why do you have to fix it all at once. Do it yourself and prioritize

 

So I was bored and didn't really feel like actually working so I spent a few minutes playing with this! What I found is that the dealer is not the place to go for this as we already knew.

First off they are charging $243.95 for shop supplies and another $127.20 for coolant!

From just tossing in their part numbers on ebay so I was comparing exact parts I found that you can buy everything on their parts list minus coolant and the oil for $1242.57 shipped to your door and for the same parts they are charging $2200.06. That alone is a $957.49 savings just in parts to do it yourself on top of the $243.95 and $100 savings from the supplies and coolant charges they are tacking on for a total savings of $1301.44. Now take away the ridiculous $299.00 (Ebay price) HVAC switch they are trying to sell you and now you are down to $943.57 you can pick up a good switch for $25 or under online there is no need to buy new if yours is even actually bad.

Now after pricing everything on RockAuto pricing AC Delco and Felpro parts including the AC compressor I came to a total price after shipping and discount of $564.64 for everything minus oil and coolant so easily $600 which is a bit higher than the original $500 I guessed at but still cheap.

If you really wanted to save even more money you could buy some of the things in the cheaper brands and do some research on the compressor as I know I have seen a good reviewed one for less than the $207 AC Delco one that RA sells so you realistically could get the total repair cost really close to or maybe even under $500 by spending a little more time shopping and using a few cheaper parts where acceptable.

If it were me I would spend some time searching around and find the best deals on the better parts and gather them and replace them as time and money allow and have a solid spare vehicle that you wife loves and maybe you will get special time for fixing her baby for her especially for doing it so cheaply!!!

 

And everyone here will help with any issues

 

That much in coolant? are they going to add coolant each time they need to drain it instead of doing the whole cooling system at once? wtf

 

At least they weren't gonna change the coolant again with the spark plugs.

 

The items that the coolant fees and shop supply fees were paired with were listed separately as if they were quoting each item individually in case I had them piece it out or something. The documentation as it was presented was only as intentional as the database programming. The service attendant who prepared the quote should have made a note on their to make it clear that 4 of the coolant charges for example would not be applicable if I have all of the work done at the same time. The service attendant did not do this so I see it as one of two things, he wasn't interested in having me come back to get the job done unless I was clueless and willing to overpay, or two, he was clueless.

 

Hey guys. I have a 2001 blazer LT 4wd and need help finding out a problem with it. A few days ago it started making a loud clunking noise only when i start to accelerate from a stopped position and right away i was thinking the U joint was giving out but i checked it and everything was tight. So then i decided maybe i was low on gear oil in my diff so i took it to a nearby mechanic and he filled it up for 10 bucks but its still making the same noise. Any advise on my problem

 

As far as the dealer prices are concerned. I've been burned by small shops far too many times. I've seen some shady stuff; not torquing when required, not using the correct fasteners, not using all of the fasteners, breaking or cracking stuff, striping screws, bolts, and the holes they go in, getting stuff dirty, and the list goes on to the final thing where all shops replace stuff that isn't broken simply to insure their work to the customer. I've seen it, the overcharged and fixed up customer walks away happy, but the customer who saved had to come back and complain because the problem is still not fixed. It can be more challenging to diagnose a problem without first replacing a component to see if "that did the trick". I actually have a lot of practice at diagnosing my 83 Datsun 280ZX. I have the factory maintenance manual to it and there must be over a thousand pages, and most of it is diagnostic steps. Unfortunately, I don't have time to maintain my cars, house, or yard anymore since both my wife and I work, we have two very small and completely dependent children, and zero family within 250 miles that could potentially help us out.

 

IMHO if this is true you need to stick with new vehicles. Old 4WD SUVs like Blazers are too costly to have maintained by a shop. Probably why they are so cheap to buy. Good for those who are willing to do it themselves. Bad for everyone else. But I think I'm just stating the obvious.

 

If you can't find a couple hours here and there I will go back to my previous statement of post if for $500 and hope for $300.

If you think that the dealers don't do all the shady crap that SOME small shops do you are wrong, they do the same crap the only difference is they charge more for it! I bought a brand new CTS back in 04 and at 12K miles it spent 6 out of 7 months in the Cadillac dealers garage because a a transmission issue that they refused to just replace so I had to continue to take it back to them for the same issue until they finally replaced the entire trans. When I finally got it back I drove 25 miles before it went back to them after cracking the new trans case because they neglected to install the top bellhousing bolts! I then forced them to buy the car back from me for the full purchase price so I have real experience with a dealer shop doing sub par work I'm not just making things up here.