I just paid 0 to replace a starter in my 2001 Honda Accord, is this a fair price?
A remanufactured OEM starter for a 2001 Accord LX goes for about $230 at www.HondaAutomotiveParts.com . The latter's part prices are usually better than the dealer's. $70 more for installation sounds very fair.
IMO,no. Considering that the starter solenoid contacts were probably the real problem,and when I replaced them in my 94 Integra GSR,new contacts and plunger only cost me $30 from an Internet company specializing in starter repairs. Getting the lower bolt of the starter broken loose was a real bitch. Replacing the worn contacts was easy.
The question remains whether the starter actually needed replacement or just new solenoid contacts and plunger.It cost me $30 for new contacts and plunger for my 94 GSR's starter,but getting the starter out to work on was a trial,that lower bolt was frozen tight,not much room for a breaker bar.Took me 3 hours total.
Yes, I saw your other post. (I generally don't respond if I agree with subsequent posts or feel the post is offering a differing opinion, but one with merit. I post enough here at certain times, and I'm only an amateur.) Yours is certainly a fair and very important point, and should I have starter problems, I'll check and do what you advised. This reminds me of alternator replacements at dealers. I posted some about this recently, based on my own experiences (where I was likely taken for a ride). How often do dealer shops just replace the brushes on alternators, especially given that this is likely the #1 cause of an alternator failing? Dealer shops seem to take a shotgun approach. Sometimes maybe that's a good idea to prevent comebacks (as well as make more money). But it sounds like that's particularly inappropriate for starters having mere bad solenoids. What you say sounds reasonable to me, and it's very specific, so I defer to your experience.
I think it is part of the realities of doing business. I almost always have a shot at repairing things like brushes because it makes good economic sense to me. But if I took the car into a shop where they replaced the brushes and the alternator or starter (or whatever) failed again, I'd expect the shop to make good on it. So the alternatives from the shop's perspective are to re-use a major component that is known to be old and to make a pittance on parts, or to put in a new part while making a decent mark-up. Which to choose.... Mike
I agree and was trying to convey similar above when I mentioned 'avoiding comebacks.' Plus in the same vein, the time it takes a dealer technician to diagnose exactly what is wrong with a certain component may cost just about the same as slapping a whole new component into place. There is a saying among industrial (that is, hands on and not necessarily college degreed) engineers who work with apprentices: Engineers replace; apprentices (= young folks in training) always want to repair. The engineers know the sure fix lies in replacement. I'm sure this will vary depending on the part. Maybe dealers are particularly ripping people off with starters by not just replacing the solenoid yada. OTOH, if a person knows enough to say the starter just needs a new solenoid yada, then maybe s/he shouldn't be taking it to the dealer in the first place but instead doing it him/herself. I was never annoyed when I learned that I got a whole new alternator several years ago at a dealer then more recently learned it probably only needed new brushes and/or maybe new bearings. They fixed the problem and thoroughly (presuming I did get a thoroughly remanned or brand new alternator). I didn't know how to. Even if I had a manual back then and knew about this newsgroup, I didn't have time to monkey with it, being employed full-time. I got expertise and should have to pay for it.
It also depends on how accessible the component is;like the alternators on Honda/Acura,they are a bitch to access,require major disassembly,and there's much to go wrong with them;diodes,bearings,brushes,worn contact rings. But for the starters,there's not really much to go wear out on them,they are only used for starting,not continuous like an alternator. Prices for some of these rebuilt components are IMO,out of line,too.
