Local dealer Service Costs.. Are these prices Good or Bad?

[boooey]

Just been told i need a new transmission, but thankfully i am under 60k miles, so its still under warranty.
But of course, the dealer came back with a list of other services that my car needs.

I am at about 53k miles.. on a 2008 Rogue.
Dealer gave me this list of services needed, and the prices.
What do you guys think? How hard is the drive belt to change?


· Front brake service - $230

· Rear brake service - $230

· Drive belt - $160

· Brake Flush - $ 120

· Coolant Flush - $130

thanks!

[TrevorK]

How hard is the drive belt to change?

Here are the instructions on a 2011, would assume it's the same unless the old models had something in the way of the belt.

Removal and Installation
REMOVAL
1. Remove front wheel and tire (RH).
2. Remove front fender protector (RH). Refer to EXT-22, "Exploded View".
3. Hold the hexagonal part in center of drive belt auto-tensioner
pulley with a box wrench securely. Then move the wrench handle
in the direction of arrow (loosening direction of tensioner).
CAUTION:
• Avoid placing hand in a location where pinching may
occur if the holding tool accidentally comes off.
• Never loosen the hexagonal part in center of drive belt
auto-tensioner pulley (Never turn it counterclockwise). If
turned counterclockwise, the complete drive belt autotensioner
must be replaced as a unit, including the pulley.
4. Insert a rod approximately 6 mm (0.24 in) in diameter such as
short-length screwdriver into the hole of the retaining boss to fix
drive belt auto-tensioner pulley.
5. Loosen drive belt from water pump pulley in sequence, and remove it.
INSTALLATION
1. Hold the hexagonal part in center of drive belt auto-tensioner
pulley with a box wrench securely. Then move the wrench handle
in the direction of arrow (loosening direction of tensioner).
CAUTION:
• Avoid placing hand in a location where pinching may
occur if the holding tool accidentally comes off.
• Never loosen the hexagonal part in center of drive belt
auto-tensioner pulley (Never not turn it counterclockwise).
If turned counterclockwise, the complete drive belt
auto-tensioner must be replaced as a unit, including the
pulley.
2. Insert a rod approximately 6 mm (0.24 in) in diameter such as
short-length screwdriver into the hole of retaining boss to fix drive belt auto-tensioner pulley.
3. Hook drive belt onto all pulleys except for water pump, and then onto water pump pulley finally.
CAUTION:
• Confirm drive belt is completely set to pulleys.
• Check for engine oil, working fluid and engine coolant are not adhered to drive belt and each
pulley groove.
4. Release drive belt auto-tensioner, and apply tension to drive belt.
5. Turn crankshaft pulley clockwise several times to equalize tension between each pulley.
6. Confirm tension of drive belt at indicator (notch on fixed side) is within the possible use range. Refer to
EM-16, "Exploded View".

I would say that it's pretty simple to do myself. I would get a full copy of the manual (should be downloadable at links in the stickies or by searching) for the pictures because there is a step where it warns you not to do something.

· Front brake service - $230

· Rear brake service - $230

My thoughts are people have different opinions on brakes. Some feel it's a safety item and they do preventative maintenance on it. Others think that if they work that's good enough. It's really a decision you have to make for yourself. I would inquire as to the cost of just replacing the pads/resurfacing (or replacing if necessary) the rotors at that point if you are going to pay that much in labour. You might have wore down quite a bit on the fronts already and it might be cheaper than servicing now and changing in 10-15K.

That being said, I think $230 to just service the front or rear brakes is way too much.

· Brake Flush - $ 120

· Coolant Flush - $130

These both seem reasonably priced. That being said, on the 2011 service manual it states the coolant is to be done at 84 months. If that's the case with yours I'm not sure I'd flush it out this soon. I believe it uses some fancy blue coolant that is designed for a long service life (at least in my 2011), so I think I would trust the engineers on this one.

[kerrton]

That is some good advice and feedback from TrevorK.

