... OR if they pay him commission. That's the way a mechanic makes money doing this stuff. By completing jobs faster than the quoted time, you basically earn more per hour. It takes experience to beat the quoted time.

Sometimes it's a bust and you get a nightmare of a car where it's towed in, 11 poop-flingers have worked on it, and the "other" parts (many of them, but not all) are in the passenger side floorboard because none of the 11 knew what they were doing. You'll make about $4 an hour on a job like that, and ruin clothes in a muddy junkyard getting parts like valve cover fasteners and a timing cover because the dealer will take 3 weeks to get them to you for only $111.

Those are the ones they like to give to me. Thanks guys. Keep 'em coming. :eh:

But yeah... see if you can find a better labor rate at a non-stealership. If you find a shop that's $50 and hour, VS. the dealer's $75, then you'll save $100 on a 4-hour job. There are lots of valid reasons for that job being a 4-hour quote. Only an experienced mechanic will be able to do it faster, and probably not by much. Don't forget the radiator flush, and warming it up, and burping it so that their heater works. All that stuff takes time, too.

You need a...
water pump
tensioner pulley
timing belt
AC belt
Alternator belt
Power Steering belt (if equipped)
1 gallon of antifreeze

They don't need to drain your oil for this job... but if it needs it...

Sorry 'bout the rant. There are some good shops out there. Look around. The dealer doesn't always know best.