VZ Thermostat replacement

[graham7773]

I am probably a bit late asking this question but it is about questionable mechanics.
My daughter recently found a thermostat coolant leak in her 2006 VZ Commodore. Her mechanic quoted $1200 to do do the job. As she needed the car on a daily basis, she got him to do the job. From what I can see, the job should take no more than 5 hours for any competent mechanic. $1200??
Question:- am I wrong or has my girl been robbed?
text size is so I can read it. 73 year old eyeballs
gasket + seals no more than $50? Around $1000+ for labour? $200 per hour?Hmmm.
commodore665, job is done so further quotes only aggravate me and my girl.

 

[commodore665]

The thermostat on the alloytec engine is right at he back of engine , so it's a pain the butt to get to , explains the 5 labour . Might pay to get a second quote

 

[rambunctious]

Don't know if this helps

Where is the thermostat located and how to change on a vz holden v6

I am not for one minute saying it is justified, but in relation to the $1200 cost, just remember 1/11th of that ($109) is Goods and Services Tax (GST) which the thieving Government gets, so the mechanics cost is $1090.

 

[stick3]

couple of years ago cost us 1100 to replace the thermostat and spark plugs , in comparison k mart auto said between 2 -3k to do it ( pull the donk out)

 

[graham7773]

couple of years ago cost us 1100 to replace the thermostat and spark plugs , in comparison k mart auto said between 2 -3k to do it ( pull the donk out)

pull the donk out? hah! But the mech the daughter had said the gearbox had to come out. I cannot believe the tripe some service shops try to get away with. I have to say, after the job was done, I found quotes under $500 for the same job. I dunno. Maybe they readin my mail. The thermostat diy's on here don't mention removing the motor or gearbox!!!
thanks to all responders.

 

[loopie]

pull the donk out? hah! But the mech the daughter had said the gearbox had to come out. I cannot believe the tripe some service shops try to get away with. I have to say, after the job was done, I found quotes under $500 for the same job. I dunno. Maybe they readin my mail. The thermostat diy's on here don't mention removing the motor or gearbox!!!
thanks to all responders.

pull inlet manifold off and **** , while there do the plugs, about 3 hours work

 

[rambunctious]

pull the donk out? hah! But the mech the daughter had said the gearbox had to come out. I cannot believe the tripe some service shops try to get away with. I have to say, after the job was done, I found quotes under $500 for the same job. I dunno. Maybe they readin my mail. The thermostat diy's on here don't mention removing the motor or gearbox!!!
thanks to all responders.

It is not only vehicle repairs and servicing but right across the country.
Seems some people in business, and I stress, not all business people, can no longer do a decent job for a decent price, they have to talk all forms of bullkrap in order to jack the price up, and the sad thing is, these thieves actually think they have done nothing wrong, and that people actually believe their bullkrap.

 

[krusing]

I did exactly that, remove the intake hardware, and it is a PIA job,
But very doable.
4 > 5 hours.

I had a leak on the o’ring on the aluminium coolant pipe, I fixed that from removing that from underneath,
But,
Then it leaked on the o-rings on the heater pipes that connect to the thermostat housing,
That’s when I decided to attack this from the top.
I also ditched the metal gasket that Holden used between the block and thermostat housing, and used gasket material and made my own gasket,
Applied gasket cement on both sides to the gasket, and installed the Thermostat Housing,
and then fitted the 2 new O-rings,
fitted it all back together, and that has now fixed all of the coolant leaks.
The o-ring kit inc postage was $15,
Gasket material I already had,
Gasket cement I already had.

FYI: the bolts and the nuts are all 10mm, and can be lost/dropped very easily. Don’t rush it, so taking you time is vital,
And most of it done by feel, and the use of a small mirror to make sure the mating surface is clean before assemble.

Side note: The secret was to remove the battery and air box, so you have some room to place you feet, otherwise you may get a cramp leaning over the top of the engine,
where it’s head down, bum up, literally!.

 

[Fu Manchu]

Coolant bleed procedure.
(The links show my old bleed bucket that I made. I now use a proper bleed bucket made for the job like everyone else uses)

https://forums.justcommodores.com.au/threads/vz-ve-vf-alloytec-cooling-system-repairs.279976/post-3063804

Links show the videos.

 

[HSV126]

It's a big job, pay the man