[wutdhec]

Yet another question from me folks...

Sadly, I'm a checkbook mechanic interested in getting a GTV6 as you can gather from my other posts. The mechanic looked at it and said that the front donut needs replacement and he recommends doing all three while he's at it. He quoted me $943 for this ($550 for the flex discs alone)...seems really high to me...what do you think?

Coincidentally, the water pump, timing belt, and tensioner replacement is also about $943.

Unfortunately, the car is over 1,000 miles away so it looks like I'm getting priced out of this car...

 

[alfaparticle]

The front donuts have a shorter life than the other two. You may not need to replace the center and rear. I had to pay someone to replace the front one on a Milano in Colorado and the cost was about $350. It might be a bit more if your GTV6 is pre mid '85 as those cars do not have the removable cross member which makes the job a bit more difficult. Also, the exhaust has to be removed and you may need a new center muffler if the current one is not in good shape.

 

[ghnl]

It doesn't sound too out of line. The parts are expensive and there is a lot of labor (time) to get at them.

 

[John Brase]

Centerline sells a driveshaft rebuild kit which has the three flex discs, center support and center bearing for ~$450. The quote you got seems reasonable to me.

 

[ARwrench]

My factory flat rate book says about 3 hours or so(but that was written in 84 and not for a car with 20 something years) So $300~400 for labor sounds fair. I have done dozens and it was not my favorite job

 

[Gubi]

Yep, I paid about $900 on the Milano so it sounds reasonable. This was three donuts, center support, and sending out the driveshaft for one-piece rebalancing.

Hector, can't you use the mechanic's quote to talk down the asking price?

 

[wutdhec]

Thanks everyone. I've proposed a lower price and will speak with him tomorrow but its looking like a big gap...

 

[Greg Gordon]

This actually looks about right. Price all three donuts, the support, bearing and shipping, and you are quickly at about $500. The job can be a total b#$%h. Typically at least some of the exhaust bolts are rusted stuck, the exhaust is often tough to pull apart, and the driveshaft work itself is time consuming. I think doing it in 3 hours is unrealistic. I can't do it that fast, and I have done it many times.

Greg Gordon,
Silicone Hose Kits

 

[wutdhec]

Thanks Greg. I asked the mechanic for more details and he said: "The front flex disc shows some age cracking but nothing major and no pieces missing."

Sounds to me like this service is optional...is this likely to fail on the 1,200 mile trip back?

 

[lowmileage]

Oh, thought this was another post about the Cops.

 

[tomhenneka]

Heck, I've driven over 100K miles on a donut with cracks in it. They always get surface cracks. Now when the crack propagates all the way through (which I call a split) you usually get a small increase in vibration. When you get 2 splits, you get a significant increase in vibration, and it is time to replace the donut.

 

[wutdhec]

Tom, that is good to know because I also asked about driveshaft vibration and he said none at all...so, I think I'll put off this service for now.

 

[wutdhec]

Oh, thought this was another post about the Cops.

Naw, I would've titled it "Cost to CONSUME the Donuts"

 

[Jim Tyson]

IAP lists the 3 donuts for $367(F-C-R; $76-$180-$110). Your mechanic is charging you a 50% markup on these parts. That strikes me as excessive.

 

[wutdhec]

Jim, thanks - yep, thats excessive. I'm going to hold off on this service until I get a good look at it and maybe until there's some vibration.