Magellan55

So my check engine light came on, I read the code, bad O2 sensor (bank 1 sensor 2). Take it to the dealer to get fixed along with my 55k service. Thought it was covered under the 80K emissions warranty, but it wasn't. Bummer. They didn't have the part, so we had to reschedule, but here's a bill for $124 for diagnosing the problem. Excuse me? I already know what the problem is - the car told me. Service guy says they can't go on what a customer says. OK, so charge me for 5 minutes of labor, as that's how long it takes to plug in a scanner and read the code. Service guy says nope, we have to clear the codes, road test it with our analyzer plugged in, make sure the code reappears, or else we can't warranty our work. Takes our guy an hour. Say what?

So, is this normal for a Lexus dealer? Because I've had CEL's checked at both Saab and Honda, and they did it for free as part of replacing the part. My Lexus dealer is charging me a full hour on top of the labor to replace the part.

mitsuguy

iTrader: (2)

The way diagnostics go at most shops is an hour or some set flat rate for the diagnostic.

Diagnostic is different than just pulling codes. Every code is different and some are very much more straightforward than others.

Some places will pull codes for free, like parts stores, for instance, but just because they say a code is in the system, doesn't mean that's where the failure is. A common one is bank 1 or bank 2 system lean. Go to a parts place with one or both of those codes in the system and they'll try to sell you mass air flow sensors, oxygen sensors, etc, when in reality, you might just have a vacuum leak (fords are notorious for a elbow in the pcv line breaking causing this)

So, to avoid this type of misdiagnosis, most shops have a flat diagnostic rate...