$1200 for TB change?

09tdi

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2008
Location
Houston
TDI
2009 Jetta TDI, 2012 Q7 TDI, 2013 PORSCHE TDI,2015 BLUETECH
A TDI mechanic asked for $1200 for timing belt change. It is more expensive than dealer. Any other recomendations? Thanks

Location:Houston TX
 

MeOmYo

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2008
Location
Cooperstown, NY
TDI
2001 Golf GLS
Yeah, don't go to the dealer and find someone else.


Mike Staley
BARtuning.com
6615 Dixie Drive
Houston, TX 77087
(713) 645-4404
mike@bartuning.com
http://www.bartuning.com/directions.htm

TechnicalDieselInnovations
Steve Glover (mtbr297 on TDI club)
mtbr244@hotmail.com
(817) 244-7747 cell (817) 915-4063
Fort Worth, TX
Have vagcom, timing belts, service and other mods


Tim's German Auto
2632 White Settlement
Fort Worth, TX 76107
Phone: (817) 731-9494
Toll Free: (800) 257-8527
info@timsgermanauto.com
http://www.timsgermanauto.com/

VW certified mechanics
MAP

alphaseinor (a.k.a Brian)
Dallas, TX
(214) 257-8221
Timing Belts, Tools, Maintenance, Intake cleanings, troubleshooting, Have Vag-Com will travel.
 

NorthernMage

Veteran Member
Joined
May 5, 2005
Location
Victoria, BC
TDI
2012 Jetta TDI, 6MT, Platinum Grey
Tell them you can get all the parts for less than $300.00 including the new water pump all bolts and rollers and that labour should be around 4 hours - what is their hourly rate.... taking that price he is charging $225.00 an hour, a bit steep.....

I second MeOmYo, contact one of the others listed and get a quote. What Year/Model are we talking about?
 

09tdi

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2008
Location
Houston
TDI
2009 Jetta TDI, 2012 Q7 TDI, 2013 PORSCHE TDI,2015 BLUETECH
It is Mike in BARtuning who is asking for $1200. Any mechanic near houston can do the TB change?

MeOmYo said:
Yeah, don't go to the dealer and find someone else.


Mike Staley
BARtuning.com
6615 Dixie Drive
Houston, TX 77087
(713) 645-4404
mike@bartuning.com
http://www.bartuning.com/directions.htm

TechnicalDieselInnovations
Steve Glover (mtbr297 on TDI club)
mtbr244@hotmail.com
(817) 244-7747 cell (817) 915-4063
Fort Worth, TX
Have vagcom, timing belts, service and other mods


Tim's German Auto
2632 White Settlement
Fort Worth, TX 76107
Phone: (817) 731-9494
Toll Free: (800) 257-8527
info@timsgermanauto.com
http://www.timsgermanauto.com/

VW certified mechanics
MAP

alphaseinor (a.k.a Brian)
Dallas, TX
(214) 257-8221
Timing Belts, Tools, Maintenance, Intake cleanings, troubleshooting, Have Vag-Com will travel.
 

09tdi

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2008
Location
Houston
TDI
2009 Jetta TDI, 2012 Q7 TDI, 2013 PORSCHE TDI,2015 BLUETECH
02 Golf GLS TDI

NorthernMage said:
Tell them you can get all the parts for less than $300.00 including the new water pump all bolts and rollers and that labour should be around 4 hours - what is their hourly rate.... taking that price he is charging $225.00 an hour, a bit steep.....

I second MeOmYo, contact one of the others listed and get a quote. What Year/Model are we talking about?
 

mrGutWrench

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 29, 2002
Location
Carrboro, NC
TDI
'03 Jetta Wagon, 5-speed, 563K Miles (July '23)
09tdi said:
02 Golf GLS TDI
__. You probably know, but you can install the '03 "Deluxe Kit" and your belt system will be rated for 100K miles from that point.
 

rickwol

Active member
Joined
Feb 6, 2003
Location
Buffalo,NY
TDI
2003 Jetta GL TDI retired, 2010 Jetta TDI 6MT
$1200 Timing Job

09tdi said:
It is Mike in BARtuning who is asking for $1200. Any mechanic near houston can do the TB change?
Hard to understand on this forum why this "trusted TDI mechanic" isn't getting flamed, but just for your knowledge I had my 03 done by Metal Man (a sponsor) for half of that, with the 100,000 interval parts. I hope someone in control of this site can remove the crook that quoted you $1200.
 
