domoo98765

Hi everyone. I need to replace the master cylinder of my chevy cobalt 06 ls 2.2L

An estimation I got for replacing the master cylinder is $980 with everything including labor. and plus i get spark plugs for $200.

So can anyone give me an a list of items. On what items I need to replace for the master cylinder AND spark plugs.

Thanks you

Slowbalt2000

iTrader: (1)

200$ to replace spark plugs??? Lol where are you taking it?

domoo98765

I been taking it to my mechanic lol. I have a feeling that my mechanic is ripping me off big time.

So within the last 4 months I already wasted about 1300 dollars on front and back brakes. I also got new rotors for both front and back and also a serpentine belt.

SO MUCH MONEY D:

nikemax21

iTrader: (4)

Your getting ripped off big time. if you can turn a screw driver, u can most likely do most of the work you have paid your mechanic to do already. This site has a massive amount of helpful people as well as awesome "How to" threads to walk you through everything with pictures.

P.S.- Id get a new mechanic.

05g5

omg, he just paid the next 3 months of shop bills of you alone.

spark plugs - under $40 for all of them. 10 minutes to install

breaks - $200 for everything, give or take. under 2 hours to install.

oh i just bought a belt for my 2.2 it was $26 and 30 minutes to installl

so with labour and a coffee break, this should have been under $500 (maybe a touch more ??), with quality parts + warrantys lol

mastercylinder - never did one on my car, so i got no idea whats required to get'er done

do not
ever go back to him. infact you got a father? go tell him this, that mechanic should get slapped.


feel free to say no to this, but i am really curious as to how he is comming up with these OUTRAGEOUS numbers. Do you have reciepts? could you post a picture?

ItalianJoe1

iTrader: (10)

Look, you people hating on the mechanics, don't realize what we normally deal with as mechanics. Most customers are complete idiots, and yes it's not right to rip people off but if you do it as a buisness you are going to make a profit. If you think a mechanic will be doing brakes all around for $200 you're nuts.

I would NOT ADVISE anyone to tackle their brake system, particularly the hydraulic side of it like a master cyl if you have absolutely no experience. It's too critical of a system to learn on. Get someone to teach you if you want to learn brake repairs.

Overall, it sounds like you need a new mechanic because he either doesn't know what he is diagnosing or is just taking advantage of an ill-informed customer. The master cyl in this case should be appx 2 hours of labor and maybe $200 for the part? Just a guess on the part price here. But I'd assume you paying no more than $400-500 to have the unit replaced and the system bled at a normal retail shop. $900 sounds quite excessive if that is the only issue.

Spark plug replacement should be closer to $140, figure .7-.8 hours of labor at whatever his rate is, plus the plugs. If he's buying iridium plugs for over $10 each and making a profit on them it could easily approach $200 but that's really not necessary as it's not a difficult job at all and you appear to be a good customer, he shouldn't be trying to rip you off.

05g5

^ you misread when i listed general part prices + ( PLUS ) 2 hour rate, or 30 minute rate. what ever. im guessing his rates are in-between $60-90 an hour. he doesnt sound like a specialized shop thats gunna have a $120+ price tag per hour

$140 for spark plugs? really? its 8 bolts on top of the motor with absolutly nothing around them + each plug removal. iunno im not a mechanic that has his own buisness to run and ****. i guess thats partially why i do all my own work, because i couldnt justify paying $140 for what i know will take me 20 minutes or so tops with only spending $40 in parts

ItalianJoe1

iTrader: (10)

Extreme ends of the spectrum there. You are assuming shade-tree mechanic prices. $270 in parts and the total bill will only be $400? He's giving you parts at cost? Even at $60/hr labor on three hours would be $200, so we're almost at $500 assuming zero profit involved. Don't confuse the cost of doing it yourself with paying a professional to do it.

I work at a Firestone Auto center, retail pricing is excessive for sure but shop labor rate is $102/hr and we are lower than most dealers. So to assume the labor is less than $90/hr is not correct if it's an actual shop. If it's a dude coming to your house and working out of his truck that's a different story, but overhead and operating costs are real and not cheap.

