Is This A Ripoff?

[Spidey9534]

Hello and thanks to anyone who responds in advance,

I've got a 1998 ES300 and love the car. It's got about 103K miles on it and runs really well. I have regular oil changes and services done, including 90K timing belt, etc., etc. major service. This continues to be the best car I've ever owned. Recently I have developed a small oil leak.

I took the car to a local Midas shop that set me up with a lifetime oil change contract and had them identify the source of the leak (used the UV oil dye) as coming from the valve cover gaskets area. They are quoting what seems to be an extremely high price for changing them, plus they feel the intake manifold gaskets need to be replaced too (why I don't understand).

Here's the quote

1) Valve cover gasket set $112

2) Intake manifold set $159

3) Labor 3.8 hrs $354

I know that getting to the back valve cover is a real !Removed! but come on I can't believe the parts cost they're quoting. The Service Mgr was giving me some story about the fact that the gasket were teflon and that's why they are so expensive (uh, what??). I did some price checking at a few local parts stores for at least the parts and here is what I discovered.

Quote 1

1) $47

2) $69

Quote 2

1) $35

2) $78

Quote 3

Lexus Dealer

$1000 parts and labor

It seems like Midas and the Lexus dealer are really trying to take advantage of me on this job. :o Am I correct in my thinking or have others of you had similar costs for the same type of service?

I'm 50 years old and used to work on all of my own cars/trucks back in the day so this smells really bad to me, but I haven't had to do virtually anything to the Lexus but service it for four years. So maybe it's reasonable in some alternative universe.

Best regards and thanks for tkaing the time to reply,

[Lexusfreak]

Hello and thanks to anyone who responds in advance,

I've got a 1998 ES300 and love the car. It's got about 103K miles on it and runs really well. I have regular oil changes and services done, including 90K timing belt, etc., etc. major service. This continues to be the best car I've ever owned. Recently I have developed a small oil leak.

I took the car to a local Midas shop that set me up with a lifetime oil change contract and had them identify the source of the leak (used the UV oil dye) as coming from the valve cover gaskets area. They are quoting what seems to be an extremely high price for changing them, plus they feel the intake manifold gaskets need to be replaced too (why I don't understand).

Here's the quote

1) Valve cover gasket set $112

2) Intake manifold set $159

3) Labor 3.8 hrs $354

I know that getting to the back valve cover is a real !Removed! but come on I can't believe the parts cost they're quoting. The Service Mgr was giving me some story about the fact that the gasket were teflon and that's why they are so expensive (uh, what??). I did some price checking at a few local parts stores for at least the parts and here is what I discovered.

Quote 1

1) $47

2) $69

Quote 2

1) $35

2) $78

Quote 3

Lexus Dealer

$1000 parts and labor

It seems like Midas and the Lexus dealer are really trying to take advantage of me on this job. :o Am I correct in my thinking or have others of you had similar costs for the same type of service?

I'm 50 years old and used to work on all of my own cars/trucks back in the day so this smells really bad to me, but I haven't had to do virtually anything to the Lexus but service it for four years. So maybe it's reasonable in some alternative universe.

Best regards and thanks for tkaing the time to reply,

First off.....welcome to the club! :)

Quote # 3 does not suprise me at all. Did you try getting a quote from a Toyota dealer? Or perhaps buy the OE Toyota parts from one of our online vendors & take it to the shop of your choice (and pay a reasonable price for the labor only).

Have you dealt with this Midas shop in the past for routine & major servicing? They are charging $93 an hour labor.....my local Lexus dealer charges $94.....the Lexus dealers in Toronto are $115 an hour.

[Spidey9534]

Hello and thanks to anyone who responds in advance,

I've got a 1998 ES300 and love the car. It's got about 103K miles on it and runs really well. I have regular oil changes and services done, including 90K timing belt, etc., etc. major service. This continues to be the best car I've ever owned. Recently I have developed a small oil leak.

I took the car to a local Midas shop that set me up with a lifetime oil change contract and had them identify the source of the leak (used the UV oil dye) as coming from the valve cover gaskets area. They are quoting what seems to be an extremely high price for changing them, plus they feel the intake manifold gaskets need to be replaced too (why I don't understand).

Here's the quote

1) Valve cover gasket set $112

2) Intake manifold set $159

3) Labor 3.8 hrs $354

I know that getting to the back valve cover is a real !Removed! but come on I can't believe the parts cost they're quoting. The Service Mgr was giving me some story about the fact that the gasket were teflon and that's why they are so expensive (uh, what??). I did some price checking at a few local parts stores for at least the parts and here is what I discovered.

Quote 1

1) $47

2) $69

Quote 2

1) $35

2) $78

Quote 3

Lexus Dealer

$1000 parts and labor

It seems like Midas and the Lexus dealer are really trying to take advantage of me on this job. :o Am I correct in my thinking or have others of you had similar costs for the same type of service?

I'm 50 years old and used to work on all of my own cars/trucks back in the day so this smells really bad to me, but I haven't had to do virtually anything to the Lexus but service it for four years. So maybe it's reasonable in some alternative universe.

Best regards and thanks for tkaing the time to reply,

First off.....welcome to the club! :)

Quote # 3 does not suprise me at all. Did you try getting a quote from a Toyota dealer? Or perhaps buy the OE Toyota parts from one of our online vendors & take it to the shop of your choice (and pay a reasonable price for the labor only).

Have you dealt with this Midas shop in the past for routine & major servicing? They are charging $93 an hour labor.....my local Lexus dealer charges $94.....the Lexus dealers in Toronto are $115 an hour.

Thanks for the welcome.

1) Didn't try the Toyota Dealer - thanks for the suggestion.

2) I'm seriously considering buying the parts and taking them elsewhere as an option.

3) Can't say I've had these guys do anyhting except the oil changes services.

Since I wrote this I canlled a shop I used to frequent in Portland, OR they're 3-1/2 hours south of where I live, but they do Toyota/Lexus, Honda/Acura and have treated me really well in the past. They actually do a bunch of service work for local dealers down there that don't do anything but mark up the job. I just wnated to establish a relationship with a good shop up here in Seattle since I moved here about 4 years ago.

The Service Manager at the shop in Portland quoted $370 P/L for the entire job. I asked him about the intake manifold and he said that the only part 'possibly' effected was in the plenum gasket which is like $10.

It's no wonder you always see these sting operations in shops, I can't imagine what kind of treatment some unsuspecting person would get especially if they didn't know anything about cars.

Looks like I'm taking a road trip.............

[Lexusfreak]

Sounds like it will be well worth the trip though. B)