Timing belt, water pump, clutch - labor hours

N

nicholas421

Experienced Member
Joined
16 May 2001
Messages
1,363
Location
Detroit
I got a 30 hours (minimum) quote from an independent mech/friend with good NSX experience. Just looking for confirmation that it sounds about right. My car is turbo'd. thanks.

Update:

Need Advice:

I was quoted a minimum of 30 hours for a TB, WP and clutch job with the caveat that my turbo setup may cause some problems, and therefore require additional hours. Plus, he suggested that the intercooler be angled for better air flow... which would take a "few" hours. I agreed.

He finished today and sent me a bill for 82.5 hours (that includes a 6 hour discount). This was a shocker because I was given no heads-up that the actual hours were soaring past the estimate.

I'm seeing red and can't think straight. I'll be the first to admit my fault in this for allowing it to be a casual transaction with no definition of expectations and limits. I made the poor assumption that anything significantly over 30 would be communicated to me.

Any suggestions on how to move forward? Do I just suck it up, learn from this, pay and move on? What would you do?

Edit: full disclosure... he did, on a few occasions, let me know how frustrating the job was. He suspected that whoever did the prior TB job put lock-tite on all the bolts. He also expressed frustration about how the turbo installer did a poor job. I don't know if this equates to him notifying me of soaring hours.
 
Last edited:
Timing belt (Including WP) on a stock NSX is about 8 hours, and clutch replacement about 10. There is very little overlap between the 2 jobs. The addition of a Turbo is going to add several hours to both, so 30 is probably a bit high, but probably conservative.

There is some belief that for both jobs at the same time, dropping the motor is the way to go, which is ~8 out and in evolution. Then the tb and clutch are more accessible. And with the turbo, may be the most straightforward approach, and allows for some of the hoses to be replaced as well
 
I think you should ask if they're sure that's the correct number of hours. Give them a chance to double check. If they confirm then ask why they didn't inform you it was going to take much more than the 30 hours originally quoted. It's reasonable if it was a few extra hours but to more than double the original estimate is pretty crazy. Ask what was the issue that caused the extra time. In the end if they don't budge you have to just pay it if you want the car back. Sorry, that sucks. Strange that if they are kind of a friend that they wouldn't keep you in the loop.



nicholas421 said:
I need some opinions.

I was quoted a minimum of 30 hours with the caveat that my turbo may cause some problems, and therefore require additional hours. Plus, he suggested that the intercooler be angled for better air flow... which would take a "few" hours. I agreed.

He finished today and sent me a bill for 82.5 hours (that includes a 6 hour discount). This was a shocker because I was given no heads-up that the actual hours were souring past the estimate.

I'm seeing red and can't think straight. I'll be the first to admit my fault in this for allowing it to be a casual transaction with no definition of expectations and limits. I made the poor assumption that anything significantly over 30 would be communicated to me.

Any suggestions on how to move forward? Do I just suck it up, learn from this, pay and move on? What would you do?
Click to expand...
 
I_M_Legend said:
I think you should ask if they're sure that's the correct number of hours. Give them a chance to double check. If they confirm then ask why they didn't inform you it was going to take much more than the 30 hours originally quoted. It's reasonable if it was a few extra hours but to more than double the original estimate is pretty crazy. Ask what was the issue that caused the extra time. In the end if they don't budge you have to just pay it if you want the car back. Sorry, that sucks. Strange that if they are kind of a friend that they wouldn't keep you in the loop.
Click to expand...

This is good advice. Maybe they entered in the wrong number or made a clerical mistake. Even adding a few hours to dismantle/reassemble the turbo plumbing, you are still at way less than 80 hours. Figure a clutch job is 4-6 hours depending on how fast you can drop the trans. TB/WP with engine out is maybe 10-15? If you drop the engine for the TB/WP it would speed up the clutch job since it is easier to access and remove the trans that way. Any way you slice it, however, even with a novice tech taking his time and going by the book, I can't see this service going over 40 hours. There has to be a mistake here.
 
30 hours at $150 / works out to $4,500. $1,300 above is ~30% higher. Still a bit higher than I would expect, but anytime one talks custom work due to a turbo / screw etc, it does add time to a job. 80 hours is 2 people working for 5 days. Maybe the second body is cleaning up, getting tools and writing down steps and making sure the work is done properly. The hours don’t seem right but at the end of the day, the cost, while high, isn’t 82 hours at a shop.
 
Wow!!! I charge 2700$ for TB and WP and valve adjustment. It should take about 20 hours.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:
Seems way too steep to me. It's tough to say for sure once you add aftermarket options like a turbo, but I did my TB/WP in my garage with hand tools in 3 evenings after work. I was REALLY taking my time, and I'd say it was about 10-12 hours. A good mechanic should be able to do it in 8. Maybe double it with the turbo, but no way 30 hours.
 
nicholas421 said:
I ended up paying for 44 hours plus parts. I think that was more than fair given the circumstances, but I may be biased. He was livid.
Click to expand...

Livid why? Because you called him out? It was his own fault for not communicating with you when extra needed done, and what he did was against the law in many states.
 
nicholas421 said:
I ended up paying for 44 hours plus parts.
Click to expand...
Not sure how much hours were related to the special circumstances like turbo etc. but TB/WP plus coolant hoses, valve adjustment, new seals on the engine everywhere (fuel inj, V-TEC, cams etc.) took us exactly 40 manhours at the third time and this was with the engine OUT. 2 men 20 hours. But every obstacle from the previous installation sets you back...We are no professionals and only uswd hand tools, no electro or air tools, torqued everything down with a torque wrench. A professional should be faster. We had 30 hours the first time but with a lot of time lost due to not having the wrong tool for the big screw...

So I guess he did it the first time ever...so I think it's save to say that this job gets better be done by an NSX-experienced tech.
 
I think you can unfriend him......typical ploy of marginal players is to complain upfront about everyone else's work...and yes any reasonable pro would have let you know asap that estimate was doubling...
 
When someone gives you an estimate for a job that just doesn't seem right from the beginning, it means they don't want to do the job. It's unfortunate that you may have lost a friendship over this.
 

Similar threads

SENNA_GOAT
I need help with a possible new clutch!
Replies
14
Views
502
TANTO
TANTO
C
Any suggestions on where to take my 91 for timing belt, water pump replacement in/around Buffalo, NY.
Replies
8
Views
355
Ctnewman
C
TANTO
AC CHARGE PROCEDURE
Replies
1
Views
154
drew
drew
bruckner
Clutch vibration
2
Replies
26
Views
2K
Old Guy
Old Guy
centerpunch
2027 electric NSX promised
Replies
4
Views
308
docjohn
docjohn
Back
Top