DIY sticker shock

[hermitcrab]

My truck is due for an oil change and It has a warped rotor that drives me insane everytime I hit the brakes , so a visit to my local auto parts store and I am out over $200 bucks just in parts and oil... I can't imagine what it would cost in a shop to get this stuff fixed ... thank goodness I have some mechanical skills to do these jobs, I feel for the people that don't...

[walyfd]

Tell me about it... try fixing an old car... my mechanic is lending me a slide hammer to get the rear axle shaft out of the 62 because he won't do it. Then I have to find a machine shop to replace the bearing that I had to buy...

Nobody wants to do anything anymore. I also have to replace the front wheel cylinders. Thank God I know how to do this stuff and have friends to help. I'm 55... I don't want to do this much longer. I might have one more old car in me to do but that's it... my mechanic is slowing down and he wants to do quick work..
Inspections and oil changes. Brakes are getting too much for him.

[William]

Probably almost three times that amount, Elton. I am guessing you had a little discount of some kind buying from a parts store. At the dealership it would have been factory Dodge parts plus all of that labor.

I totally understand, Walter. I can't do it anymore ,74, and it is hard to find a techs outside of a dealership that I would trust. And having worked at dealerships I do not trust them anymore either.

Bill

[electra225]

Car repairs are awful. Nobody wants to "fix" but, boy are they good at charging. Car parts are terrible, both in quality and price. The oil filter for my Buick is over $14. I remember doing a lube, oil and filter for less than ten bucks. The dealer charges $109 for an oil change on the Mini and their "40-point inspection". 40 chances to upsell you. We don't drive much, so we don't have a lot of car repairs. I try not to think about how much repairs cost. Insurance is another thing that isn't cheap anymore.

I fixed the turn signals on the Buick myself, after I paid a professional classic car shop in Tempe $400 to do it.

[danrclem]

If you need parts and don't need them right away, rockauto.com usually has good prices. Most of the time, I can buy parts there and with shipping they're still cheaper than the local auto parts stores. If you have to order different parts you have to watch the shipping because the parts can come from different locations and you'll have to pay shipping from each location.

[electra225]

Parts from those online places can be fakes. I was a wrench for so long, I want to lay hands on parts I'm buying before I pay for it. I wouldn't use parts from ebay or Amazon, I've read too many reviews on those to be comfortable with them. The Mini dealer wanted $120 for the cabin air filter, I did get it on Rock Auto for $18. A lube tech at the store put it in for me in about two minutes. It cost me a Pepsi.....