Did I get taken?
 

marc wrote:
> My old 97 Chevy Cavalier lost power steering. I could barely turn the

Now see if the dealer will offer you more than $1500 for it. If so,
take it.

http://www.edmunds.com/used/1997/che...15/prices.html

marc wrote:
>
> My old 97 Chevy Cavalier lost power steering. I could barely turn the
> wheel. Not knowing any mechanics in my immediate area I took it to
> the Chevrolet dealer nearby. I know dealers are expensive, but this
> was quite a bit more than I expected. Best as I can explain it, not
> being a mechanic and knowing next to nothing about cars the power
> steering hose burst...

Are you absolutely sure that it wasn't just a broken belt? The *******s are
all crooks.

--
Cheers,
Bev
<> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <>
Some mornings it's just not worth chewing through the straps.

"marc" > wrote in message
news:vvgeb11nrj923buu86b8div4oru8r21i74@usenet...
> My old 97 Chevy Cavalier lost power steering. I could barely turn the
> wheel. Not knowing any mechanics in my immediate area I took it to
> the Chevrolet dealer nearby. I know dealers are expensive, but this
> was quite a bit more than I expected. Best as I can explain it, not
> being a mechanic and knowing next to nothing about cars the power
> steering hose burst, the thing that it hooks into had some major
> damage, the part that was damaged is not removable, the entire
> gear/pinion/whatever had to be replaced. Bottom line, it had to be
> ordered from Jacksonville (I'm in south Florida), it cost almost $800,
> labor was $500 for 5 hours, with alignment and taxes etc it all came
> to $1,500. That's about 3 times what I thought it would cost. I
> didn't want to spend so much on an old car I don't plan to keep more
> than a year or two longer, but without this repair it was undriveable.
> I know small mechanics are cheaper, but would this repair have been
> that much cheaper? More than $100-200 cheaper?
>
> Also the dealer didn't offer a reconditioned part to make it come out
> cheaper, but the fact that they had to get the part all the way from
> Jacksonville means it must not be that easy to get, whether you're
> dealer or independent mechanic?



In my opinion, you were taken advantage of. I would *think* that this
shouldn't cost more than a couple of hundred dollars at an independent
mechanic...

http://www.autozone.com lists a power steering pump for a 97 Cavalier for
$49.99 with a $10 core charge. A mechanic will get that part for about 15%
less than that, then he will add about 50-75% of the cost back on to it.
Then add, oh, maybe $50 an hour labor. I would guess 3 or 4 hours.

I would definitely find a mechanic...

On Mon, 20 Jun 2005 16:32:51 -0700, The Real Bev
> wrote:

>marc wrote:
>>
>> My old 97 Chevy Cavalier lost power steering. I could barely turn the
>> wheel. Not knowing any mechanics in my immediate area I took it to
>> the Chevrolet dealer nearby. I know dealers are expensive, but this
>> was quite a bit more than I expected. Best as I can explain it, not
>> being a mechanic and knowing next to nothing about cars the power
>> steering hose burst...
>
>Are you absolutely sure that it wasn't just a broken belt? The *******s are
>all crooks.

Indeed many are, and from my own personal experience, they're not
going to like the fact that they're working on an 8 year-old car.

It wouldn't surprise me if mechanics get kickbacks from salesmen if
they can turn a minor repair into a trade-in for a new car.

marc wrote:
> My old 97 Chevy Cavalier lost power steering. I could barely turn the
> wheel. Not knowing any mechanics in my immediate area I took it to
> the Chevrolet dealer nearby. I know dealers are expensive, but this
> was quite a bit more than I expected. Best as I can explain it, not
> being a mechanic and knowing next to nothing about cars the power
> steering hose burst, the thing that it hooks into had some major
> damage, the part that was damaged is not removable, the entire
> gear/pinion/whatever had to be replaced. Bottom line, it had to be
> ordered from Jacksonville (I'm in south Florida), it cost almost $800,
> labor was $500 for 5 hours, with alignment and taxes etc it all came
> to $1,500. That's about 3 times what I thought it would cost. I
> didn't want to spend so much on an old car I don't plan to keep more
> than a year or two longer, but without this repair it was undriveable.
> I know small mechanics are cheaper, but would this repair have been
> that much cheaper? More than $100-200 cheaper?
>
> Also the dealer didn't offer a reconditioned part to make it come out
> cheaper, but the fact that they had to get the part all the way from
> Jacksonville means it must not be that easy to get, whether you're
> dealer or independent mechanic?

