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My Laundry list of issues with $$ Amount

7K views 47 replies 14 participants last post by  ice berg slim 
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#1 · (Edited)
I just took my 2005 CTS 2.8L to a local dealer to get a quote on all the potential issues and current issues with the car and WOW alot of stuff need to be fixed. Seems very expensive. What do you guys think? Too much? Just right? Also, I should go back to school to be a mechanic they seem to be making some good coin.

Labor Cost Parts Cost Misc Amount
Idler Pulley (Engine noise) $126.00 $68.01 $12.60 $206.61
Front, License bulb $84.00 $10.10 $8.40 $102.50
Flush Brake System $124.95 $- $12.50 $137.45
Transmission Flush $219.95 $- $22.00 $241.95
Front Rotors & Brake Pads $350.00 $220.33 $35.00 $605.33
Rear Rotors & Brake Pads $350.00 $225.13 $35.00 $610.13
Battery Replacement $199.93 $- $19.99 $219.92
3rd Brake Light $84.00 $832.00 $8.40 $924.40
Fog lamp Assy $140.00 $364.75 $14.00 $518.75
Front Bumper Complete fix $543.38 $567.57 $167.48 $1,278.43

TOTAL $2,222.21 $2,287.89 $335.37 $4,845.47
 
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#2 ·
Holy $$$ batman!!! Seems like a lot of that, if not most of it, could be done at a local shop with cheaper labor rates rather than a dealership.

Some thoughts on some of the items you listed;
- Front, License bulb, $102? What bulb is out?
- Pads and Rotors can be had for MUCH cheaper and I would think you would know someone capable of handling that job for a case of beer or something...
- That battery price is a joke
 
#3 ·
Go to R1 concepts, a trusted vendor on this site, and get your brakes. Hell, get slotted, cross-drilled better than OEM brakes... front and rear, rotors and pads, for about $600. DO NOT, pay $600 an axle. That is silly.

If you are to pay $200 for a battery, it better be Optima, and it still better come with a happy ending.

How is the fog lamp assembly not part of a COMPLETE front bumper fix? And, oh yeah, buy the bumper cover off ebay for $120. If you need the bumper bar and everything else, still buy it off ebay. You can do a CTS-V bumper conversion for less than $1,200 (that price makes me throw up a little bit).

What is a front license bulb? My car doesnt have those. I dont know any cars that do. Are they charging you for headlight fluid as well? What about elbow grease?
 
#5 ·
If by park light you mean the small one in the corner you can change that yourself in about 15 minutes without taking the bumper off or taking out the headlight. Just crank the wheel all the way over to expose the wheel well liner, unsnap the retainers and pry it away from the bumper enough to get your arm/hand in there....Feel up to the headlight and you will feel a round cap on the bottom side of it, screw that off and you can get to that bulb and replace it...Takes some contorting but it's totally doable...As for the license plate light...Open your trunk and remove all of the nuts on the rear side of the lid underneath the carpet, that whole bezel will come out and you can replace both LP bulbs...Man these dealers just ROB people blind! $102 to replace these two bulbs is INSANE!!!
 
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#7 ·
Does GM import mechanics into Canada or something? I can see parts being marked up but not labor rates...Just can't justify $84 in labor to change out a parking light and a license plate light, in total that MIGHT take me 30 minutes to do...Plus, if you are having them do the entire bumper why is it so much to replace the front bulb? The damn bumper is already off of the car! So that brings me back to the license plate bulbs...If the bumper is already off the front bulb is cheap, if not free as far as labor goes...So to me that labor would me mostly for the rear LP lights, how long can it possibly take a trained GM tech to get that bezel off? 10 minutes? This just irritates me for some reason, f'ing stealerships!
 
#9 ·
Yes, definitely WAY over priced....And how on earth are the rear rotors/pads the same price as the fronts? They should be at least somewhat cheaper...DO NOT give this dealer your car and a blank check!
 
#11 ·
3rd brake light for almost 1k, you may as well just cut a nut off and hand it over to them. Go on ebay and find one for $350-400 max if you really wanted to get it fixed or replace it. The labor for that is a 15-30 min max job with very little dificulty.

Bulbs running you over $100! Really... go buy bulbs at your local auto parts store for a total of $10-15 and within a half hour you could have them changed.

The pads seem extremely expensive man these prices are insane.

As david said if you are going to pay for a $200 battery it better be an optima. The thing is optimas don't fir in our cat as they have the top posts and hit when you try and close the hood. I would know because I buy $250 optimas for all muy cars and was dissapointed when I couldn't fit it in there.

