e3NiNe

to change the:

water pump
timing belt
all "drive" belts
coolent flush

$871. :eek4: ... Just the belt alone is $561. Does anyone know what else is considered a "drive" belt? Power steering? Alternator?

That figure has me a bit freaked out and I've called 3 dealers ... all the same cost.

Misa

all "drive" belts = every other belt under the hood

yea the timing belt replacement is an expensive bish. Its not something someone unexperienced would risk DIYing. h:

e3NiNe

ah, gotcha.


there's no way I'd ever do my own timing belt ... that's like doing my own dental work, not a good idea.

I was expecting the $561, but the $871 figure made me say, "huh, one more time?"

Misa

the 871 sounds a little steep... im not exactly sure how much work is involved in swapping the water pump and belts

vtecaccord01

Is that a dealership?

e3NiNe

all 3 quotes were from the 3 nearest dealerships ... :happysad:

Thooks

I'd say it's a little steep.

I had the Rome, GA price me all the parts needed (minus the gallon of coolant) and they came up with about $225.

I'd gladly give an experienced Honda tech 4 hours to do this at $70 per hour, so my estimate would be around $500.

You need to make sure they also replace all the seals included in the kit (mainly the front crankshaft seal). They will also replace the balancer belt, water pump, intake gasket, power steering belt, drive belt and coolant as noted.

This would also be a great time to have them check and adjust the valves since they will have the engine starting at TDC and the valve cover off.

I'd try to negotiate with the service depart for $650 with the valve adjustment.

strykernyc

what a freaking rip off. try to find a good shop and u can get all the stock parts from tasauto.com for around $200 (just ask for the timeing belt kit and they will give u everything u need for a good price) and labor should be around $200 or less than $300. i hate the dealer they just rip u off. I went to the dealer and i ask how much is a timing belt? just the damn belt and they wanted $200 just for the belt i was like wtf tasauto(theaccordstore) has the damn belt for $34 dollar same belt and probably better since it says made n japan not in mexico lol.

wedley2

this guy on honda-tech should be able to sell you a timing belt kit for cheaper...he is pretty reliable but you need to call him.

JimBlake

You have to remove the external drive belts in order to do the timing belt, so replacing those external belts really(?) is no extra labor. How each shop justifies thier own labor charges is what they should explain to you.

Once the timing belt is removed, the water pump is completely exposed. Just 5 more bolts & it's off. However, that also means you have to drain the coolant. If they do a cooling-system flush & replace the thermostat, that'll explain some of the extra cost. Ask 'em for some details. Maybe the cheaper shops simply let it spill out when they take off the pump, then add make-up antifreeze, leaving your system with 1/2 old & 1/2 new...

Replacing your own timing belt isn't all that bad; but sure, it's not for beginners. Still, you could get your hands on a repair manual (library?) & read thru the procedure. That'll give you a really good idea of what it involves. Even for someone planning to DIY, they should read this BEFORE dismantling their engine...