What do you guys think is a good price, reasonable price, and ripoff for having all of these done (at a private shop, not the dealer):
- Timing belt & water pump
- Idler Pulley
- Tensioner
- Valve Adjustment

Here's what I think:

Good: 0-$800
Reasonable: $800-$1000
Ripoff: $1000+

Agree or no? And are the idler pulley, tensioner, and valve adjustment recommended even if they aren't showing bad signs? What do bad valves sound like? Cause I've always heard a ticking noise under the hood.

 

if you dont replace the tensioner pulley- and expect it to go another 100k miles----
and then it fails- its the same as belt failure- expensive engine damage $2500 results

Adjusting the valves is labor intense- taking ziners a full day or more

The ac idler pulley does fail too=- while the belts are off.....fix it all now and be done with it

If you do a lot of it yourself- like spark plugs and filters-oil change- you can save a lot
Still expect 6 hours labor on water pump/belt, plus 4 hours or more for the valve adjustment
Most people find a few valves outr of spec- adjusting them makes the car run better- get better mileage etc

Still expect 800 to 1200 for a good job

 

got mine done for 460 with all OEM parts

 

^by a certified honda tech owned shop

 

Expect $1200-1500 at a shop including parts. Your sense of cost is slightly off, on the books you're looking at a good 12 hours work.

For $500 I'd want to know who was working on the car.

The valves are time consuming but can be done yourself. This will save you a chunk off the bill.

 

I've gone around and gathered quotes for just timing belt & pump ($7-800 range) but for the extra stuff, some places have told me they'd do it for $50 while another place says they'll do it for $200. Just trying to see which one is more believable.

$1200 is a ripoff in my book though...I recently lost my job, only a couple grand in the bank, just can't afford it.

 

That shouldnt take a full day. Its actually really simple and shouldnt take more than a hr or so. Its a great time to clean the EGR ports too. Throw that in there and its a half day job for the first timer.

 

kris- based on reports from ziners who were new to repair work- valve adjustment was several hours DIY

For the purposes of someone comparing prices- they need to know what shops charge- not what the highly skilled fsttyms can do it in~

Shops that say 50 bucks for pullies have not checked the parts prices, I would not let them near my car! If they have done 2 or more they know what parts are needed and what they cost...and I ran a shop~

 

labor costed me 250..when i got my timing belt + water pump service done, i only replaced the timing belt, water pump, belt tensioner and all other belts. the idler pulley must be replaced also? how much is the part?
my engine sounds like a sewing machine right now but not too loud. thats probably the ticking that OP is talking about.

 

Lets use more effective wording. It's not a ripoff, $1200 is a fair price, it's just not what YOU are willing to pay.

If you just lost your job, the last thing I'd be doing is putting any money into the car. Spend your energy finding another job. The car can wait a month or more until you find a job.

 

I already have another job, it's just that this new job has me living check to check (only make 1/2 of what I was making at the other job). And if something were to happen to my car (which I just bought 2 months ago) due to lack of maintenance ....I would be totally at a loss.

So I just want to get the really important stuff done (timing belt & pump) and maybe leave the optionals (pulley,tensioner,valves) 'til some time passes. I was just under the impression that the labor for getting to the belt is more or less the same for the pump/pulley/tensioner/valves so I really would just be paying for parts. And if I don't even need them, that's what I really wanna know.

I'm gonna do the spark plugs myself.

 

I'd get the belt done if you're above 110K, getting the pump and TB tensioner done at the same time is worth while.

Expect to pay $700.

Valves are as much if not more work then the TB & pump. They are time consuming and require a fine touch - otherwise your car comes back loud and you want them to do it again.

Do the valves yourself and save $600. Spark plugs are $30 at Kragen. Cabin filter is $20.

 

Where I'm in Clarkston.

 

If you are just over 105, say up to 120, other owners have done that with no failures- there is a safety margin in the replacement time

A certain wife (before she met me) ran an integra to 170k miles until the timing belt shredded and grenaded the motor--that was wayyy past 105!~!

The smart money replaces the timing belt, and its tensioner pully-as its failure is just like a t-belt breaking!
We have an engine that will damage/BEND the valves and more if belt breaks,
and they dont break when its parked in the driveway,,,its at 4000 rpm getting on the freeway....$2500 average damage to a TL in same situation

also replace the other belts if needed while its apart- not required if belts are good.
If you do the ac belt- spend $85 for its new tensioner assembly and be sure, they do wear out eventually
The harder to get to, replace while its apart---like the timing tensioner and roller pulley

Keep looking for a job that will pay you what you are worth, until then do your own maitenance
The NGK Iridium spark plugs run 7 bucks each a places like kragen,
Do not use other brands- bad news. Coupons often found online- 15% off
partsamerica is kragen/shucks/checker
new plugs at 100k will improve the mileage it gets.

