Watching a neighbor fix his own car in 20 minutes made me rethink dealership service

I was sitting on my porch last Saturday when my neighbor Frank swapped a bad alternator on his 2012 Camry in like 20 minutes and it cost him $80 for the part. I had paid $450 at the dealership for the same fix six months ago and waited three hours in their lobby. Has anyone else saved serious cash by doing their own basic repairs instead of going to the pros?

3 comments

3 Comments

ray3564d ago

Hold up, I gotta push back a little. Frank's a lucky guy if his car is a 2012 Camry, but my 2017 Acura has a alternator buried under the intake manifold that takes three hours just to reach. I spent $500 at a shop for that job and I'm okay with it because I dont have a lift or the special tools to get the job done without screwing something up. Plus, if I mess up and the car dies on the highway, who do I blame? Myself. Dealers charge a lot but they usually fix it right the first time and give you a warranty on the work. Do you really trust yourself to diagnose the problem every time it could be something more than a simple part swap?

spencer_owens584d ago

Yeah Ray, that Acura sounds like a real pain, I feel for you on that one.

robin6282d ago

I hear you on that alternator nightmare @ray356, but I gotta push back a little on the dealer part. Paying $500 for a shop to do it is one thing, but dealer prices are usually double that and they still mess stuff up sometimes. My buddy paid $800 for a dealer to "fix" a simple belt squeal and they actually forgot to tighten something that came loose a week later. A good independent mechanic with a warranty is usually cheaper and just as reliable if you find the right one.