J

jaredaggie

Guest
I had Mike look over my car before I bought it and he seemed like a really good guy, but thats a LOTTA money.
 

jasonTDI

TDI GURU Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Apr 26, 2001
Location
Oregon, WI
TDI
04', 05', 06' TDI's. Audi SQ5, RAM Rebel
you have no idea what you are talking about.....

If he's buying the parts from the dealer they are over $600. He isn't someone working out of their garage with no insurance either. He has overhead. I have overhead too with a shop, albeit it's just me and I'm not the cheapest either.

FWIW people have had a REAL hard time in NY finding a mechanic they can trust and does it cheaply. Seen tons of posts about it for years.

rickwol said:
Hard to understand on this forum why this "trusted TDI mechanic" isn't getting flamed, but just for your knowledge I had my 03 done by Metal Man (a sponsor) for half of that, with the 100,000 interval parts. I hope someone in control of this site can remove the crook that quoted you $1200.
 

quartersaw

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 20, 2005
Location
Albany, NY
TDI
2002 Jetta Wagon, '96 B4V,'99 2 door Golf
.......A friend just had a timing belt job done at (warning!) Capital Cities VW in Glenmont,NY for $1100.00...







jasonTDI said:
you have no idea what you are talking about.....

If he's buying the parts from the dealer they are over $600. He isn't someone working out of their garage with no insurance either. He has overhead. I have overhead too with a shop, albeit it's just me and I'm not the cheapest either.

FWIW people have had a REAL hard time in NY finding a mechanic they can trust and does it cheaply. Seen tons of posts about it for years.
 

TornadoRed

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2003
Location
West Des Moines (formerly St Paul)
TDI
2003 Golf GLS 5-spd, indigo blue; 2003 Jetta TDI wagon, silver; 2003 Jetta TDI wagon, indigo blue; 2003 Golf GL 5-spd, red (retired); 2003 Jetta TDI wagon, Candy White (sold)
I think it would be worth making a day-trip up to Dallas-Fort Worth. I know it's a couple hundred miles, but you would only have to make that trip every 100k miles, if the job is done right. And those guys in DFW (Alphaseinor and mbtr297) both have excellent reputations (I don't know about Tim's German Auto.)
 
Last edited:

wczorn

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 16, 2007
Location
Sugar Land, Texas
TDI
2004 Jetta Gl TDI 5 SPD
TornadoRed said:
I think it would be worth making a day-trip up to Dallas-Fort Worth. I know it's a couple hundred miles, but you would only have to make that trip every 100k miles, if the job is done right. And those guys in DFW (Alphaseinor and mbtr297) both have excellent reputations (I don't know about Tim's German Auto.)
I couldn't agree with you more Tornado. Both Steve and Brian have excellent reputations with TDI Club members in the area. They are experienced, they do excellent professional work and they are reasonable. They both have received lots of personal recommendations from members in the area. mtbr297 currently has my Jetta in for work. :)
 
Last edited:

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
For the ALH we are about $900 (this is retail price, at an actual shop, doing the job properly). $1200 does seem a little steep, but perhaps he is either using dealer parts ($$$), or there was some more work in that quote. Because at 100k miles, the car needs more than just a timing belt job.
 

aja8888

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 25, 2007
Location
Texas..RETIRED 12/31/17
TDI
Out of TDI's
wczorn said:
I couldn't agree with you more Tornado. Both Steve and Brian have excellent reputations with TDI Club members in the area. They are experienced, they do excellent professional work and they are reasonable. They both have received lots of personal recommendations from members in the area. mtbr297 currently has my Jetta in for work. :)
It's a nice drive up I-45 from Houston to either of these two fine fellows. Both have done work for me and will continue to do the same in the future. ;)
 

Burl

Well-known member
Joined
May 6, 2008
Location
Mansfield, TX
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SE
FWIW mtbr297 comes highly recommended by me as well. Did my timing belt when I got my car and was very professional and had it ready when promised. Sounds silly at a glance but the reason people are telling you to drive up here is that he does a great job at a reasonable price and has proven to be reliable over a few years. Nice guy and a VW fan as well as mechanic.
 

Joe Fisher

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 27, 2002
Location
Kalispell, MT
TDI
NA
My thoughts exactly, that's why I drove over 500 miles one way to have DBW do my timing belt.


TornadoRed said:
I know it's a couple hundred miles, but you would only have to make that trip every 100k miles, if the job is done right.
 

