PreyStayShun

Okay guys, so for those of you that I know I purchased a car that was just about bare..and I've been in the middle of a rebuilding process.

Car: 95 Integra DB7

Here is my latest work-order...the price seems high, what do you guys think?

Tranny:
R&R transmission 250.00
resurface flywheel 50.00
3rd/4th gear sincro slider set (LS) 320.00
input shaft top bearing 32.00
5 speed B series flywheel bolts 24.00
Install of gear set 95.00
rear shifter washer 4.00
passenger axle seal 11.00
rear main seal 15.00

Sway Bar:
used front SIR sway bar brackets (2) 10.00
Install front sway bar 85.00
Install rear sway bar and beaks bracket $100

AC:
used ac bracket w/ pulley & hardware 85.00
Install ac system 102.00
AC belt 16

PS:
Install PS system 85
power steering fluid (2) 8.00
used ps brackets 25.00
used ps belt 5.00

They also did the kill switch...was $50

Grand Total: $1320

DID I GET SCREWED GUYS? I know the car needed a lot of work, but why do I feel as if $1300+ is so steep???...Feel free (posters) to put your own scenarios, in hopes we can develop a small thread for those of us who can't complete certain work ourselves. This concept will probably die out, but Id like to think that someone will some day wonder if what they paid was fair as far as labor and cost are concerned and run across this thread. Who knows, it may be helpful, or maybe I'll get bashed and flamed for being a cheap skate. I'm willing to take the risk...

My biggest fault is not having gotten an estimate prior to work being completed, so three days later they're like "come pick your car up," and I'm like "you want how much?" I Should have stuck with my gut and installed some of the smaller things myself (such as the sway bars, etc...) $200 to install front and rear sway's, really???

TunerN00b

$200 to install a swaybar doesn't seem too out of place, depending on what the shops flatrate is, which depends on where you are (it's much higher here in LA).

But, a mechanic can't charge you for work you didn't approve of in advance, including the price. There shouldn't have been any shock when picking up the car...

PreyStayShun

^$200 was for full install of both the 25mm front and 22mm rear sway bar, w/the beaks kit of course. I supplied the new bushings, brackets, bars, etc...

Geez, I feel like an ***...glad i didn't blow up the shop name. The guys there have been really cool, but I've only had my car in there once prior to this large work order and you never know when/if someone has your best interest in mind.

I know that it was a ton of work, but I guess it makes me feel better that someone else sees that the prices are pretty fair (for the most part.) It was my fault for not getting a proper estimate prior to the work being done, but I can't wait to pick the car up. I can finally start driving it. I've had the car since Feb...and I've only driven it a handful of times.

PS- Thanks Tuner. Always provide proper insightful information. Cheers to you sir. Internet High Five.

TunerN00b

When I said "doesn't seem too out of place", that still sounds expensive, just not "rip off the customer" expensive, but more like "this is a more expensive shop in general" price.

Area matters for shop pricing. I find I can't get a shop to even come close to what many people on here claim is a reasonable price. The garage next to my office here charges $150 / hour...

And I typoed earlier. $185 for both swaybars sounds reasonable. $200 for one certainly isn't (which is what I accidentally wrote).

Libertariat

I don't think you got screwed, shops just charge a lot.

Anything you're confident you can do yourself, you should. I would have never paid someone to install swaybars. That's an hours work maybe.

I'd say you did alright. There are plenty of rednecks around here that would have charged you $3000 for that, haha.

1998GsRIntegra

Honestly it doesnt seem to out of place. A local reputible shop near me charges a flat rate of $85 per hour for work plus the cost of parts(granted if your a repeat customer they help you out a lot if you know what I mean). I figure the shop you took it to probably spent at least two days on everything which around here would be near $1300 just for labor for two eight hour work days. Thats $1300 not including parts so...I think you get the picture.

I do 90% of the work on my car myself so I'm not all that familar with weather your bill is reasonable or not. Just from what I know, for what was done I'd say its a decent price. If it were me...I would have done everything I could myself and then let a shop do what I didn't have the knowledge or tools to do.

All in all I don't think your bill is to unreasonable...although I do question charging $5 for a used power steering belt. That was probably to cover the tip of who ever delivered their lunch that day. Lol

PreyStayShun

You know how it is A-. I bought the car for 3 so to put another 13 into it kind of shocked me. But I'm still in the green so I guess I'm feeling better about it. Along w/some kind words from the other seniors here. Still can't believe I didn't suck it up to do some of the work myself...dumb on my part.

