Belt service and starter

[cweberj30t]

I was quoted a total of $400 to replace timing and 3 accessory belts as well as $250 for new starter all parts and labor. Would you say that is a pretty reasonable quote? It is a '93 J30t with 80,000 miles. I appreciate everyone's insight.

[Jesda]

Thats not bad at all. Timing belt service alone is worth at least $300-$375.

[VimyJ]

That's a great price. Get the 3 hoses replaced, new water pump, cam seals, idler pulley and thermostat replaced while your are in there.

What is the name your shop and where in Chicago is it?

[Q451990]

Make sure they use OEM parts... I'd be a little concerned about that price being too low!

Heath

[cweberj30t]

All OEM parts from Infiniti. I did compare prices to those at infinitipartsusa.com and they had better rates. Could not wait for shipping since mechanic already started working on it. I have a feeling the rate is going up as we speak. putting in new water pump and thermostat as good measure. All in all, this will probably be costing me $800 total. Maybe more. I paid $4500 for it and it's in spectacular shape. It's a 93 J30t with 80,000 miles on it. Guy bought it from mother in law 2 years ago with 60,000 on it. Maintained extremely well, however, it is 10 years old and things are starting to go. Trying to stop the bleeding as much as possible.

As for your question VimyJ, it's called Christophs and it's in Libertyville about 30 miles north of city. I am from Lake Forest originally and used to drive a Volvo. I had an excellent mechanic and he reccomended them to me. We'll see how this turns out.

[VimyJ]

From the sounds of it, you're getting a solid deal. I'm in Elgin and I cover all of Chicagoland in my business travels. It's great to have the J30t for all that driving.

Where did you get your parts from?

[keystone]

sounds too good to be true.

[cweberj30t]

He got all the parts from the Infiniti dealer in Libertyville. All were in stock and were fairly reasonable. He's replacing the timing belt, water pump, starter, 3 accessory belts and thermastat. About $400 in parts and $400-$500 in labor. He should be finished tomorrow and I will let you know how it goes.

[VimyJ]

You must change the upper, lower and bypass coolant hoses! Mandatory on a car of that age!

[Q45tech]

"All OEM parts from Infiniti. I did compare prices to those at infinitipartsusa.com and they had better rates."

Don't believe its possible since they are giving you 25% off list.

This [Scotsdale prices over INET] is roughly what we pay and I buy half a million dollars worth per year from Infiniti.

Somewhere in their bid are some generic parts [belts/water pump].

Every shop I know uses retail list parts pricing.

[maxnix]

All OEM parts from Infiniti. I did compare prices to those at infinitipartsusa.com and they had better rates. Could not wait for shipping since mechanic already started working on it. I have a feeling the rate is going up as we speak.

I think we are the victims of the improper use of an indefinite pronoun with ambiguous antecedents. I think the suspect "they" refers to Infiniti of Scottsdale, otherwise cweberj30t probably would not consider waiting for the parts if the parts from Joe were not indeed less expensive.

Maybe Mr. Weber will clarify?

I also hope upward floating labor rates are not part of his arrangement.

[cweberj30t]

By "they" I meant infinitipartsusa.com. Didn't mean to dis Q45tech. On average they were 10-20% less.

[cweberj30t]

Replacing the tensioner too. Mechanic said that he could move it with his hand. Better safe than sorry. The J is bleeding bad and this trip to the ER is gonna cost me.

[maxnix]

Replacing the tensioner too. Mechanic said that he could move it with his hand. Better safe than sorry. The J is bleeding bad and this trip to the ER is gonna cost me.

Performing maintenance that has been deferred is never inexpensive until you are many miles down the road with a car that performs as designed.__________________Brian1995 Q45 & Q45t & 2000 Q45

Discover the power of the button!

[driverdriver]

Have the mechanic inspect your flywheel since he is already doing your starter and if that needs replacing he can replace it while he changes your starter. Replaicing the flywheel after the starter is installed is big $$$. I had a new starter installed recently where the mechanic also found I needed a new flywheel (the teeth where chipped).

[VimyJ]

Replacing the tensioner too. Mechanic said that he could move it with his hand. Better safe than sorry. The J is bleeding bad and this trip to the ER is gonna cost me.

Transportation money well spent. Get these things done and you will have many thousands of miles of trouble free motoring.

There is nowhere that you can get a better ride for the money.

[cweberj30t]

Here is what I replaced. I'm a bit tipsy so excuse my frech. Timing belt, tensioner, thermastat, water pump, 3 drive belts, radiator flush, and starter. Total including parts and labor, $1050. thought it would be closer to $500 when I started, but I got a great deal off the bat paying 4500 for the J itself. I have found a guy that is unbelievable at working with me. His name is Keith and he works at this place called Christophs in Libertyville, IL. They specialize in Hondas and Acuras, but he invested the time to find out exactly what to do with the J. After researching this site, It was almost like we had ESP when I told him to check the water pump, he said that he was going to suggest a change and when I told him to check the cam and crank seals, he told me he already did. He is an awesome mechanic and is willing to do above and beyond what is expected. I am more than satisfied with the work he has done and reccomend him to anyone. For christ sakes, he was doing an oil change on an Accord when I went in to see him. He is way too experience to be doing this sort of work. Please send him anything you can that you can't do on your own. He honestly cares about getting you back on the road and will go above and beyond most mechanics. I drove a 960 Volvo for years and had a great mechanic, he suggested I go see him and he was right. The same courtesy I had with the Volvo, he is giving me with the J. I will post the work he did in more detail to give you an idea. Couldn't be more satisfied.