05g5

prices must be lots cheaper around here then. one of the chevy dealers around here charges $125 an hour and i about **** when they told me that.
( i was having some seriously troubles, pulling my hair out trying to figure out a t-stat issue i had, and they quoted me over $600 to do a t-stat and a hour to diag my car )

05g5

this is also where im lost. i dont think i see it?? ( not really trying to be rude, just voicing my opinion )

so roughly $250 in parts. and we will take your 3 hour labor estimate to do plugs, breaks, belt. at a even $100 an hour, that = roughly $550.

how is that not shop profit? the mechanic him self is only making prolly $20-30 per hour. so the shop MADE well over $200 in a few hours of work. you get you know, 2-8 guys in a shop, thats open for 8-10 hours a day, all doing projects and work for customers, so just by the sounds of this to me, thats a pretty profitable buisness.
thats one day


maybe im crazy, or extemly gifted with a wrench (LOL, no) but i do my **** on the ground, no hoist and a blown air compressor i wouldnt charge that much. I should be a mechanic & open my own shop

Ss27gogeta

iTrader: (3)

wow

05g5

Am i wrong?

Gelladuga69

iTrader: (4)

Chevy dealer @ $125/hr? My local dealer is like $90-$100.

My bmw dealership is $117.

Regardless, OP's been taken for a ride. He would've come back to his mech, if he charged decently.

05g5

Obv specialty tools, skills that kind of stuff costs more.
I get that 100% but were talking plugs and breaks

Iknow right lol, the other dealer is $90 or 100. Local small shops are less

Ph3lix_004

iTrader: (1)

Bought a new master cylinder last week from OReilly for 90$, removed fuse box and replaced in 1 hour using the guide on here and a wrench, bleed clutch + bottle of fluid.

Total cost 100$ and maybe 2 hours

Super ripoff

Tmerritt

Straight from ARRC:

Clutch Master Cylinder, Replace (b)

Labor Times
Comments Factory Regular Severe
0.0. 1.5 1.5
Consumer Helper Tip: Multiply your garage/shop hourly rate by the Times displayed here to get an estimate on the repair.

Ss27gogeta

iTrader: (3)

Nope was just commenting on the price the shop quoted the op

ItalianJoe1

iTrader: (10)

You went from telling the OP it would cost $250 to $550 for the work he said he had done already. I can believe $500. If that's the number then we have no disagreement. In regards to the master cyl replacement, I said in my original reply that the quote was high, as $900 was just ridiculous. That job as well would be somewhere in the $400-500 range at a normal retail shop price from my experience.

If you guys think you can get this job done by someone somewhere for so cheap, go for it. I clean up after half-ass mechanics all the time, both at work and on the side. There are a lot of people who will agree to fix your car for cheap but often you run the risk of having a problem, and again on brake issues you just can't take those chances IMO. Safety and peace of mind is not really an option on brake repairs. Now if you wanna learn to change your spark plugs and save some cash, go right ahead, it's always good to learn and having basic mechanical knowledge will save you next time you get work done and someone tries to bullshit you.

Do this through. Just on this forum, just on clutch/transmission jobs. Look at the number of threads that involve someone doing it for the first time and having MAJOR problems, taking weeks, re-doing it 2-3 times, etc. Even shops that haven't done them before have problems. In a case like that, is it not worth it to spend a couple hundred bucks more and get your car back the next day 100% working, rather than spend 2 weeks of your own time trying to figure it out?

Not trying to discourage anyone from learning, but it's not for everybody and it's not always worth it depending on the situation involved.

05g5

I went from 200-250 in price of parts and just a rough estimate of 2 hour labour *** for the break job only
So we roughly agree i think. I for one had my rear druns seized . That = time and time = money. So yes

Master cyl i had no input for the cobalt so i dint say anythig to that



I might have wored it wierd in y first post here. But thats what i ment when i said " breaks - 200 for everyrhing plus 2 hours to install(labour)
I didnt calculate anything at the tims, just threw general numbers out from my personal experience in part prices and shop rates around me

sLAsh

iTrader: (2)

[QUOTE=05g5;7291344


breaks - $200 for everything[/QUOTE]
Did you not see where he said he got front and rear rotors as well. They would be $200 - $400 alone depending on whether they used OEM or aftermarket. Another couple hundred for pads and you have more like $400 - $600 in parts at a shop.
It doesn't matter that you might reuse the rotors. For people who don't do there own work it makes more sense to replace em whenever they do the brakes because it would cost more to go back and do them later.

domoo98765

05g5 Ill try to see if i can find the receipts and if i do find them ill post a pic of them.

FYI everyone- im a she not a he :P lol

ItalianJoe1

iTrader: (10)

Where are you located Domo? Have you considered going to a mainline retail shop, say Firestone/Goodyear/Sears etc for a quote? Just for comparison sake?

southal cobalt

iTrader: (3)

while this thread has gotten interesting, im fairly certain op is trolling.
and if so, op has failed his duties as a troll to ruin threads

domoo98765

Im located in Omaha, Nebraska, and Im currently in the process of getting a more quotes around the area.

domoo98765

How the heck am I trolling? seriously lol >.<