$2000.00 service charge( don't know if it is fair or am I being hosed)

[alfred77]

I have a 1995 rt-10 that I took in to get an oil change, at the time I notice some smoke coming from beneath the hood. They showed me oil leaking from a black hose, they also said I had a power steering fluid leak and that my valve gasket covers needed replacing. The air condition doesn't cool.

$2000.00 for oil change, replace valve gasket covers, change the air condition hose, change the power steering hose. Is this a fair estimate or should I take my vehicle somewhere else? It is currently at the doge dealer ship in my home town of Albany, Ga.

 

[Mopar Steve]

Sounds pretty close. The bigger expense is going to be evacuation the A/C system and recharging. depending on the AC hose that needs to be changed, this can be some work. One of the lines runs under the engine. Oil change (cheap) Valve cover gaskets fairly easy, PSteering hoses little harder, but the money is in the AC.

 

[mad0953]

I'd think a grand would be my limit for the work done. I had the whole AC system evacuated and a new AC line put on and it was $200.

 

[denniskgb]

tooo much. tell them you do not have a money tree in your backyard

 

[99 R/T 10]

Way too much. Take it up to Ringgold Dodge in Ringgold GA. Much better dealership and true Viper people.

 

[V10SpeedLuvr]

That's ridiculous.

 

[Garron]

I have a 1995 rt-10 that I took in to get an oil change, at the time I notice some smoke coming from beneath the hood. They showed me oil leaking from a black hose, they also said I had a power steering fluid leak and that my valve gasket covers needed replacing. The air condition doesn't cool.

$2000.00 for oil change, replace valve gasket covers, change the air condition hose, change the power steering hose. Is this a fair estimate or should I take my vehicle somewhere else? It is currently at the doge dealer ship in my home town of Albany, Ga.

Depends on the what A/C hose you are talking about. Some are very easy to get too, others are not. Is this parts and labor?

 

[roller]

That is way too high of a price! Get a second quote as noted above.

Frank

 

[whitebluevipe]

way too high

 

[Darth Menace]

Yes, you are being "hosed", but look on the bright side, me as a Canadian would likely be quoted $4000

 

[ACRSNK]

Rip Off. Most of that stuff you can do yourself.

 

[Darth Menace]

Rip Off. Most of that stuff you can do yourself.

^
What he said.

 

[Voodoo Rob]

Do the easy stuff yourself and have the a/c done....somewhere else.

 

[Next Phase]

You're getting hosed...

I'm willing to bet you could recharge your AC, get the hoses, gasket and oil change for $300 in parts. (It could be more depending on the AC issue)

 

[gutterworks129]

Lay rubber to the next mechanic

 

[eucharistos]

make sure the a/c hose is not just o-rings (less than $5 in parts and 30 minutes)

 

[Viper Specialty]

Definitely sounds too high.

Roughly-
Oil Change: 100.00
Valve Cover Gaskets: 200.00
Dont know which A/C hose: 250.00
Dont know which PS hose: 250.00
A/C Recharge: 100
Labor: 5 Hours? 500.00

I am guessing 1400-ish depending on the cost of the hoses and which ones they are.

 

[Viper Specialty]

You're getting hosed...

I'm willing to bet you could recharge your AC, get the hoses, gasket and oil change for $300 in parts. (It could be more depending on the AC issue)

No way. The A/C recharge and and oil change alone are 200, and the gaskets are 100 EACH.

$400 minimum before even touching the hoses.

 

[lxadeuce]

when i developed a leak in my PS hose, it was a $20 part

 

[AZTVR]

$2000.00 for oil change, replace valve gasket covers, change the air condition hose, change the power steering hose. Is this a fair estimate or should I take my vehicle somewhere else? It is currently at the doge dealer ship in my home town of Albany, Ga.

Way too much. Take it up to Ringgold Dodge in Ringgold GA. Much better dealership and true Viper people.

Definitely sounds too high.

Roughly-
Oil Change: 100.00
Valve Cover Gaskets: 200.00
Dont know which A/C hose: 250.00
Dont know which PS hose: 250.00
A/C Recharge: 100
Labor: 5 Hours? 500.00

I am guessing 1400-ish depending on the cost of the hoses and which ones they are.

So, you have to ask yourself what it is worth to you to make a 600 mile trip to get possibly a better price; but, peace of mind with experienced Viper techs. If you are spending that much, think about getting the power steering pulley and bracket replaced. The OEM plastic/bakelite pulley tends to crack over time in the high heat and vibration environment of a Viper. People go to a steel or billet aluminum pulley. Better than being at the side of the road with a broken pulley.

 

[Viper Specialty]

when i developed a leak in my PS hose, it was a $20 part

I understand that- but not all of them are that cheap. Some of the A/C hoses even require removing the front fascia to service. There is a HUGE window of work here depending which parts are affected.