Dodoma

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2004
TDI
2002 Jetta White
The Mckenna VW in Huntington Beach, CA charges about $1,100 to $1,200. This cost also includes new water pump and rollers. If you were to do yourself, it should cost you atleast $350 for the kit and another $300 for the tools. The engine lifting tool costs about $50 (you may jack the engine up if you do not want to use the lifting tool). You may need to spend another $70 for a USB cable to download Ross Tech software to set "precise" timing. If you do not have a computer, that should cost you $500-$700. You need to include coolent (unless you wishes to use the old one), rags, gloves, hand soap, sodas, etc, costing about $40. Your time at a minimum wage of $6.25 for 6 hours translates to $37.50. You can lower your cost by renting the tools. So you can see that $1,200 is not a bad deal. If you buy the tools, you may reuse those later on or sell after doing the job in which case you may lower the cost by $150 to $200. I am not counting the time or cost if you mess up stripping the threads or break bolts. Given this information, you should be able to decide whether it is worth doing yourself. One veteran member Bleachbora used to do a favor at reduced labor of $300 if you buy your own parts. That deal was great. May be he should offer some of those again.
 
Last edited:

TornadoRed

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2003
Location
West Des Moines (formerly St Paul)
TDI
2003 Golf GLS 5-spd, indigo blue; 2003 Jetta TDI wagon, silver; 2003 Jetta TDI wagon, indigo blue; 2003 Golf GL 5-spd, red (retired); 2003 Jetta TDI wagon, Candy White (sold)
Dodoma said:
The Mckenna VW in Huntington Beach, CA charges about $1,100 to $1,200.
Wild Rose Motors is less than 25 miles from Huntington Beach, and charges around $300-400 less for work that is as good or better.
 

TornadoRed

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2003
Location
West Des Moines (formerly St Paul)
TDI
2003 Golf GLS 5-spd, indigo blue; 2003 Jetta TDI wagon, silver; 2003 Jetta TDI wagon, indigo blue; 2003 Golf GL 5-spd, red (retired); 2003 Jetta TDI wagon, Candy White (sold)
d2305 said:
Is runonbeer still in Austin? I would hate to get in the Dallas traffic.
Runonbeer quit working on TDIs about a year ago. His cohort, aNut, recently moved from Austin to Denver. There is a place in San Antonio which both Robbie and Anuthee recommended:
http://www.dieseltoyz.com/Home.html

But so far no customers have reported back with any stories about Diesel Toyz.
 

MeOmYo

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2008
Location
Cooperstown, NY
TDI
2001 Golf GLS
Dodoma said:
The Mckenna VW in Huntington Beach, CA charges about $1,100 to $1,200. This cost also includes new water pump and rollers. If you were to do yourself, it should cost you atleast $350 for the kit and another $300 for the tools. The engine lifting took costs about $50 (you may jack the engine up if you do not want to use the lifting tool). You may need to spend another $70 for a USB cable to download Ross Tech software to set "precise" timing. If you do not have a computer, that should cost you $500-$700. You need to include coolent (unless you wishes to use the old one), rags, gloves, hand soap, sodas, etc, costing about $40. Your time at a minimum wage of $6.25 for 6 hours translates to $37.50. You can lower your cost by renting the tools. So you can see that $1,200 is not a bad deal. If you buy the tools, you may reuse those later on or sell after doing the job in which case you may lower the cost by $150 to $200. I am not counting the time or cost if you mess up stripping the threads or break bolts. Given this information, you should be able to decide whether it is worth doing yourself. One veteran member Bleachbora used to do a favor at reduced labor of $300 if you buy your own parts. That deal was great. May be he should offer some of those again.
I don't agree. If someone is charging $1200 and someone else within driving distance is charging $900 and they both do good quality work, then $1200 is a bad deal. Sure you have a lot of overhead but you cannot expect to recoop a large percentage of it in one job.

With that being said it's common sense marketing. If you have more work than you can handle, raise your price. If you don't have enough work, lower your prices. I don't think anyone should flame the mechanic that quoted the price and his price has no bearing on his quality of work on these cars. We have no idea what the circumstances are leading up to a $1200 quote so flaming/banning, etc. IMO is out of line.
 

MeOmYo

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2008
Location
Cooperstown, NY
TDI
2001 Golf GLS
jasonTDI said:
FWIW people have had a REAL hard time in NY finding a mechanic they can trust and does it cheaply. Seen tons of posts about it for years.
This is true. I think it is harder to find a trusted mechanic here than it is to find one that does it cheap. A buddy of mine from Rochester drove to Canandaigua to have someone do his timing belt on a '00 Golf. The guy quoted him $175 + parts at cost. I immedietly told him that the mechanic has no F ing idea what he is doing but my buddy was only looking at price.