 

Thanks you guys. I'm just about to approach 115K miles probably within the next week or so, so I'm definitely getting the timing belt done; especially since I'm not at the point where I'm scrambling for money (...yet). I'm a student putting myself through college so I don't expect to make lots of money. I was just blessed with a good job for a while and times are getting rough.

Based on what I've read here, the valve adjustment/pulley/tensioner requires the same stuff to be off or accessible as the timing belt replacement. So I would expect additional labor to not be that bad.

acuraoemparts.com lists idler pulley for around $50, tensioner assembly for about $70, so that's only about $120 extra in parts. If the base price for a timing belt/pump is $750, I say around $900 is what I'd expect to pay.

Plugs & filters I can handle on my own. And the other belts, you can do those without taking off the stuff that you have to take off for a timing belt, correct?

Bottom line is this, if I got $900, what can I expect to get out of a private shop?

 

go In Person to a few shops that have a honda/acura icon on the yellow page ad

Some shops will give a low number to get the job- once its apart- now it needs extra pullies and what not- so you have to do it~

the valve adjustment is/can be considerd a seperate job- no prob on doing it later
Most shops dont even offer it with the water pump job- trying to keep the cost down to get the job

For now have a shop do:
the timing belt- its tensioner pulley and I think there is a roller/idler puley for it too.
and the water pump- with NEW HONDA coolant
Thats all a shop needs to do now

Do the spark plugs and such yourself

 

Just had mine done 200 miles ago by a certified shop, 626 was the total after parts, labor and tax. They honored my part pricing I got from the internet. Otherwise it would have been about 200 more...

 

 

Several hours is a little different than all day.

Bring it over, ill do it in 2 hr including plugs and cleaning the EGR ports and a beer break. (bought by you of course)

 

powder springs road in marietta. he give atlanta Aziners a discount thanks to ME!

 

The roller/idler pulley is not necessary to replace unless it is making noise.

Good point mentioning the New Honda coolant with the water pump replacement. I pulled the drain plug on the radiator as well when I did my timing belt/water pump replacement.

 

Should pull the plug on the block too.

 

I paid around $900 total for timing belt/water pump, all drive belts, and tune up. Not bad to me, the dealer priced me $1300 plus tax. Wish I would have done the tune up myself, though. Question, when the car starts and is at idle in park, the rpms should be at 500, correct? I ask because mine are at 600 when in idle.

 

Im interested in this topic as well. I have a tl with 70,000 miles and plan on keeping it past 150,000 miles. I want to prevent the problems like timing belt and water pump replacement etc..
Whats a value adjustment?
Should I replace the timing belt and water pump at 105 even if I dont have a problem?
I plan on getting UR Pulleys with belts will that mess up my engine in anyway in the long run????
What does it mean to adjust the timing belt?????

 

Also what are tensioner?

 

I think valve adjustment adjusts the valves so that it injects the right amount of fuel & air into the engine. Otherwise they bend and that's bad.

Yes you should replace it @ 105...that's the recommended time. Of course that's just the recommended, so replace it however long after you want but don't cry when it breaks @ 120k miles.

Tensioner = makes sure timing belt is tight enough, otherwise it might break.

 

Not really but close. Valve adjustment is adjusting the amount of lash (gap) the rocker arm and valve. Unless they are "Really" out of wack you wont bend any thing. The main point is to get it so that the tolerances are as close to spec as possible to make sure that the valves open and close exactly when they should. Often you hear a "tick" when they need adjustment.

Tensioner is exactly that. It Automatically tensions the belt to the tension it needs to be instead of trying to adjust it yourself. It also constantly adjusts for any stretch in the belt.

 

thanks guys

 

Well I got it done for $700 flat. Didn't need a new idler or tensioner. It included some other belts along with the water pump. Only bad thing is that a service this big doesn't really give you that instant gratification...as in, my car still drives exactly the same. I really hope my spark plugs are dirty 'cause if they're not what the heck is wrong with my car....

Kept telling myself I'm not gonna mess up this car by doing stuff myself...but I just had to seafoam.

 

timing belt doesnt help your car perform better. it just helps your car to continue performing

 

I know what I payed for is a long-term reliability thing vs. a short-term performance improvement. It's just the fact that I lost $700...and nowadays that's about a months worth of my income. But whatever, at least I got it out the way. Thanks once again to AcuraZine. My next business of bothering AcuraZine will be when I attempt spark plug replacement/air filter/cabin filter...so be prepared!

 

Hey Phee,

Which shop on Powder Springs Road did you take your ride to to get the service done if you don't mind? I live 2 miles from there.

Thanks.

 

so this guy did all this fo 460? does he back it up? it costs that just for parts sounds like someones on the crack pipe...comon 460 4 evrything not possible and if it is you beter sell the ride

 

welcome to the forum
YOU might want to ck the date of a post before replying
this thread was last active in 11-2008!!

average parts aftermarket 2011 prices 250-350$
dealer parts with acurazine discount $295-400++
either depends on what extra parts are needed...-pullies etc

labor charges anywhere from 4 to 8 hours