Repair Prices Fair? Or should I move?

I live in the Bronx, New York.
I called my local Saturn dealer-service and asked how much for a tune-up
and alternator change.
I was told complete tune-up with parts would run $350 and as for the
alternator- just the labor would run $300 (their computer was down
so they could not tell me how much was the alternator's price).
Are these the average prices you'd expect from a dealer?
If emailing me directly please remove all the "q" from my email.
Louis
1997 SL1

 

Louis,

They must be quoting more than a simple tune up. What parts are they
changing for that price? Although the price is high, without knowing what
all was included (plugs, wires, air filter, PCV, fuel filter, throttle body
cleaning?) it's hard to say exactly how much higher.

I did all of the above as well as the transmission filter & fluid and the
front and rear brakes on my son's 1996 SL1 for less than they are asking for
the tune up alone!

Learn to do the tune up yourself. Replacing the plugs and wires requires
very few tools and about 10-15 minutes time. It really does not get easier
than the 1.9L Saturn engine. As to the alternator, the labor is much too
high. If you can't do it yourself, find an independent mechanic that has
done a lot of work on Saturns and knows what they are doing. Others here in
the group who have had this done can give you a range on what they paid.

Bob

 

That's WAY too expensive. Send me email. I'm in Westchester and can
suggest a cheaper alternative.

Cheers,

 

Its New york... Both New York and California have a higher cost of
living usually along with higher wages.

 

I have an older saturn (96) and yes, for a complete tune up...I think it
was at the 30,000 mile mark and it was $300.00. I thought that was a rip
off at the time as well until we got our new Chevy.

 

Well lets see:

Plugs (Bosch Platinum) $5
Plug Wires NAPA Lifetime $42
Air Cleaner $11
PCV Valve $4.50
serpentine Belt NAPA Lifetime $11
5 Quarts of Oil Mobile at NAPA $ 5
NAPA Gold Oil Filter $8


Total $86 plus 8% Tax $92.90

Took me around 1 hour in my back yard to do the whole job.

I have no idea what the dealer prices are for the same items but they
have a hug mark up. You could have done the job yourself and saved.

Elector

 

$5 a pair.

At 30K miles you wont need "Spark Plugs". IIRC Saturn puts double
platinums in from the factory (at least now they do). You can get a good
80K out of those. (Replacing them with P.O.S. Bosch plugs would be a
mistake! AC Delco or Autolite "platinums" are the only way to go.) Spark
plug wires could even still be good at 30k. If replacing the wires you
would need to invest in a "Digital Volt Ohm Meter" to check the wires
resistance. About 90% of the time I get a set there is at least one bad
wire which would ruin the ignition system if it were used... I go
usually go 40k on wires and 80k on platinum plugs. (unless its a coil on
plug or coil over plug design.)
At 30k miles one would be well due for a new Fuel Filter as well.
Serpentine belts vary, I dont know what the life span is for them on a
96 Saturn (150k miles on GM cars now I think). It shouldn't be replaced
just because the tech says it has "some cracks". It takes so many cracks
per inch to be ruled bad. If it has chunks out of it on the notched side
or is showing nylon on the back side then yeah its due. If the car has
conventional coolant in the system it would be due for a change every
30k miles.

The going rate at decent shops seem to be around a dollar a minute.
Some dealerships get nuts and the rates seem to total $3 dollars a
minute... Who was making a FAQ's again? We should have a step by step
page on tune ups for this group or at least some sort of price guide so
people dont get burnt.