Current Events > So I'm thinking I was overcharged for my car repair

(+) Yeah! (+)

Or at least was given a higher than normal estimate. I took my car in to my local dealership to see why my engine was taking longer than normal to start up. They determined the wires connecting the engine harness to the cam shaft sensor had been chewed on by rodents and needs to be replaced. They gave me an estimate of over $5,000 for a new engine harness which even with added cost of labor seems way more expensive than it should be. Like I dont know a whole lot about cars but that seems more like the price of an entire new engine rather than a part of it. Should I take it to a local mechanic and get a second opinion to make sure Im not being overcharged? I also want to make sure Im getting it done right but not if it means paying way more than it should be.

Never go to a dealership unless your vehicle is still under warranty and will be fully covered.

SomeLikeItHoth posted...

Never go to a dealership unless your vehicle is still under warranty and will be fully covered.

Thanks. Ive been fortunate enough to never have to deal with serious car issues before and so I took it to the dealership with the assumption that it might be covered by warranty but clearly that was not the case.
[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

Thank you. My gut was definitely telling me this anyway so its nice to get confirmation.

hulkhogan1 posted...

local dealership

You were overcharged on that fact alone.

hulkhogan1 posted...

estimate of over $5,000 for a new engine harness

yeah, you got hosed. And i do electrical work on cars. Most of the cost comes in diagnosing the problem because elec is really hard to diagnose. But if they already knew it, that should be in the neighbourhood of 1200.

Naysaspace posted...

You were overcharged on that fact alone.

yeah, you got hosed.

Well I guess its a good thing I couldnt afford the amount they gave me so I couldnt have paid it even if I wanted to. Any idea how much something like that typically costs?

Edit: So basically Ill have a couple mechanics look at it and assume they can do it for much cheaper?

find a good auto repair shop, one that maybe specializes in engines, or electrical, and go there. not only will they be more skilled (cuz the specialize; dealerships are generalists), but they gonna be cheaper too