Is mechanic telling me a tall tale?? (1 Viewer)

[cmattina]

So, my wife is out of town and I asked her to bring the GX (2006) into a local shop (with many good reviews and a recommendation from a friend who admittedly doesn't know much about cars) to get checked out. The GX had two issues when she left town.

issue one: Noise when AC is on. I had mostly diagnosed this as the compressor as the i did a pressure test and fluid was low and it was blowing warm. I topped it up and got cold air again. Noise only changed a bit (if at all). Shop confirmed this and said it would be $200 labour to change compressor and $100 for top up... i think this is reasonable. especially as these are Canadian dollars.

Issue two (fishy?): In Drive, at a stop, there is a clicking sound (not all the time, but a decent amount of the time). Doesn't do it in Park at a stop. To my surprise, the shop said timing belt.... They then said timing belt should be replaced by the mileage my car has (160 000km). To their surprise, I told them the belt was done at 110 000km (admittedly 10 years ago or so). I have a record of this job.... TBH, I think they may be greasing me.... It could just be a heat shield tapping or something... I just did not have the time to check before my wife went out of town. However, they did only quote $1200 parts and labour for the job, which actually is not bad (again, canadian dollars).

What do you guys think? Timing belt making a click noise in park?

 

[onelittlestar]

It's not just a mileage issue, but time, 10 years is pushing it.

 

[cmattina]

It's not just a mileage issue, but time, 10 years is pushing it.

I understand the recommended intervals of timing belt changes. I am having a harder time understanding why it only does it in Drive at a stop...

 

[Devils Paw 80]

In drive but not in park? Yeah, I'm not following this either. Perhaps skip that repair and get a second opinion. Timing belts usually last far beyond their recommended service life in miles. I wasn't aware there was a time interval. The 25 year old timing belt on my daughter's '97 Legacy actually looked in pretty good shape at 155K miles.

 

[cmattina]

In drive but not in park? Yeah, I'm not following this either. Perhaps skip that repair and get a second opinion. Timing belts usually last far beyond their recommended service life in miles. I wasn't aware there was a time interval. The 25 year old timing belt on my daughter's '97 Legacy actually looked in pretty good shape at 155K miles.

Totally... I am looking at the vehicle history. Timing belt and water pump were done in 2012, when the vehicle had 77 000km on it. I think they also might have thought the vehicle has a chain and thought they were hearing timing chain chatter... But, for $200canadian on the AC swap, i did authorize that. Worried it will seize on my wife and leave her standed.

 

[MrTorgue]

Get a second opinion, however NEVER assume a rubber belt (or hose) is good after that kind of time period. Rubber (and plastic) ages regardless of use or mileage. Someone’s anecdotal evidence on the internet should not be the only metric you use to determine if your belt needs replacing. Being an interference engine I would never take my chances.

 

[cmattina]

Get a second opinion, however NEVER assume a rubber belt (or hose) is good after that kind of time period. Rubber (and plastic) ages regardless of use or mileage. Someone’s anecdotal evidence on the internet should not be the only metric you use to determine if your belt needs replacing. Being an interference engine I would never take my chances.

Well, for now I thought about it... the shop is offering to do the complete job for about 1200canadian (875USD) all in... that is about as cheap as we're gunna get it. . I figure it is due for it, in terms of time.

Having said that, it better fix the F'n problem.

Also needs cv axles up front, but i can do that later on.

 

[Zjohnsonua]

Lumping the two jobs together is wise. I would expect a bit of a labor savings as the AC compressor access is greatly improved by stripping the front end of the engine during the TB/WP service. However, I'll be surprised if this ticking goes away with the belt service. Way too little information here to provide guidance on what the cause of the ticking may be.

 

[MrTorgue]

Well, for now I thought about it... the shop is offering to do the complete job for about 1200canadian (875USD) all in... that is about as cheap as we're gunna get it. . I figure it is due for it, in terms of time.

Having said that, it better fix the F'n problem.

Also needs cv axles up front, but i can do that later on.

That’s a great price actually. I’d jump on it if you feel confident in their skills and they offer some sort of guarantee of work

 

[cmattina]

That’s a great price actually. I’d jump on it if you feel confident in their skills and they offer some sort of guarantee of work

To clarify, that is just for the timing belt job (presuming they're including water pump if it is 5 hours labour and the kit is $690CAD). By all in, I meant including taxes.

The AC compressor is 2 hours labour at $100CAD. This they did already.