune out of something, so all their customers do the job by themselves.
Good thinking by your mechanic. He made a customer who would rely on him for a while!

I asked a technician's help to fix my refrigerator. I knew the problem (low gas or compressor). I waited for a tech for 5 days! and he came, took $65 and told me the problem is either low gas or compressor: These are his charges: To insert gas (with no guarantee) $250 and to install a compressor $650!

I bought a line tap from ebay for $7 to add gas and did everything for $23 and the refrigerator runs great! and it is been 5 months and so car so good!

 

[nevada]

$200 is for labor is cheap!! I realize the guy has much lower overhead to cover (like paying for a shop), but I'm not sure how they can do it that cheap.

I figure the job is going to take close to 6 hours, if you're making sure you get everything back together right and get the cooling system properly flushed. So he's making less than $35/hr. That's decent money but you have to account for tools, and his transportation to and from the job, not to mention covering lost hours when something goes wrong.

I know I wouldn't do it for $200. Maybe for $300 if it were someone I knew.

im not saying it wasn't a good deal, but it doesn't take 6 hours. book time is 3.5, but if you have done a few, you can cut that down even more.

 

[jeremyc74]

im not saying it wasn't a good deal, but it doesn't take 6 hours. book time is 3.5, but if you have done a few, you can cut that down even more.

Book time is assuming you're in a nice shop and have pneumatic tools, and all the specialty stuff though. I'd be very surprised if anyone other than a Toyota mechanic could get the whole thing done in less than that. Getting the accessory belts off, and then back on and tensioned properly is going to take more than an hour.

 

[infamousRNR]

i appreciate your experience using this method to have an actual "mechanic" complete the work at that price and help you learn a thing or two... that to me is priceless.... because you can't just go watch someone do the work in the shop because of the litigious nature of the american dream... at any rate, $500 for a timing belt change is amazing.
who cares how long it took.
thanks for this "review" i may investigate this option when I'm ready to do my timing belt.... i bet it will be more than $200 for labor and i won't get the same mechanic so please share everything you learned from the experience.

run into any snags?
what should you look out for?
tips or tricks?

 

[LittleCaesar]

I could probably do drive belts in about 20 to 30 minutes. If it was no tensioner, seals, and extra hoses, I'd say I could do the TB/H2O pump in less than 3.

I just finished helping a neighbor with a timing belt on a 2003 Honda Civic. 2.8 hours with AC according to AD. Everything was going well until we pulled off the valve cover and discovered that the owner's overheating issue ( from a failed radiator cap) resulted in coolant in the oil. Bad head gasket now. Plus the tensioner was maxed out, possibly not putting enough tension on the WP. The moral of this story: spend the $35 on a new tensioner when changing your belt.

Bumping the starter to loosen the crank bolt may have made the OP a little uneasy. $200 is just unheard of. I know shops that would charge that just in labor for the drive belts.

 

[warriorwagner]

i appreciate your experience using this method to have an actual "mechanic" complete the work at that price and help you learn a thing or two... that to me is priceless.... because you can't just go watch someone do the work in the shop because of the litigious nature of the american dream... at any rate, $500 for a timing belt change is amazing.
who cares how long it took.
thanks for this "review" i may investigate this option when I'm ready to do my timing belt.... i bet it will be more than $200 for labor and i won't get the same mechanic so please share everything you learned from the experience.

run into any snags?
what should you look out for?
tips or tricks?

Not really any snags, I'd researched everything before hand since I was going to do it myself. I had the new radiator unboxed, all parts from the kit laid out, a tent over the truck to help with heat, fans from garage blowing on us and a bin to catch all the fluid. I had the crank bolt tool to help with that part, he didn't have one so that could have been a issue. The company only charged for three hours, it took closer to four, with cleanup and test drive. He did state that I got a good deal, but I just paid what the website charged me. I think my proper planning really helped speed up the job since I had everything laid out and ready to go. I mixed and filled the radiator while he picked up his tools. He even checked the air in my tires.

I think it was a great experience all around, but like I stated, I might have gotten a great mechanic, who knows. I'm recommending this service based on my experience, I hope other have the same one.

Anyone can go on yourmechanic.com and just enter the job and it gives you the estimate, then judge for yourself.