500 dollars for alignment and cam bolt install

My mechanic wanted 500 bucks for installing cam bolts and aligning my truck. I told him to stuff it and I’ll install it myself. Then bring it to another shop for the alignment. Am I just being cheap at this point?

The price break down was as follows:

200 dollars for cam bolts
150 for hour of work
120 for installation

what does everyone think? Seems absurd to me.

 

Since it's in general I have to ask, Tacoma? Just checked my spreadsheet (2 months old) and a set of cam bolts from McGeorge are about $175, other OEM sites up to $260, so the question is if he's selling you OEM hardware. Maybe he gets a discount. What I don't get is "150 hour of work/120 installation" it seems like the "installation" is part of the "work." Where is the alignment charge, in the "work?"

Mechanic work is off the hook, there's a shop here that does $100/hour and I trusted them one time, never again (I'll save the story lol.) $500 seems ridiculous but it is what it is, find someone else. The scary part is they might get your truck apart, then tell you you need new lower control arms (they don't like doing bushings, would rather slap in new arms) and ball joints. And on it goes . . . .

At this point I would ask myself if I really need cam bolts. Mine is an '03 and thought they would give me trouble but they came out OK and went back in shiny and clean.

 

I know what you mean, everybodies lost their minds. A carepenter told me he wanted 10K to replace a portable building floor.

 

It was for an 2019 f150 with 16,000 miles.

I bought cam nuts online for 80 bucks, did it myself, and got a 150 dollar alignment. It’s usually 120 but they said mine require “more time and expertise”. All in saved at least 300 bucks. Brought it to a different shop for the alignment. Using just the cam nuts (two each side) seemed to work fine.

My friend just brought her Volvo into the shop. 1500 for breaks and rotors all around including alignment. It’s getting pricey with everything.

 

It maybe high.
But it’s not as high as you’d think.
Some shops charge a minimum of 1hr.

1 hour work for Alignment.
Labor for cam bolt installation
And cost of parts

When you figure it that way, it’s not “that high”.

As long as the cam bolts are not stuck, do them yourself and save some money.

 

That’s why I learned to weld. Anything custom made or fabricated, your gonna pay stupid money.

 

I agree. It’s probably not a bad price. I just found it hard to believe it would take an hour. But they’re also not gonna charge for anything less than an hour of work.

 

Yeah, labor rates here are 129.99 an hour at most shops.
Although the actual times can change at their discretion.
You know how that goes……

 

Do it yourself and you will see what a pain in the ass, it's going to be. You would of been happy to pay him $500.

 

We charge an hour labor to install the bolts ($163), plus the bolts, I'm thinking around $75 per side going by memory and depending on the vehicle (yes we mark them up, corporately owned shop) and $112 for the alignment ($190 if you want a lifetime alignment). So that's $425. So depending on the price of the bolts, he's in the ball park. Everything has gone way up the last few years, especially part prices. Granted my company marks stuff way up but pretty much every shop does. Somebody has to pay for the inflation and it's not going to be the people at the top.

 

See post #4

He did do it himself. And saved $300

 

I did it in forty five minutes. Totally not worth the 500.

 

That price seems fair, those cam bolts are not easy to get out either, they're almost always seized with higher mileage, and need to be air hammered or sawzall'd out.
the cam bolt hardware OEM price is about right, I purchased some recently from the dealer.
Pay the man