I know prices are going up but I just wanted the piece of mind of having a mechanic do a tune up on my 1996 E150. This guy has a reputation for being fair but I wonder what others think of these prices:

6 sparks $ 26.74 labor $78.40 w/ maybe some testing
Wire set $47.98 labor $19.60
Dist Cap $43.99 labor $39.20
Dist Rotor $16.15 labor incl above
Serpentine Belt $56.49 labor $58.80

I know everyone needs to put a buck in their pocket so I suppose it is hard to define what a high price is in an upscale area.

 

I would be looking for another mechanic !!!

 

I always check parts prices at www.RockAuto.com usually much less than dealer prices, and sometimes on my doorstep the next morning!

 

What engine?

 

I think he said "6 spark plugs" so it has to be the 4.9. OP, do it yourself and keep the money in your pocket. Reminds me of a scumbag mechanic who charged me $400 for a "tuneup" on a 1970's MG B once. Nothing I could not have done myself for maybe $75 tops. I sometimes hate mechanics.

 

Yep. You're right. It's a 6.

But I am not sure many mechanics would charge less than that, unless it's a mobile mechanic or you go to Bruckner in the Bronx.

 

Thanks everyone for the replies. I checked with another nearby mechanic and he said he was more. I was just kind of hoping he might take a good look at it and find something I might miss. I will do it myself next time. You would think at $100 an hour you could put in the parts and charge $100 for labor and keep the customer happy in case he had a big job sometime. I clean windows and shoot for $50 an hour so I can afford to hire a pro if he is not more than $100 per hour but in this case I think this is the kind of thing they really mark up. I better just dig in and do this stuff myself more often.

I have replace control arms on a BMW 318ti and pushed in the bushings myself at home, brake on the 150 and fuel filter so I can do more stuff and learn about the car in the mean time.

Thanks again.

 

You should have no problem.

 

Kevin did you ask for a quote in advance of agreeing to the work?