I posted earlier about my fan (AC/heat) not spinning and took it to a mechanic who said some connector was burnt. I got a quote for $500 (and paid it) and I took some pictures when I got the car back (will have the mechanic fix it once they get the parts).. I think the relay was taken out, and I found this burnt connector, so I don't know what exactly they're replacing.. My question is: does this really cost $500 to fix, or am I being ripped off? and what might have caused this?

 

Its been known to happen on our cars- the connector power lead to the fan motor gets burnt like that. You have to replace the connector itself and maybe some wire.
Have an Auto Electrical Shop do this job. Make sure they find out why it happened too.
Sometimes just old and dirty, and running the fan on high with a plugged cabin filter may be the root cause

 

04tl4tl,
so do you think $500 is fair?

 

and btw, the relay (~$80) is gone so i'm assuming they're replacing that

 

I highly doubt that should be a $500 job. Mechanics see the fancy TL and think "how can I rip this dumb kid off." I was quoted $700 to install suspension at a shop once. Total BS.

 

the mechanic is a very honest guy and we know him personally, so i'm not sure if he would rip us off. but anyone else think $500 (parts and labor) is BS?

 

Hell yeah, that's ridiculous. Is he planning on replacing the whole harness or something?

Time to learn to work on your own car.

 

If so, does that account for the cost?

 

That is rediculous! You are getting screwed or they are repacing too much stuff.

 

Seems excessive to me. I know you said he's a trusted mechanic but I think he's taking advantage of you. I'd say $200-300 tops would be a fair amount.

 

i think (hope) maybe he's replacing some other things. once i get the invoice i will show you guys!

 

When I had a similar problem, the shop recommended replacing the resistor, blower motor and wiring harness with the new connectors. Parts listed for less than $200, plus another $100 for installation labor. I bought a new resistor and connectors for around $50 and did the work myself. It was a straightforward and easy enough job to "DIY".

 

I hope you dont like sitting for awhile cause he just told you to bend over and take an object the size of your TL up your ass. 500 is outrageous. You got ripped off.

 

first, post smaller sized pictures, and secondly, u should've just bought the parts from acura dealer or from somewhere else and do it yourself. or have a friend who knows about cars do it for you. seriously, thats rediculous man, 500 bucks?! shoot, you could've gotten some tints for your tintless car, or maybe a CAI and headers and spacers... honestly, $500 just went down the drain buddy.

 

Hahaha! Poor kid.

 

you know, i had the same problem when i was 16. the trusted mechanic my dad knew told me a buncha crap that WASNT wrong with my 00 prelude. tried to charge me 800 bucks to fix some electrical components under the hood. if they really needed to be done, i could have bought all the parts for about 150 and replace it by myself.

the problem is that you're young, and youre driving such a nice car. they think you dont know crap (which you probably don't) and will fall for anything. the lesson learned here is to shop around for quotes, no matter how trusted your mechanic is.

 

couldnt u just buy the harness, and just splice it into?

 

That's why you have this helpful site, where the members are here to HELP YOU and not crack jokes on your situation. I hope everything works out for you homie....

 

I see a lot of opinions but nobody is really addressing the problem and what the $500 is actually for. The connector is melted. The sheliding on 10 gauge wire is burnt only at the fan end. This can only be caused by an internal short within the fan. If something were wrong with the relay you wouldn't see melting like this on the fan side. The fan needs to be replaced as well as this scorched connector. $500 to replace the fan is definitely a fair price.

I don't see a $10 plug that needs to be replaced. I see evidence of a car that might have easily gone up in flames. You're lucky that you caught that. Let your mechanic fix it.

 

BS! Sorry sir, no disrespect, but that is a load of you know what. Shenanigans!!!!! The blower motor assembly is $65 and pops in and out with just one screw. The connector is like $10. So you are jsutifying ~$400 more on what exactly?

 

If $500 is only for a connector and relay replacement... no no :

 

Don't pay it. Get a simple connector and fix it yourself. If the motor is fine, and your relays and fuses work, then you just have a bad connector that got burn. Is like your front light connector when they get to much electricity and they get burnt. Save your $, and take it to a electrician to make sure you have no short in the car to make sure this won't happen again.

 

Many have had just the clip melt and have had the dealer just replace the clip.

 

Hmmm...... I guess I'm looking at it wrong.