tuneups ain't cheap!!!
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tuneups ain't cheap!!! - 4/10/2008 6:50:11 PM
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rickyp3278
Posts: 24
Joined: 3/19/2008
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Just had a tuneup done on my 02 LS Blazer. Usually do my own tuneups, but as ya'll know, access to the plugs on these trucks is a job and a half. Anyway....cost me almost $500. (I requested that Delco parts to be used, which no doubt jacked the price up a bit. Plug wires alone were $125.) Tuneups aren't cheap anymore.
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RE: tuneups ain't cheap!!! - 4/10/2008 7:04:38 PM
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Thor_449
Posts: 229
Joined: 3/24/2008
From: Plymouth, Indiana
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i had a conversation with someone on my dads fire department about this. working on modern cars is getting pretty ridiculous. all the sensors and wierd tools that you have to buy...........ya some older cars are kinda wired to work on but at least then you didn't have to spend 2 days doing simple things.
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4.3L of 94 4x4 S10 blazer
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RE: tuneups ain't cheap!!! - 4/10/2008 7:18:26 PM
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WolfPack
Posts: 3074
Joined: 10/30/2007
From: Raleigh, NC
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Shoulda bought your own parts, and taken em in. And the only tricky plug is #3. And there are plenty of ways to easily access it given on these forums. $500...wow..
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2000 Blazer 4d LS 4x4 - 265/70/15 General Grabber AT2s - Hunter Brush Guard - Surco Roof Rack with IPF 868s - 1.5'' Shackle + Tbar - 2'' BL
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RE: tuneups ain't cheap!!! - 4/10/2008 8:10:02 PM
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dbleon
Posts: 319
Joined: 8/31/2007
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I did a full tune for like 60 bucks.... took an hour. How could they charge $500?
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Dan
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RE: tuneups ain't cheap!!! - 4/10/2008 8:15:37 PM
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rickyp3278
Posts: 24
Joined: 3/19/2008
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called napa and advance auto parts...they wanted 7 a piece for the plugs, 145 for the wires. The shop I go to gave them to me for 6 a piece and 125 for the wires. Cap, Rotor and fuel filter prices were the same at my shop as the retail stores. All AC Delco parts. It actually ended up around $475. Expensive, I know. The defininition of "easy" is different for everybody when it comes to doing a tuneup on these trucks!
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RE: tuneups ain't cheap!!! - 4/10/2008 9:42:14 PM
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lennyblazer
Posts: 1988
Joined: 5/6/2007
From: Appleton, WI / Houghton, MI
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Yeah I got plugs for 5 a piece (AC Delco Platinums, the stock stuff), some good champion wires for like $25, fuel filter for $6, and about 10 hours of my labor. Maybe this summer I will do the distributor cap and rotor to see if it fixes anything up or just to see if they need replacing.
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-Lenny
4.3L Auto. 3.73Gears
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2358267
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RE: tuneups ain't cheap!!! - 4/27/2008 4:52:08 AM
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Duntov
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If want to save a few bucks and decide to take a box full of parts to a automotive shop and then tell them to install them, the shop will probably tell you to take your car somewhere else.
You will not find a shop that will install a customer's parts but if you do, the guarantee will be void and that lets the shop off the hook for doing shabby work. An automotive repair shop makes from 40% to 50% profit off the parts they install and 25% profit on their mechanics labor cost. To add to their customers pain, most shops add 20% to the list price of parts they install or 20% more than a customer will pay for parts at any local retail auto parts store. The 1995-up vehicles with OBD-2 systems, platinum plugs, the latest long duration 8 micron oil filters, synthetic oil which never wears out and 84 month batteries, it can be as much as 60,000 miles between tune ups and 8,000 miles between oil changes! You can see why a garage must gouge as much profit out of every job that comes in their shop. Contrary to what many people think, the 1996-up vehicles are slowly putting the independent auto shops out of business or is making crooks out of them.
Don't think a GM dealership is any better or more honest. The GM car dealerships only want to do warranty work on the new cars and that keeps their mechanics busy. Therefore the service department at a GM dealership will make it so expensive for a car owner to bring his or her car that is out of warranty to their dealership that they will never go to a dealership. Dealerships charge from $95 to $100 per hour shop time, even if you buy and furnish genuine AC Delco and GM parts at their parts department!
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1991 S10 Blazer 4-dr, auto., 4x4, 4.3L TBI
Competely original. My Blazer even has 1991 air in the spare.
Restored 1963 Pontiac Catalina Sport Coupe, Richmond ST-10 4-speed, 421 H.O., 370 HP tri-power, 3.64:1 Saf-T-Track, HD Police Option
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RE: tuneups ain't cheap!!! - 4/27/2008 6:29:16 AM
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portcqb
Posts: 410
Joined: 3/13/2008
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Man 500 is terrible what was the labor rate on that. Rockauto has the delco plug wires for 55. Lenny were the wires you got fitted or one size fits all kind, and where did you get them that cheap?
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1997 Olds Bravada AWD 4.3L Auto ~35,100mi(high idle time), CAI, Quad Beam Moded Mod
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RE: tuneups ain't cheap!!! - 4/27/2008 11:31:31 AM
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Hanr3
Wheels & Tire Moderator
Posts: 3523
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I have to disagree with Duntoy on some of the stuff he worte.
We will gladly install your parts, however the labor rate will be 1 1/2 times the normal rate...
and yes the work will still be covered, the parts wont.
Shops don't jack up the price 20% over what you pay, shops get a bulk discount, tpyically 20% or more and will charge you retail price. So yes you end up paying roughly the same price. However most reputable shops will only use quality parts, after all, there reputation is on the line. The shop I worked at sold parts direct ot eh customer right off the shelf. Those are the same part we installed when we did the work, and the smae price was used in either case. you paid the smae price for het parts if you took them home, or if we did the install.