NAPA sells the rebuilt power rack and pinion steering gear for $176.99,
but your dealer in not going to use other than new GM parts in most
cases. I would say offhand that you got hosed relative to a non-dealer.
You have to expect it when you go there.
Both GM and Ford have said publicly that they will seek to make up the
profits from lost market share by increasing parts prices. Either they
profit from the parts or they force people to trade cars that need
parts. Going to the dealer when you don't have to is like speeding
through a small town off the expressway. You are bound to get clipped.

"marc" > wrote in message
news:vvgeb11nrj923buu86b8div4oru8r21i74@usenet...
> My old 97 Chevy Cavalier lost power steering. I could barely turn the
> wheel. Not knowing any mechanics in my immediate area I took it to
> the Chevrolet dealer nearby. I know dealers are expensive, but this
> was quite a bit more than I expected. Best as I can explain it, not
> being a mechanic and knowing next to nothing about cars the power
> steering hose burst, the thing that it hooks into had some major
> damage, the part that was damaged is not removable, the entire
> gear/pinion/whatever had to be replaced.

Whoa, something's not right here. If your car lost STEERING, then you
probably didn't get taken. If it lost POWER steering, then you should have
gotten an estimate from another mechanic (ANY mechanic) before work was
done. A power steering pump is easy to replace. Get one from a junk yard
for about $20 or so, and you are looking at about one hour of labor to
change it, if you don't know what you are doing. (I've done it in less than
a half hour on a similar vehicle, and I'm not a mechanic, nor do I play one
on usenet!).

I suspect that you are not describing the problem well. Without power
steering, a car will be harder to turn, but can still be driven.
(especially a small car like a cavalier . . . try driving a 70's FULL size
car with a dead power steering pump!) Also, just driving the car (with a
dead power steering pump) should not cause further damage, as long as you
are careful about it. (no off-road rally racing, etc.)

So I *suspect* that the broken power steering was a SYMPTOM, rather than a
problem. In other words, I think something else went bad and took the power
steering pump with it.

But unless you had the dealer save all of the parts replaced and return them
to you, there's no way to figure out NOW what happened.

Bottom line, I think you spent more on the car that what it is worth. Too
late now, but next time something goes wrong take it to at least 2 mechanics
(and don't tell the 2nd mechanic what the 1st one said) to get estimates
before you authorize any work done. -Dave

marc wrote:
> My old 97 Chevy Cavalier lost power steering.

SNIP

> Bottom line, it had to be
> ordered from Jacksonville (I'm in south Florida), it cost almost $800,
> labor was $500 for 5 hours, with alignment and taxes etc it all came
> to $1,500.

Yep, you got taken. The KBB value of a Cavalier is about $1800. And
the car is just about at the conclusion of its short serviceable life,
so, after spending your $1500 on this, it just likely to sping another
$1500 problem next week, or the week after that.

Take your $1500, find a junk yard that will give you $500 for the
remainder (or if you have enough other stuff to itemize, donate the car
to a charity and get a cool $4000 deduction). Even better if you can
find one of those dealers that runs a deal where "any trade in is worth
$X", in my area several dealers run this deal with $2000 being the
minimum.

Take your $2000 and buy something better used, or use it as a
downpayment, at today's record low interest rates, on something new.
The Korean brands make cars far surpasing the Cavalier for less than
$10K, with a 10 year waranty.

SP Cook

marc wrote:
> My old 97 Chevy Cavalier lost power steering.

SNIP

> Bottom line, it had to be
> ordered from Jacksonville (I'm in south Florida), it cost almost $800,
> labor was $500 for 5 hours, with alignment and taxes etc it all came
> to $1,500.

Yep, you got taken. The KBB value of a Cavalier is about $1800. And
the car is just about at the conclusion of its short serviceable life,
so, after spending your $1500 on this, it just likely to sping another
$1500 problem next week, or the week after that.

Take your $1500, find a junk yard that will give you $500 for the
remainder (or if you have enough other stuff to itemize, donate the car
to a charity and get a cool $4000 deduction). Even better if you can
find one of those dealers that runs a deal where "any trade in is worth
$X", in my area several dealers run this deal with $2000 being the
minimum.

Take your $2000 and buy something better used, or use it as a
downpayment, at today's record low interest rates, on something new.
The Korean brands make cars far surpasing the Cavalier for less than
$10K, with a 10 year waranty.

SP Cook

I think you absolutely got taken to the cleaners.

I had a 1997 Lincoln Continental I was using for a second car, that had
the Rack & Pinion *break completely*. With a NEW factory part (from
Ford, not a third party), labor, everything... I *only* paid $1200.
Think about that: Less cost to repair big land yacht than an econo-car.
What's wrong with this picture?

Questions you should ask yourself:

1. Did you get a quote, before you got the thing fixed? You know, shop
around, buyer beware, all that good stuff.

2. Do you believe anything and everything a mechanic tells you? It's
utter nonsense that there aren't replacement parts for a car, ANY car,
to be found between JAX and MIA, or wherever you are. Give me a break.

3. No offense intended here, but how much is your *entire car* worth?
Unless you have granny miles on that 8-year old car, or if it is still
in near mint condition, I would not be putting that kind of coin on
that particular sled. (But I still believe the repair tab is way out of
line.)

4. Did you get to see the parts that were bad? In most states, you have
the right to inspect the parts that were replaced. (That forces repair
shops to produce evidence that a real repair occured.)


I think you got took, big time. Hopefully you can take a lesson from
it, and ask better questions or be better prepared for this kind of
problem in the future.

Just my $0.02...

"Dave C." > wrote in message
eenews.net...
>
> "marc" > wrote in message
> news:vvgeb11nrj923buu86b8div4oru8r21i74@usenet...
> > My old 97 Chevy Cavalier lost power steering. I could barely turn the
> > wheel. Not knowing any mechanics in my immediate area I took it to
> > the Chevrolet dealer nearby. I know dealers are expensive, but this
> > was quite a bit more than I expected. Best as I can explain it, not
> > being a mechanic and knowing next to nothing about cars the power
> > steering hose burst, the thing that it hooks into had some major
> > damage, the part that was damaged is not removable, the entire
> > gear/pinion/whatever had to be replaced.
>
> Whoa, something's not right here. If your car lost STEERING, then you
> probably didn't get taken. If it lost POWER steering, then you should
have
> gotten an estimate from another mechanic (ANY mechanic) before work was
> done. A power steering pump is easy to replace. Get one from a junk yard
> for about $20 or so, and you are looking at about one hour of labor to
> change it, if you don't know what you are doing. (I've done it in less
than
> a half hour on a similar vehicle, and I'm not a mechanic, nor do I play
one
> on usenet!).
>
> I suspect that you are not describing the problem well. Without power
> steering, a car will be harder to turn, but can still be driven.
> (especially a small car like a cavalier . . . try driving a 70's FULL size
> car with a dead power steering pump!) Also, just driving the car (with a
> dead power steering pump) should not cause further damage, as long as you
> are careful about it. (no off-road rally racing, etc.)
>
> So I *suspect* that the broken power steering was a SYMPTOM, rather than a
> problem. In other words, I think something else went bad and took the
power
> steering pump with it.
>
> But unless you had the dealer save all of the parts replaced and return
them
> to you, there's no way to figure out NOW what happened.
>
> Bottom line, I think you spent more on the car that what it is worth. Too
> late now, but next time something goes wrong take it to at least 2
mechanics
> (and don't tell the 2nd mechanic what the 1st one said) to get estimates
> before you authorize any work done. -Dave

While you're at it, some (all?) states require repair shops to give you the
old parts if you ask. But you'd probably have to ask up front.