DubSanity

Hi all,

Sorry ahead of time for the long explanation!

My CEL has been on for a little while and I finally figured out what it was for. I do not know much about the inner workings of cars but I did search and look all over the internet and read a ton of stuff. I am going to assume that my EGR passages are clogged with carbon buildup seeing as it has never been cleaned.

I found an instruction manual on how to clean the EGR passages (http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/tsb/accord/A99-085.pdf) and while I would love to give it a go I live in an apartment complex that does not allow us to work on our vehicles in the parking lot and I have never done anything more than change a flat tire on my car. I'm sure I could figure it out but I don't have the tools necessary or the time needed to commit to a DIY cleaning.

This has left me no choice but to reluctantly call different local mechanics, Honda dealership, and repair chains (like Pep Boys) to see what they would charge to clean the EGR passages in my car. One local mechanic told me he doesn't want to get into that and straight up refused to work on my car! Another said that if they have to go into the manifold (which I'm pretty sure they would to get to the EGR passages from what I read) that would increase the cost a lot... I have a hard time trusting any mechanic since looking at the instructions it doesn't seem too hard if you have the tools and know-how already. I've called tons of places around my area (zip code 15236) and it seems as though the cheapest is Pep Boys at $103 with the local Honda Dealership second at $139. Others priced it from $150 to $300 which is ridiculous since I've seen plenty of posts online of people cleaning the EGR passages themselves for $30-$50.

So my question to you is: What do you recommend I do? Can I trust Pep Boys to clean it properly or should I spend the extra $36 and go to the Honda dealer (who I distrust just as much)? If there is anyone from the Pittsburgh area please let me know of any trustworthy mechanics in the area. I would pay a little extra if someone personally recommends one.

Thank you so much to anyone who actually reads all of this and gives me feedback. I'll appreciate anything I can get!

phootbag

Can't recommend anybody but I can tell you that the job is in fact quite simple. If you have a buddy who will let you work on it at their place it shouldn't take someone with some common sense and instructions more than an hour or two. This job usually takes me about fifteen minutes because I've done a Bajillion of them.

holmesnmanny

Even if the complex doesn't let you work on your car, most of the time they don't care. Even if they tell you you can't, you can just tell them you didn't know and that you'll just finish up and not work on your car anymore. No big deal.

However, for Honda to do it for $139 is an extremely good deal imho. I would just let them do it if you've never done it before and don't really care to take the job on yourself. Honda probably does these all the time, you can count on it getting done right.

DubSanity

I agree with you about being able to do it and thanks for the input. I just graduated college so my friends either moved away or are living in apartments in the city. I don't have any of the necessary tools either so I'd have to go spend some money on that as well as new gaskets. I feel like in the end it is more convenient with my time constraint and lack of tools to take it somewhere. I'm so worried of screwing something else up or breaking something which will run me even more money lol.

DubSanity

You're probably right about the complex rule. Im also worried I'd make the problem worse or cause another issue!

As for the dealership, I just hate seeing it cost so little to DIY and then these mechanics charge $100 bucks more. I understand they have to charge for labor but this shouldn't take that long for someone with experience. It bugs me and I try to avoid them because of it. I guess I would trust Honda more to clean it well than Pep Boys, but not by much! It just kills me to spend that money when I know it could be done for way less. I always feel like I'm being ripped off when I deal with dealerships. Bleh, I'll probably end up taking it to Honda and shed a teartear lol.

Thanks for the reply, I appreciate it. If only there was detailed step by step instructions for my specific engine with what all tools and parts I'd need and pictures for each step so I know what each part looks like that I'm dealing with. Basically a "How-To Clean Your EGR Passages For Dummies"!

holmesnmanny

There are how-to's both here and on youtube specifically for the v6, you just have to do some searching.

phootbag

Just a knit pick here; It takes a noob longer because they have little experience. A master tech may complete the job quickly because they have experience. As a technicians experience grows and they become more efficient, it would remove all incentive to become a master if labor times decreased to reflect the increase in efficiency. Flat rate sucks that way.

Lost Again

^ there is somebody I haven't seen in a while.....btw, happy b-day old man.

Lost Again

To the OP - this info has been posted before, but here you go

DubSanity

Thanks. If you read my post that was the exact PDF that I linked to myself

DCFIVER

What does this have to do with trust? LoL,what does the cost of what people do online have to do with the cost of what a professional shop charges?
Seems as though price is your determining factor in getting the vehicle repaired,not sure why anyone would recommend a shop to you on that basiss....






Shops charge what they are worth,not what price shoppers think they should charge. Some shops charge more than the dealer because they can. They have more to offer in terms of quality of work and warranty. Many dealerships are losing ground to independent shops are starting to "race to the bottom"


It would be moronic to find utilize price as basis to chose a place to get your car fixed as it will likley cost you more in the long run. If no one you know personally can reccomend a good shop,then try Google or Yelp.....