1998 Honda Civic LX timing belt change - is $ quote reasonable?
 

hello

i bought my car, a 1998 Honda Civic LX, back in Jan 2006. I am the second owner, and the car was 95,000 miles at that time and the owner just changed the timing belt right before he sold the car to me

fastforward to now, 2014, i believe it may be time for a timing belt + water pump etc change. my car is only at 140,000 miles right now, so i didnt drive much, compared to an average person. but i do intend to keep the car for the foreseeable future.

question:

i was quoted $830 plus tax = $910 since WA tax is almost 10% by a independent car fixing shop (not Honda dealer). this shop is based in Bellevue, a suburb outside of Seattle.

the quote includes replacing the following, and labor
- timing belt
- water pump
- tension bearing
- valve adjustment
- drying belt (??)
- oil seal

The above quote also include replacing the oil gasket [side problem i had for the car as there's been minor leakage]. just thought to do everything in one go to save labor.

can someone pls comment whether this price is reasonable? daylight robbery? i know this shop does good work, but i just want to make sure i am not overpaying

Re: 1998 Honda Civic LX timing belt change - is $ quote reasonable?
 

I'm a new civic owner of a preowned 97 and I have not paid anyone to do work on this car, been winging it myself, so my knowledge is limited. I don't know what others will say... sounds way way high to me for what's involved. You can do all that except the valve adjustment yourself (and even that you could if you wanted to learn/read even more). All this excludes the "drying belt," I don't have a clue wth that is! I've read my manual through and through and i'm at a loss unless it's something to do with AC- but again, that's something that should be right there at timing & water pump. A second quote never hurts when in doubt if you aren't feeling adventurous enough to do on your own. I'm a 110 lb female and I can get most jobs done without an assistant... so I figure pretty much anyone can do it if I can.

Re: 1998 Honda Civic LX timing belt change - is $ quote reasonable?
 

Wow, that is some low driving miles for 8 years!

I would buy OE parts online and supply them to the shop (if they will do that). I prefer to use OE parts or at least the same manufacturer.

Drying belt, that's new to me.

That price is a little high for my area (no sales tax :)) but it really depends on where you live and the shop. Maybe call around to other shops, even if you don't want them to work on your car and get a quote for comparison. That will give you a good idea of whether it is high or not.

If you keep the car another 2 years: $910/24 months is $38 a month. That's a very low car payment!

Re: 1998 Honda Civic LX timing belt change - is $ quote reasonable?
 

thank you both. i dont know what this "drying belt" is. i think i probably misheard. is there another common item that you change during timing belt replacement that sounds like it?

at the same time, i heard it's better to get someone reliable to do timing belt change cos this is an important task?

GolNat - how much did you get as quote, or you know to be, for such task, in Delaware?

Re: 1998 Honda Civic LX timing belt change - is $ quote reasonable?
 

i just spoke to the car shop again

they say they use OEM parts, but it's not from Honda manufacturer, but from some other companies (e.g., coiled bearing??, HENO driving belts, etc)

and sorry, i got it wrong, upon double-checking in the phone call again, the $830+tax does not include replacing oil pan gasket. apparently, what happens to my car now is that there's a minor leak in front oil seal and rear main seal. replacing front oil seal is part of the timing belt change. but the rear main seal replacement is not covered under the quote.

as for "drying belts" , it is actually drive belts. i misheard

so i guess.. pretty expensive still all-in-all :(

Re: 1998 Honda Civic LX timing belt change - is $ quote reasonable?
 

Drive belts.
The 3 accessory drive belts.
AC, ALT, and PS belts.



Price your list of parts at a dealership retail price.
Then add labor to get the job done. Figure out the labor rate per hour.

If you can't do it yourself......

The price seems average to me for the work involved.


EDIT: "but the rear main seal replacement is not covered under the quote." Right... that would involve pulling the transmission out.

Re: 1998 Honda Civic LX timing belt change - is $ quote reasonable?
 

Yes it is important.

I only got a quote for the labor, I was going to supply the parts (OE). I don't remember the exact cost but it was between $300-$400 for labor.

Re: 1998 Honda Civic LX timing belt change - is $ quote reasonable?
 

Age is also something to consider, not just miles. Rubber get's dried out from age and weather as well.
Yup the price is about right considering the amount of work.
Definitely have all belts to PS PB and AC replaced.

Timing belts usually around 80,000 miles is what I change mine out at. If you plan to keep the car +1 that this is a lot cheaper than payments. :cool: