Repair estimate for my car - What do you thing?

[Jtels2593]

I received the repair estimate for my car yesterday. This is a rundown of charges...

Replace rear main seal and oil pan gasket - $750
Replace oil pump shaft seal (if required) - $395
Replace shift selonoid switch - $150

Labor only $1,295


Plenum gasket - $25
Shaft seal - $2
Oil pan gasket $85.99
Rear main seal - $35.99
oil $29.95
shop fee $8.00

Parts total = $148.98

Grand total = $1,578

Before any of you chime in and tell me to "do it yourself", if I had the time, skill, patience and resources, believe me it would have been repaired already.

Question #1 - Transmission shift selonoid switch?? I take it thats another name for the TCC valve that needs replaced. The car threw code P1870 (or something like that).

Question #2 - What the hell is an oil pump shaft seal? I know what an oil pump is, but from what I've been been told, there is no such thing.

Question #3 - Is that retail price for those gaskets or I am being ripped off? I would expect a repair facility to buy them wholesale and sell them for retail.. but damn. $85.99 for an oil gasket??

I obviously want to take care of the rear main seal and change the oil pan gasket, as well as replace the PCC valve. I need a little help here...

Thanks.

[3.4grapeofwrath]

Re: Repair estimate for my car - What do you thing?

I would get a second opinion if I were you. How many miles are on the motor?
I'm not sure what he's talking about with the oil pump shaft seal but then again I don't know the 3.8 motor that well. If you have a lot of miles on the motor you might consider taking the $1800 and putting it towards a rebuilt.

[Jtels2593]

Re: Repair estimate for my car - What do you thing?

The car has 121,000 miles. It runs great. There is no oil leaking from the valve covers or anywhere else. I am aware that the rear main seal is leaking, as well as the oil pan gasket. It is obvious when standing under the car.

The oil pump shaft seal.. wtf?? I still don't know what that is.

I read a few threads on LS1tech that describe the rear main seal replacement as a 3 hour job at $70-120/hr for labor, depending on what the mechanic charges. So why am I being charged $750?

The car is sitting in their lot and the work won't begin until Monday. I'm debating on whether or not to pick-up the car this afternoon.

[StrtRacer98]

Re: Repair estimate for my car - What do you thing?

My opinion, For the $750 labor charge for replacing the rear main, id spend on a junkyard motor with low-mileage, and swap it in.

Youll still have labor on top of that price to install it, but swapping motors is easier then pulling a motor, operating on it, and putting it back in... Then you still have a 120k + mile engine that you may have issues with in the very near future. And im sure there are more people out there willing to compete with labor prices when it comes to just swapping a motor.

[tcrenegade50]

Re: Repair estimate for my car - What do you thing?

are you sure they didn't mean the oil pump gasket? because that definitely exists and could be the cause of low oil pressure if it's bad. But why do they think it may need an oil pump shaft seal? They do exist but I didn't think that they were on our 3.8s I've only seen them on small high reving engines and inline sixes like the gremlin. I'ts just a gear driven oil pump if I'm not mistaken not a vane oil pump. Anyone that knows better please correct me if i'm wrong

[tcrenegade50]

Re: Repair estimate for my car - What do you thing?

also that is about twenty bucks more than usual for an oil pan gasket but they usually need to go by the book costs so they don't get audited and the tech loose money from doing the job

[Jtels2593]

Re: Repair estimate for my car - What do you thing?

I would be very uncomfortable replacing the engine with another used engine, even if it has low miles. I have all of the service records with my car since new, including oil change receipts. That might not mean anything to anybody else, but to me it proves that the car was maintained.

[Jtels2593]

Re: Repair estimate for my car - What do you thing?

are you sure they didn't mean the oil pump gasket? because that definitely exists and could be the cause of low oil pressure if it's bad. But why do they think it may need an oil pump shaft seal? They do exist but I didn't think that they were on our 3.8s I've only seen them on small high reving engines and inline sixes like the gremlin. I'ts just a gear driven oil pump if I'm not mistaken not a vane oil pump. Anyone that knows better please correct me if i'm wrong

I'm 100% sure. Oil pump shaft seal is what they have written on paper. I'm looking at it as we speak. My oil pressure is just fine and has never been low.

[LETZRIDE]

Re: Repair estimate for my car - What do you thing?

Oil pump shaft seal I believe is the seal at the front of the engine on the front cover...the one that is behind the crank pulley

[LETZRIDE]

Re: Repair estimate for my car - What do you thing?

speaking of which...I don't even think that the front cover needs to be unbolted to change it out...I think just the crank pulley needs to come off, pull it out, then tap a new one in, and put a new crank pulley/bolt in there.

If I have some time I'll have to look at my spare cover today.

[Bird_Of_Prey]

Re: Repair estimate for my car - What do you thing?

Grab your ankles and hope that bill includes some Astro Glide.

[Jtels2593]

Re: Repair estimate for my car - What do you thing?

Grab your ankles and hope that bill includes some Astro Glide.

LMAO.

I just want to know what this oil pump shaft seal is?? are the common for leaking oil on these cars??

[Bird_Of_Prey]

Re: Repair estimate for my car - What do you thing?

You have a quote, call some other shops and see if they can do any better. We're just a bunch of cheap *******s on the internet.

[Jtels2593]

Re: Repair estimate for my car - What do you thing?

I called Donovan's Auto Care, owned by a local radio host who does a weekend car show on AM radio. They quoted me $700 for the rear main.. so not too further off. DSC quoted $800 for the same job.

I just wish I had the skill and resources, I'd do this myself and get it over with.

You have a quote, call some other shops and see if they can do any better. We're just a bunch of cheap *******s on the internet.

[LETZRIDE]

Re: Repair estimate for my car - What do you thing?

LMAO.

I just want to know what this oil pump shaft seal is?? are the common for leaking oil on these cars??

I told you what it was on the other page...my car had 263,000km on it and never leaked...don't think they are known to leak much...do you have oil leaking out the front of the engine?

Why not just live with the rear main seal leaking? odds are that a few years later or less that rear main is going to be leaking again...but if they do change it, make sure they change the rear cover gasket as well at the same time...which is behind that plate that houses the rear main...some shops cheap out and dont change this....leads to leaks faster