 

[Mopar Steve]

I understand that- but not all of them are that cheap. Some of the A/C hoses even require removing the front fascia to service. There is a HUGE window of work here depending which parts are affected.

This is why I said may not be far off. I do all my service work and work on other members cars, and know sometimes it is easy other times it is not. We don't know what hose is in question for replacement. Too often people post that they are getting "ripped off".

 

[latamud]

You can do the valve cover gaskets yourself.

 

[Dom426h]

Rip Off. Most of that stuff you can do yourself.

Do the easy stuff yourself and have the a/c done....somewhere else.

A lot of people dont even have a floor jack & jack stands to do the basic stuff like changing oil. If I have a well paying job and am not mechanically inclined then why would i spend all that money on tools and stuff to lay under a car getting dirty and frustrated when i can just drop off at my mechanic or a dealership, hand em 100bucks (or 2000 in this case lol) and be done with it so i can be back on the road enjoying my Viper the next day.

If that was the case then all i would want is advice on the best way to fix my viper for a reasonable amount of money. Or someone who thinks stuff like this is "easy" to man up and say: Hey, buddy, i'm in your area, drop by and I'll go over it with you to see what we can knock out then you can go to your dealership/mechanic for the rest.

If this guy was in Delaware he would have had two PM's by now. One from me, the other from MoparSteve, offering our assistance and advice.

 

[Dom426h]

Definitely sounds too high.

Roughly-
Oil Change: 100.00
Valve Cover Gaskets: 200.00
Dont know which A/C hose: 250.00
Dont know which PS hose: 250.00
A/C Recharge: 100
Labor: 5 Hours? 500.00

I am guessing 1400-ish depending on the cost of the hoses and which ones they are.

Add a couple hours for a vipertech who doesn't frequently work on Vipers and your up to 1600.
Alfred, ask for a parts/labor breakdown. I think most would be able to get all that done in 5-7 hr's. So thats 500-700 labor plus parts which are a fixed cost. Do the math.

However, I think some shops like to charge you per job. By this i mean if you have 5 things to do that are each listed in the book as a 2.5 hr job's then that would add up to 12.5 hrs. But in each of those separate time estimates includes putting the car on the lift, disconnecting the battery(which for some techs is a 20min process...) and other random prep stuff. In reality all 5 of those jobs share the same prep work(unless he is taking the car off the lift and parking in the parking lot between each task then starting over, LOL) so the 12.5 by the book hr job ends up only taking the tech 8hrs. Get it?

This is where your knowledge & negotiating skills as a consumer come in to play. Let them know what you think is reasonable and fair to both parties. I personally would not want to pay someone for 12 hours of their time if i drop my car off at noon and pick it up at 6pm...

 

[NetkoGTS]

yikes!

Buy the service manual CD on eBay and fix it yourself!

 

[Mopar Steve]

yikes!

Buy the service manual CD on eBay and fix it yourself!

LOL!!!

Don't forget to buy all the correct hand tools, compressors, air tools, lift, Evac compressor, plasma cutter, welders, torches, gauges, hoses, air lines, exhaust vent system, .... I have in excess of $xx,000.00 in my shop to "to fix it myself". (and I have friends with twice that)

You don't need all those tools to fix what is discussed here, but it isn't always that simple.

 

[kenphjr]

Definitely sounds too high


Roughly-
Oil change-not necessary(oil is used to being in there and wants to stay): $0
valve cover gaskets-not necessary-tighten cover screws and epoxy the valve covers to the head: $3
don't know which A/C hose: duct tape leaking area: $5
don't know which PS hose : use the same roll of duct tape as above:$0
AC recharge-not necessary: cold air blowing in your face will make you sick-better to be warm
Labor-<hour: $0


I am guessing 5-8ish dollars depending on the brand of epoxy and duct tape

 

[Darth Menace]

Definitely sounds too high


Roughly-
Oil change-not necessary(oil is used to being in there and wants to stay): $0
valve cover gaskets-not necessary-tighten cover screws and epoxy the valve covers to the head: $3
don't know which A/C hose: duct tape leaking area: $5
don't know which PS hose : use the same roll of duct tape as above:$0
AC recharge-not necessary: cold air blowing in your face will make you sick-better to be warm
Labor-<hour: $0


I am guessing 5-8ish dollars depending on the brand of epoxy and duct tape

Are you serious? Do you duct tape all your broken hoses?

 

[JohnnyH]

Definitely sounds too high


Roughly-
Oil change-not necessary(oil is used to being in there and wants to stay): $0
valve cover gaskets-not necessary-tighten cover screws and epoxy the valve covers to the head: $3
don't know which A/C hose: duct tape leaking area: $5
don't know which PS hose : use the same roll of duct tape as above:$0
AC recharge-not necessary: cold air blowing in your face will make you sick-better to be warm
Labor-<hour: $0


I am guessing 5-8ish dollars depending on the brand of epoxy and duct tape

Hahaha. That'll be EPIC!