As for the original poster, tune-ups are more costly on the modern engines. The modern engines are high perofrmance engines. GM ahs tune the crap out of these engines to meet EPA standards and still be albe to mass produce them cost effectively. Gm no longer uses the old engines, they couldn't get anything esle out of them. Hence the 5 banger in hte TrailBlazer, the Eco-Tech, and LS based engines. They are a new breed of engines to meet the stricker EPA regulations and get better fuel economy.
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"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference.
The Marines don't have that problem."
-President Ronald Reagan
'87 S10-Blazer - SOLD
'93 S10-Blazer 4x4x4 - Sons DD, engine swap is done.
'00 S10-Blazer 4x4x4 - My
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RE: tuneups ain't cheap!!! - 4/27/2008 12:22:34 PM
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swartlkk
Posts: 15304
Joined: 5/1/2005
From: Waterloo, NY
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Come on Tim, it's only a 5 banger in the Canyon and Colorado. The Trailblazer is the I6! LOL
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Kyle-
My Restoration Projects
Please Do Not PM for Tech Help
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RE: tuneups ain't cheap!!! - 4/27/2008 2:52:35 PM
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Duntov
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I took my '91 Blazer to a local shop for a tune up because I saw their sign that indicated they only used AC Delco replacement parts. After receiving a computer itemized bill, and after I compared prices, it was obvious that the shop added from 10% to 20% to the AC Delco MSRP of the parts. Apparently the shop did not care or did not know that I would compare the prices of the parts at the local Autozone after I paid for the tune up. I did not expect the shop to give me the same price for the parts I could get at a local discount auto supply but I certainly did not expect the shop to add 10% to 20% to the MSRP.
My associate built a new building and opened up "Tom's Discount Auto Supply" many years ago and I worked there on weekends when I could. A few months aftrer he opened, he contaced an AC Delco represenative to asked him if AC Delco could stock his store on a consignment basis. The AC Delco represenative agreed and said they would fully stock his store with parts and put up a new lighted AC Delco sign in front of the auto supply. The only requirement was that he must sell all AC Delco parts at the MSRP with no discounts. He told them he could not compete with other auto parts stores if he did that and he would go broke. The AC Delco represenative withdrew his offer and would not agree to stock his store.
I suspect that is one reason the shop added a 10% to 20% profit mark up to the AC Delco parts they installed on my Blazer. I will do the work myself next time because you cannot beat the pay.
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1991 S10 Blazer 4-dr, auto., 4x4, 4.3L TBI
Competely original. My Blazer even has 1991 air in the spare.
Restored 1963 Pontiac Catalina Sport Coupe, Richmond ST-10 4-speed, 421 H.O., 370 HP tri-power, 3.64:1 Saf-T-Track, HD Police Option
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RE: tuneups ain't cheap!!! - 4/27/2008 5:28:52 PM
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swartlkk
Posts: 15304
Joined: 5/1/2005
From: Waterloo, NY
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Not sure how much of a factor that is anymore with the immediate comparisons that can be done by the educated buyer. AC Delco retailers no longer sell parts at the MSRP because they realize that they are not competative. I know this because I buy all of my parts from a retailer and these prices are VERY competative when compared with the local chain stores.
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Kyle-
My Restoration Projects
Please Do Not PM for Tech Help
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RE: tuneups ain't cheap!!! - 4/28/2008 1:46:16 PM
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Duntov
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Large discount auto parts chain stores such as Autozone do not sell a full line of AC Delco parts for some reason. I was really surprised to see that Autozone sold any AC Delco parts at all. However, they only sell what AC Delco allows them to sell which is probably the more popular parts that sell quick. Many times I have asked Autozone if they could get certain AC Delco parts and the manager said if they were not in his computer, Autozone could not get them. Some of the independerntly owned parts stores sell AC Delco parts but you must be prepared to pay MSRP for them. I would venture to guess that since AC Delco moved their replacement parts manufacturing to Mexico about 20 years ago, they are allowing their parts to be sold in the discount chain parts stores.
A good example is the positive (GM #12157407) and negative (GM #88860070) AC Delco battery cables for a '91 Blazer 4dr SUV with 4x4. Those are not available anywhere except from a GM warehouse. The pair I purchased from a local Chevrolet dealership came from a GM warehouse 300 miles away. However, I am glad to say that they were delivered to the local dealership the next day and still I got my usual 20% discount from list price! For instance: AC Delco 4Sx38-2F pos. battery cable. List Price: $52.42 .... Net Price: $41.94
I must admit that any new replacement battery cables may work just fine. However, if it does not say AC Delco on it I don't want it on my S10 Blazer SUV, I don't care how much "better" it is. Many so-called "professional" ASE mechanics always say their off-brand products that they sell are "better" than AC Delco.
I understand most of the GM and AC Delco service replacement parts are made in Mexico now. The AC Delco Freedom batteries are made in Mexico by a Mexican company that was purchased by GM. According to some reports I have read, those batteries been having electrolite leakage problems from the side terminals. I will just have to keep a critical eye on mine and replace it under a warranty before the electrolite does any damage.
< Message edited by Duntov -- 4/28/2008 2:04:19 PM >
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1991 S10 Blazer 4-dr, auto., 4x4, 4.3L TBI
Competely original. My Blazer even has 1991 air in the spare.
Restored 1963 Pontiac Catalina Sport Coupe, Richmond ST-10 4-speed, 421 H.O., 370 HP tri-power, 3.64:1 Saf-T-Track, HD Police Option
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