mrsb

I took car to shop because of check engine light. Learned I have a coolant leak. Will cost approx. $1,000 to replace coolant gasket and sealant. The parts are fairly inexpensive but the labor time is almost 6 hours. That seems excessive to replace gaskets and sealant. Is this normal?

LexBob2

Was this at a dealership, independent or chain shop?

mrsb

dealership

LexBob2

Repairs at the dealership will in nearly all cases be considerably higher than at a good independent shop or even a Toyota dealership. It might pay to check out other options vs. the dealership.

RXGS

iTrader: (2)

What exactly or where exactly is it leaking?

mrsb

I understand the dealer charges more. Wanting to know if 6 hours is a reasonable amount of time to repair the leak.
Not certain what is causing the leak. The 6 hours of labor time is to replace the coolant gasket, sealant, cleaning, etc.
That doesn't include thermostat or water pump as it's not clear if they are the source of the leak.

jagtoes

It sounds like you have a bad water pump and that is what the 6 hours of labor is for. I assume they want to replace the pump , thermostat and coolant. Ask them for a breakdown of parts and labor. What is their labor rate per hour.

mrsb

They are not including the thermostat and water pump in the 6 hours. They don't think i need a water pump at this moment and won't know if i need the thermostat until they do the gaskets, sealant, and clean things up. This is what they are telling me. The parts are about $250 and the remaining amount is the labor- for the 6 hours. 6 hours seems a bit much for these items but i'm not sure so wanted to ask all of you. I will be talking to them again on Monday and hoping to be more informed after hearing from this forum

12jimmyjam

jagtoes

If they looked at the car they should know where the problem is and should be able to explain it to you. Also did the car over heat . What are the $250 in parts consist of. To get any assessment as to the 6 hours repair time we would have to know what they will be repairing. Once we understand it others can provide an opinion. Maybe you should find another dealer/indy to give you a better opinion.

mrsb