as ive stated before i need to get the header gaskets replaced. is 400 bucks for labor overboard?

 

uhh yea..considering it'sa $40 part and you can do it yourself.

 

I am not sure about a 2000 but getting to and removing headers on an 02 are a royal pain. Its not like they have to pull them out completely but getting to those bolts can be a difficult. Most shops charge around 80 per hour so I am guessing they think its a 5 hour job. It can easily be a 2 hour job so maybe they are factoring in some time for problems like frozen bolts, but 5 hours does sound a little ridiculous just for gaskets.Just make sure you have them install a quality gasket so you don't run into this again.

 

Out of warranty, that job books for 7.1 hours on ALLDATA. If they're charging you 400 labor, that's $56 and hour, which is a lot better than my local dealership's $98.80 an hour.

 

While it may be cheaper for him to do it himself, perhaps he doesn't have the knowledge, time, or tools to do so. Missing any of the three could cost you way more than $400. Plus, there's no fall back position if he makes a mistake while doing the work. It's all on him.

I wouldn't have a problem doing it myself but then I've been working on my own cars for 17 years.

 

you re right, i dont have a lift which would make it 10 times easier. i had Percy gaskets and Stage 8 header bolts put on it. he just called and said total of $352.96. plus, the idiots who put the LT's on for me stripped out a header bolt and "forgot" to tell me. so he heli coiled it. to get to the bolts on the passenger side he did have to undo the right motor mount and lift the engine a few inches. thanks for putting me a little at ease about the price. but i still think the people who put the headers on should have been a little more attentive as "hey maybe he should get new gaskets and bolts also" oh, and i also forgot when they took the stock headers of the just cut the dipstick tube off the bolt that held it in place. so a week or 2 later when i go to check the oil i pull the whole damn tube out! lol. no it was not really funny and i took it to get fixed, another $170. well it makes me go back to the popular saying that i 100% believe in- "if you want something done right, do it yourself." sorry for venting guys, later