There is a mechanic that is not 10 miles from my house in East Bumble Sticks that only works on european cars and is very familiar and competent with the TDIs. He quoted me $500 labor for the timing belt using my metalman deluxe kit so all told it would have been ~$850 out of my pocket. Not bad but I did it on my own as I have the tools, etc.

I think most of it has to do with VW not being able to sell new TDIs in this state for so long. There are not many here realtive to other states so therefore there are not as many people to work on them.
 

KROUT

persona non grata
Joined
Aug 26, 2005
Location
JAX FL
You guys have to understand that some shops have higher overhead than others. I am too cheap and need to raise my rates.

I charge 350 labor plus the parts for most t-belts either pd or alh. That works out to around 700-750 with parts. My new rate will be 400 for the labor. Roughly works out to 70-80 per hour.

My building alone cost me $2000 a month before I pay for the phone, insurance, advertising,trash etc...........

I have people all the time say well so and so will do it cheaper. I say well take it to them. This is mostly my tinting work. You have to ask your self is cheaper better. In this case it may be as the mechanics sugested all have good knowledge and reputations.
 

MarsBar

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 28, 2008
Location
San Jose, CA
TDI
B4V#2 "Flash", 2000 Jetta GL, B4V#1 "PaTuDI" (2008-2018 RIP)
As was pointed out but has yet to be answered by the OP, what else is being quoted for besides the timing belt job? Having that info would allow truly informed opinions to be given. $1200 does sound like a quote for more than a TB.
 

thebigarniedog

Master of the Obvious
Joined
Oct 14, 2007
Location
Fail Command (Central Ohio)
TDI
1998 Jetta tdi
KROUT said:
You guys have to understand that some shops have higher overhead than others. I am too cheap and need to raise my rates.

I charge 350 labor plus the parts for most t-belts either pd or alh. That works out to around 700-750 with parts. My new rate will be 400 for the labor. Roughly works out to 70-80 per hour.

My building alone cost me $2000 a month before I pay for the phone, insurance, advertising,trash etc...........

I have people all the time say well so and so will do it cheaper. I say well take it to them. This is mostly my tinting work. You have to ask your self is cheaper better. In this case it may be as the mechanics sugested all have good knowledge and reputations.
I think you nailed it Krout along with Jason and Brian. The only additions I would add are the time considerations in doing the work (i.e. the customers schedule and their attitude about the world revolving around their schedule and the shop's workload at the time of the request for service). I also think the other lad calling someone a "crook" and asking that the shop being removed from the trusted mechanic list for quoting a price of $1200 is over the line. Your on the list for your quality work not your price.
 

jasonTDI

TDI GURU Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Apr 26, 2001
Location
Oregon, WI
TDI
04', 05', 06' TDI's. Audi SQ5, RAM Rebel
Attitude is everything.....I've priced some stuff off the planet for some people in quotes because they p***ed me off. Don't come to me with the "I'm going to make you my bit**" attitude. It isn't tollerated. FWIW I got a new shirt for the shop. It says "If you're going to ride my a** so hard, at least pull my hair".
 

Bob_Fout

Oil Wanker
Joined
Sep 5, 2004
Location
Indiana
TDI
2003 Jetta - Alaska Green (sold) / 2015 GTI 2.0T
jasonTDI said:
Attitude is everything.....I've priced some stuff off the planet for some people in quotes because they p***ed me off. Don't come to me with the "I'm going to make you my bit**" attitude. It isn't tollerated. FWIW I got a new shirt for the shop. It says "If you're going to ride my a** so hard, at least pull my hair".
Your hair is too short though:D
 

KROUT

persona non grata
Joined
Aug 26, 2005
Location
JAX FL
I usually require the car be droped off for 2 days. I will work around that if they are from out of town and only here for repairs. I really dont like people standing over me while I work it happens but I prefer the customer just drop the car off.

As far as the guys saying they should be removed is BS. If they do good work they have a right to be there. Shop prices all depend on the work load of the shop. If your booked for weeks at a time hire more people or raise your prices or both.

While I think the price is high we are only getting one side of the story. As Jason said if they are using delaer parts there is the added cost right there. That would put the labor right in line with most shops.
 
Top