We can't really comment on the brake quote because we don't know what they are proposing to do, "brake job" doesn't give enough detail. If this includes replacing pads, and rotors I think that's probably a reasonable price because OEM rotors are expensive, but I would REALLY question them on this one. WHY are they replacing all of the rotors? Are they actually warped beyond salvage, or are they up-selling you to a new set? You may want to replace them, but it is you who should make the decision based on their inspection. Normally when you do a brake job it's just replacing the pads and hardware, clean up the calipers and keep the rotors, sometimes for the entire life of the car. This would normally be around say $250 for all four wheels but there's a lot of variability in price depending on the parts and the shop.

Changing the drive/serpentine belt depends completely on your skills. If you don't routinely work on your car and don't have a lot of experience I would say changing this belt is definately NOT a do-it-yourself project, and honestly even if you are mechanically inclined this is not a fun project. It's awkward, cramped and normally a real pain. And if you get stuck and complete the work, you'll need to tow your vehicle to a shop for help because you can't drive anywhere without that belt!

Prices for brake flush and coolant flush are reasonable (keep in mind these prices will vary a little bit depending on where you live, expect to pay more in Canada - I paid $150 for Nissan to flush my coolant and replace with long life blue last year).

I would strongly recommend getting a second opinion on those brakes before spending over $500, there are lots of indepedant reputable shops that are as good or better than Nissan, and they may be able to better explain what needs to be done and why.

[Rogue One]

There are standard set prices for most all repairs available online. You can start by checking these websites
http://repairpal.com/
http://www.automd.com/repaircost/

"Both AutoMD and RepairPal offer repair cost estimates based on ZIP code for regular maintenance as well as car repairs, with pricing estimates at a dealership or an independent mechanic. AutoMD also adds cost estimates for do-it-yourselfers."

Read more: How Much Should Your Car Repair Cost? | Bankrate.com http://www.bankrate.com/finance/auto/ca ... z1t7NrK1Ub

[kerrton]

Just been told i need a new transmission, but thankfully i am under 60k miles, so its still under warranty.
But of course, the dealer came back with a list of other services that my car needs.

I am at about 53k miles.. on a 2008 Rogue.
Dealer gave me this list of services needed, and the prices.
What do you guys think? How hard is the drive belt to change?


· Front brake service - $230

· Rear brake service - $230

· Drive belt - $160

· Brake Flush - $ 120

· Coolant Flush - $130

thanks!

Hey booey, I'm curious - what symptoms or problem did you notice with your transmission that resulted in your service dept. recommending a new replacement CVT? What year is your Rogue?

[boooey]

thanks guys for all the help!!
I was able to get the dealer down on the brake service to $400 for both front and rear, and that includes replacing all brake hardware, and resurfacing rotors. just gonna go with that, since I am not up for a DIY job here.

regarding needing the new transmission.. i posted this thread
strange-buzzing-noise-when-driving-help-t556353.html

I heard a very light buzzing or gear grinding noise coming from the engine area when driving.
i also felt a slight drop and noise when tapping on the accelerator while going around 40 mph.

[mpattdu]

You're under 60K so it doesn't matter anyway, but if you have a 2008 your CVT warranty should have been extended to 120,000 miles.

[ImStricken06]

You're under 60K so it doesn't matter anyway, but if you have a 2008 your CVT warranty should have been extended to 120,000 miles.

warranty will not cover NEGLECT.
its good to have the condition read at 60k but it doesnt mean MANDATORY REPLACEMENT.

[mpattdu]

Sure, but that would apply to the original warranty as well and the OP didn't indicate that he's neglected maintenance; the replacement is covered, after all. The OP mentioned 60K miles as the transmission warranty period for 2008 Rogues and it's extened to 120K miles. I was just making sure he and other owners are clear on that.

[88GrapIridium]

My dealer just charged my wife $176 for serpentine belt change, $110 for one hour work and $66 for the new belt. I had a Goodyear 4060710 (6PK1805) which I had with the spare tire as an emergency spare belt ($20 at Rockauto). The dealer said the Goodyear was one inch too short; I think the Goodyear was $66 too short for the dealer. But then I have long ago learned to never trust car dealers. They also wanted over $400 to replace the pre-catalytic oxygen sensor/air-fuel sensor.