Last, if you plan on getting all that fixed. Do the simple stuff yourself. You can easily save your self a good chunck of money doing that. Whatever you find more difficult to do and out of your hands, ask local shops what they charge. I garantuee if you buy your own parts and get a local shop to do it you can save youself a good 50% of what the dealership is trying to get out of you.
 
#18 ·
You could also just buy a 7 dollar LED strip on ebay and a tube of sealant for like $4. Tear the housing apart(theres a DIY somewhere) and boom ya have a new bake light.

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is the idler pulley that much of a SOB to do on the 2.8, because the 3.2 is cake. I got my drilled and slotted R1 concepts rotors plus ceramic pads front/rears for 280 bucks. btw, if anyone is interested in these rotors, let me know. I am thinking of selling my 03 and will probably put everything back stock. I agree with most in this thread, find you a local mechanic, just as good and 10 times cheaper
Not sure as I've never had to change mine. I sent you a PM on those rotors/pads.
 
#15 ·
I know there are some more Canadian members here, maybe they are nearby...relatively. You could have a little fix it session, all of that could be done in an afternoon.
 
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#19 ·
Not sure if its even making a noise. I brought it in because I thought the engine was a little too loud and the guy there said its possibly the idler pully thats causin noise but didnt confirm it was.
 
#20 ·
Dude, where do you live? If you are any where remotely close to me I can do the work for ya. I can help ya order the parts and get all that stuff done in a day!!!

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Ok, looking at the list again, I can't do the tranny flush, nor should you do one. Causes too many problems so scratch it off your list. And the bumper is tough to do also, but a local body shop near you will get it done in a jiffy!
 
#23 ·
You can just change the Trans oil, instead of flushing. Thats a better Idea and fairly easy with a small pump. I'd advise dropping the pan to change the filter though as well. New fluid would scatter settled debri. For $4800 you could almost upgrade to a 1g cts-v lol. Or drive to Blayne's with a ton of online ordered parts and probably still save atleast $2000 or more ha.
 
#24 ·
Not sure if its even making a noise. I brought it in because I thought the engine was a little too loud and the guy there said its possibly the idler pully thats causin noise but didnt confirm it was.
Idler Pulley (Engine noise) - confirm this is noise first, then order this online
Front, License bulb - in no way shape or form is this anywhere near that expensive
Flush Brake System - you can bleed brakes yourself and apply new fluid while doing so. Best to do it WHILE changing brakes.
Transmission Flush - Don't do a flush, do a drain and fill.
Front Rotors & Brake Pads - You can find these cheaper from vendors here.
Rear Rotors & Brake Pads - You can find these cheaper from vendors here.
Battery Replacement - Try something like $100 at Walmart. Replacement is a 5 minute procedure.
3rd Brake Light - Save your money. Look into the LED mod for the 3rd brake light, or find it at a junk yard.
Fog lamp Assy - Junkyard or online
Front Bumper Complete fix - Junkyard or online. You might even be able to find it already painted. I didn't pay that much for my bumper replacement (EVEN AFTER PAINTING), and I bought the goddamn thing new and unpainted... and its a V bumper.

A large majority of these are simple repairs you can do with a jack and hand tools and a weekend to yourself.
 
#33 ·
ice berg slim said:
This place is a god send alot of honest folks and I dont sense any of that smug attitude from members. I can admit I know next to nothing when it comes to cars sadly. Give me a calculator and i'll do your taxes for you but tell me to look under my hood and look for something and you may aswell just hand me a piece of the dead sea scroll and ask me to translate it into latin.
Lmao, we'll at least you can say your funny too!!!
 
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#37 ·
Just a quick update. I been shopping around town for brakes and rotors and wow the more I look the more and more that Dealership quote sucks a veiny one. Called Part Source earlier today and the best they had was some thermo brake pads and rotor...im assuming thats a brand...anyways did the math and I can get it all for $672.78 tax included. A far cry from the $610 per axle. Also, do any of you guys know anything about these Hawk HPS performance Street? Two stores in the city have them im calling them tommorow for quotes.
 
#42 ·
just a fyi, mechanic at dealers are not all the same. you can always call around to other dealers. i know fires hand that a firestone was going to charge me double labor for a outer tie rod and double the parts price. i found a dealer and they were way better on price and had me in and out.
 
#44 ·
josney said:
I gave you this answer on the first page of your thread:

I got my drilled and slotted R1 concepts rotors plus ceramic pads front/rears for 280 bucks.
That he did lol. I remember josney was the recent one who got them but I couldn't remember what he paid. That's an awesome deal for brakes all around. If I remember correctly josney posted afterwards that they were a great upgrade over stock. So go with that setup!
 
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