Sheeeitt, I bought someone's burger. HAHA

98civdx

I agree with the others, I wouldn't say you got screwed.

For the sway bars, I still really think your ok. Although, I am somewhat surprised it was more to install the rear. Lol. You'd think the front would be more, due to having to drop the linkage/exhaust.

I have seen A LOT worse in the past, so I'd say you did fine.

PreyStayShun

You guys rock, I can breathe now.

PS- Not that this matters, but I owe my build thread to tips and hints I've learned from you guys in the past year(s)...Tuner/98/GSR/EK/Patrick...and a few other notables I may have missed, you guys have helped and all chimed in when I needed you most. And I owe the development of my dream car to you. I know she doesn't look like much right now, but she'll get there.

Thanks guys.

Libertariat

We've all made dumb mistakes. My s2k rotors have to be flipped left to right, and when I took them off to paint them I just followed the stamping on the calipers and put them on upside down. I spent like 3 hours trying to bleed my brakes. Took it to my Honda shop and immediately was told I simply had the calipers on upside down.



S2000 front calipers mount toward the rear on s2000s, 96-00 civic calipers mount toward the front of the car. So naturally the calipers have to be on "upside down" to be right-side up.

98civdx

^haha, damn.

Definitely have all made dumb mistakes. But we learn from them!

turboskratch

$320 for a 4/5th gear synchro slider sounds too steep for me if that's parts alone. Labor will always be expensive, especially removing/installing and opening up/rebuilding the transmission.

You could have gotten a full set of carbon lined synchros from synchrotech for around 200-250 bucks. Did they replace the gears too? If it's both the synchro sleeve AND the gears, then maybe it could be justified, but if it's just the 4th and 5th gear synchros, I think you got ripped off, or they insisted on geting a new OEM part(which I still don't believe is that expensive).

$50 for a resurfaced flywheel is expensive too.. I wouldn't have paid more than 20-30 bucks.

The sway bars could have been done yourself. I spent a good two hours doing the front alone because I was having a hell of a time trying to get the D bracket bolts to line up to the holes on the subframe. AND you have to do it by hand so it was just a real pain. I didn't have a lift either.

PreyStayShun

Same exact situation w/my Legend Calipers...upside down to be right side up, they appear to function properly though, so thats a bonus. HAHA

For the tranny I believe it was 3/4 synchros/sliders/gears...don't remind me about the sway bars though. Could have saved $185there. Oh well, we all do stupid stuff for the cars we love.

Another thing I should have known, why spend $40 on a lower tie brace (why even buy one at all for that matter) since It can't be used w/the JDM ITR Rear sway. I purchased spacers and bolts last night, if they don't work I'll just ditch the bar in a whole... Its funny, I've purchased items months ago that I'm having to get rid of now because of my choice in parts. UGH! HAAHHA

PatrickGSR94

iTrader: (1)

Well it's hard for me to say whether it was good or not as I haven't paid shops to do mechanical work... ever. My last car was owned by my parents and they paid for repairs at a shop, and that was over a decade ago.

But with all the stuff done and installed, I would say the price *sounds* fair to me. I mean it still seems like a ton of money (and it is a ton of money to me which is why I do stuff myself), but for a shop it's probably fair.

PreyStayShun

Thanks Patrick.

Wish I had a little more space. My 1 car garage is so cramped...I need to get some more space ASAP, so I can avoid these gnarly bills.

98civdx

I know how you feel. 1 car garage, and you know my dad just had to pack it full of stuff!

On a side note I talked to my friend today (owns shop) he said he's charged $250 just for a front sway bar before.

So you can imagen how quick that $1300 would go at his $100 a hour rate.

mikekh10a

iTrader: (2)

this doesnt really answer your question but i'll tell you, $50 for a killswitch is outrageous.
it costs about 5 dollars to make a killswitch. i paid $20 for mine just because i got it pre-made from a website. i hope they at least did a stellar job making it hidden

PreyStayShun

You better believe they did!

98civdx

I think he might of been forgetting about the cost of labor. $50 for the kill switch installed doesn't seem bad.

Hell, Cartoys wanted 75 to add a second siren! And it didn't include the siren.