It’s been almost a week since my last entry, the longest I have held out not touching this blog. Now it’s time to share some “exciting” news…
We finally got our car back today (thanks to Chee-hoi for the rides). The final damage was pretty hefty…
Labor Operations
Engine diagnostics: $145.12
Fuel injectors replacement: $509.43
Timing belt replacement: $473.75 (also replaced the water pump and such)
Recycling fee: 2.50
Subtotal: $1,130.71Replacement Parts
Fuel injectors: $482.82
Timing belt: $0 (I supplied my own!!)
Parts cleaner: $10.90 (whatever this is)
Water pump: $169.80
Coolant: $15.31
Coolant lubricant: 1.15 (huh?)
Seal gasket: $5.22 (goes along with having to replace the injectors)
Thermostat: $45.02 (part of replacing the water pump)
Headlight relay: $0 (supplied my own; he didn’t even charge for the labor!)
Subtotal: $730.22Total (with tax): $1,921.17
(But because I offered to pay cash, I only had to pay $1,800)
Because of this incident, I learned a few things about my car and just cars in general.
- Fuel injectors rarely go bad; but when they do, they almost always happen on American cars and sometimes, for the unlucky few, on Japanese imports; I am among that unlucky few.
- You know it might be the fuel injectors that’s bad when your car rattles badly as you start up the engine; and at the same time, the “check engine” light goes on and stays on.
- When checking for bad fuel injectors, the quickest way is to use an ohmeter to check for electrical resistance. If the reading stays at around 12, that’s good news; if the reading goes beyond 17, prepare to shell out some dough (different readings for different makes and models).
- When the “check engine” light goes on, always take your car to the mechanic you trust and get it over with. Usually mechanics will charge for checking the computer code, diagnostics of the problem according to the code (it’s not as easy as one might think) and eventually release the code to get rid of the light. Knowing this, it’s not worth the time and money to have it checked by more than one mechanic like I did… On the other hand, if all this is done by the same mechanic, he likely will spare you some cost for the labor.
- If one injector goes bad, it’s a good idea to replace all six injectors (or four for four cylinder cars). The biggest reason is that the cost of labor would be the same whether it’s replacing just one or all of them. Another, perhaps a better, reason is the new injector will redistribute pressure among the other aging injectors, casing them to wear out more easily. If you are unlucky enough to have another go bad, the cost of labor might cause you to kick yourself in the ass.
- For newer cars, it’s probably worth it to replace brand new injectors. For older cars (such as mine with 110,000 miles), it’s not a bad idea to replace them with rebuilt injectors by trusty injector rebuilders.
- It’s a good idea to replace the timing belt and water pump between 80,000 and 110,000 miles for all car types (probably sooner for American cars). If your timing belt ever snaps while in drive, the damage to the engine will cause you to smack your head against a brick wall, and you will find your bank account short of at least a couple of grands mysteriously.
- Offer to pay cash to get a discount (or ask for one). Everybody loves the smell of $100-dollar bills.
- If your car came with good injectors, some parts rebuilders will buy them back from your mechanic. They did with mine. Or at least that’s what my mechanic tells me.
The car drives like new and purrs like a kitten. And now that the headlight relay has been replaced, I no longer have to worry about the driver’s side headlight going out on me while driving in complete darkness.
Just for the record, my mechanic is located in Mt. View:
The Car Clinic
181 W. Evelyn Ave
Mt. View, CA 94041 Google map it!
(650) 961-2277
Ask for Tibor if you have mechanical questions. He and his wife are owners of the shop.