Today I took my car in for inspection plus a weird creaking from the passenger front end. Turns out he bearing and hub needs to be replaced. The shop quoted me $750 to replace with an alignment. The odd part is when I asked if I could get my own parts, all OEM of course and they responded they don't change parts that are supplied by a customer and how they lose money by not selling the parts to the customer. Has anyone heard that before? I know they want to make money but sheesh.....

 

Yup. They may lower their labor prices and compensate for it with the profit they make on the parts they sell you. Sometimes a shop will not install carry-in parts so that they do not get stuck doing warranty work on parts they do not trust or do not have a warranty on themselves.

It's lame but if you don't like it simply walk away. If it really bothers you leave a Yelp review.

 

I actually did walk away from it. When he told me the suspension has to come apart, it sort of felt like a sales pitch. Then again I'm no expert. But the real whopper is when he asked about my cabin filter since it's a lot of work to change.

 

well said Debonair

crazy. i took mine to get inspected once. they called me and said i need a new cabin filter like asap. i said "really? i just replaced it 2 days ago", he says "oh well, thats what the guys in the shop told me". smh. gimme my car back! hhh

 

Maybe take it to two other shops to get some prices you can compare that to. Then you can make a better decision on what you want to do or who you want to work on your car......

 

Hey I just changed the cabin filter on my GS4, it's a 5 minute job with no tools required. so don't be afraid to do it yourself. good luck with your other problem.

 

I wouldn't trust any shop that tried to charge me to change my cabin filter for me as if it was hard or expensive to do. The Lexus and Toyota dealerships in my area are very honest at diagnosing problems they just charge you up the *** in labor and parts. If there is one in your area you trust, have them diagnose your problem and give you a quote so you have a point of reference, the dealership being on the high $$ end most likely. Good luck!

 

always good to have a mechanic friend that is certified =p ... but like debonair said, a lot of chain shops will tell you the same. you will have better luck at a moms and pops independent shops but you just have to find a place with good reviews. good luck. i need to change my hub soon cause the idiotic previous owner bit 2 of the 5 screws in half. =(