Trying to get my Throw out Bearing and clutch replaced...dealer says 10hr job?

So I bought all the parts for my 05 V6 4x4 6spd MT:

Exedy TKL1503...on the exedy site it says I need the tkl1515, but I double checked with rock auto and they said 1503 is the one I need.

URD TOB

amsoil gl-4 fluid


So I called a local shop with high yelp reviews he said:~$450 for 4.5 hrs of labor
Midas said 4 hrs so $400 the bonus (if they are worth while) is that I have an Aero muffler and they can also install...the local garage doesn't do mufflers...

I read some bad Midas reviews so I thought I would call the stealership since it is across the street.....

South Coast Toyota quoted me at (drum roll please)...$1200 just for labor. They said because it is a 4x4 the labor time is around 10hrs because they have to remove the transfer case.

Is this insane? Can anyone with experience comment? I thought I read somewhere on here that Toyota but out a bulletin that it would take around 5 hrs...

I have all the parts, but I haven't decided where to have the work done so thanks to all you have read this far. Any advice is much appreciated..

 

I can't speak to the original question, other than to say I wouldn't let midas touch my truck with a ten foot pole.

Id do the dealer or the private shop.

 

Cool, thanks...What's your experience with Midas? I am getting worried now....maybe I should just have them do the exhaust. I can't pay the dealer $1200 for labor..they were also dicks on the phone after I told them I had all the parts...

 

I would do the private shop or take it to a place that specializes in transmissions.

 

I wouldn't take my truck to midas, like i wouldn't take it to VIP, Pep Boys, O'Reillys, or any of the other chains. I think private shops with good reputations or dealers are best, but its only my opinion. I think a private shop has more to lose with a bad reputation than a corporate shop.

 

I dropped it off at a private shop. Midas never got back to me about a time and quote today anyway.

Does anyone know what is the right clutch for the 6sp MT V6 4x4? Exedy says its the TKL1515, but all the autostores say its the 1503??

 

I solved the issue with the clutch kits in a post in the Tech section:

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/technical-chat/324295-correct-exedy-clutch-05-v6-4x4.html

 

Two points I would like to make.

First off, the dealership was full of it when they said it was a 10 hour job because it was a 4WD truck. Labor time to replace a clutch on your truck is 4.7 hours. That is for a 4WD truck. Not sure what they were trying to pull on that one.

Second, you can't base labor charges on the labor stated in a bulletin. Bulletin labor is a base guideline for a specific type of repair, and is not related to the same time for a repair based on a customer paid repair.

I am glad to hear that you have things worked out. I wish I had seen your post earlier and I could have answered your question on the clutch sooner.

 

Thanks for the reply...I have seen your posts on here and they are very definitive...I will have to PM you next time in need the real info...Thanks again1!

 

I do HVAC and let me tell you I HATE it when people try to supply their own parts. It kills my margin and I have to really get the labor but most of that kind of thing is side work, friends of friends and they always know how long you work on something because I'm in their house. So if I'm not charging outrageous labor rates, i.e. above market value, I have no real profit nor motivation to do the job.

And people always think I'll work for beer, which I never ever could understand. I can't pay my mortgage with beer; I've already asked the bank.

 

Guess it pays to have friends in the trans buisness. My buddy said supply the
Parts and i'll do it for $500

 

It's one thing to be competetive, but charging outrageous labor rates for the same caliber of work as your competitors is absurd and word will travel.

 

did it myself.

took me like 6-8 hours.

dealership is yanking your chain... the transfer case is connected to the transmission and is removed as 1 unit... wow


the $400 for labor does not sound bad at all

 

Right. The point is that most of my money would be made on parts, and a very low labor rate. To be well under shops, I'd have to charge like 40/hr. Most jobs can be done in an hour... or less unless its crazy. Driving somewhere, my gas, my truck my time for $40 doesn't really ring my bell. But if I can get a part wholesale for lets say $40, I charge $80-100 for the part, my $30 labor and I make a decent amount of money, still less than the big outfit and the customer really didn't pay that much more for the part than if they bought it at Granger or something like that... assuming they managed to get the right stuff.
But if they buy the part and I charge "friend" labor prices it's a loss for me, the time, the gas, the wear on my Taco...
I just would rather get the parts for them, make my money on that and give them the break on labor.

Besides, like I said, for some reason people always thing I should be doing their jobs for the fee of beer. Weird.

 

So, are they gonna resurface the flywheel, too?

 

The are going to exchange the flywheel with a resurfaced one. Sounds OK to me as long as it is the same.

I like to buy the parts because I find the best parts (that I need) for the best deals. Let's face it, mechanics charging $100/hr for labor is outrageous, but I know there is overhead. Hell, if I would have known I could make $100/hr without a degree, why would you even go to college? They are making money on the labor and I am getting the parts I want and not getting scalped on the parts prices. It doesn't seem unfair to me.

The dealer service dept at South Coast Toyota, well, lying about the work and trying to charge $1200 for labor seems unfair to me.

 

Let me give you some advice. Next time let the garage get the parts for the job. The reason is most garages will cover the labor if one of their clutches fail(paid for by manufacturer). If your clutch is defective you might get another one for free but you will have to pay the labor all over again. You might pay a little more for the parts thru the garage but it is well worth it. I know I work for a private garage.

 

Here is a nice update:

After I talked to the guy up front (at local garage) twice about installing the URD stuff instead of the clutch kit parts that are the same....Yep, they installed the clutch kit only.

At least they are going to redo it and supposedly not charge me for 2x the labor...

 

If you make more of a profit on parts than labor, you are pricing yourself wrong. I own a shop and let me tell you, I am just as happy installing customer supplied parts as selling them ones that I get. If they supply the parts then I don't have to worry about time ordering, receiving, verifying, etc. It's never the PREFERRED method, But I can mix it some without killing my bottom dollar. I simply tell them up front, if they supply the parts, there is no warranty on ANY labor time unless it is because of poor workmanship. And I tell even my friends and family, if you want me to work on your car/truck, then bring it to my shop where I have all of my tools. I REFUSE to do mobile work. Not worth the effort.

More power to you on buying your own parts. Just know that if the part fails, don't expect any shop to replace them for free. on your belief of a shop charging $100/hr for work, I disagree. Yes, there is a LOT of overhead that you are going to have to take into account. As for making $100/hr without a degree, Most GOOD technicians are sitting on at least an associates degree (I have one) and I spent 2 years going to college and busting my ass to learn what I have learned. Working on cars every day is NOT an easy task. While doctors simply have to learn how the human body works (which the human body hasn't changed for HOW many years?) The auto tech has to learn new makes and models and new designs and systems that change EVERY year. We have to continue to take classes and study and learn new systems so that we can fix your truck when you bring it in. So now do you STILL think that $100/hr is too much for a shop? While I don't mind a customer bringing me their own parts, I guarantee you NO shop could keep the doors open and have a successful shop if EVERY customer brought their own parts. About 38% of my profit comes from parts sales. Only 62% is based on labor.

 

The mechanics dont get all that money, the owner has to pay for the building and other bills.

Also I understand where darkside is coming from, side work should pay nice since you have very little overhead cost, I wouldnt wanna waste my time off for 20/hr.