I drive a 2003 Mitsubishi Outlander and I am required to change my timing belt as part of preventive maintenance. When I had been to Firestone, they quoted $998 for Timing Belt Water Pump (both parts labor). When I called Midas, they quoted $550 for the same. Does anyone know why there is such a big difference? I have been a regular at Firestone, so Midas is new to me. Are they reliable? Midas is quoting low now, but would there be a surprise charge after I get it done? BTW, how is a water pump related to a timing belt??
The Difference is the amount of money being charge for labor,plus the mark up on the parts that most repair shops have. they may get the parts from the same place and pay the same price but have different pricing at the end. Labor rates vary thopugh they charge the same amount of time to do the Job (flat rate) their labor hour charge might be different. I would look closely at both WRITTEN Repair estimates and see what each one is charging for the belt and the Water Pump and how much labor they are charging for the Job. As to how the Water pump is related to the timing belt, The pump has to be rmoved to replace the Belt.
This Site Might Help You. RE: Timing Belt Water Pump? I drive a 2003 Mitsubishi Outlander and I am required to change my timing belt as part of preventive maintenance. When I had been to Firestone, they quoted $998 for Timing Belt Water Pump (both parts labor). When I called Midas, they quoted $550 for the same. Does anyone know why there is such...
Some cars have different designs. The water pump on my 96 Century could have been done in a matter of minutes. Where as some are much deeper in the engine. Usually, to change a water pump like this is pretty much one more step than changing the timing belt. This is why it's usually a good idea to do them both at once.
For the best answers, search on this site https://shorturl.im/ayg4o Replacing a water pump may or may not be correct, if it's not leaking or noisy then it is still serviceable. The issue is more of a preventative maintenance issue. It will likely fail, and when it does, you must remove all the parts involved with the timing belt job to access it, so you incur the labor cost twice. I recommend a water pump be done at the second Timing belt or around 120K miles, if not done sooner. also the tensioner pulley/s at that time as a safety practice, some engines use hydraulic tensioners that are prone to failure (early mitsu's). There is no way of saying how long the water pump will last, and when it does fail, it's usually an inconvenience.
When you remove the timing belt cover, then the water pump is internally built into the engine block. It is a couple hours work, so you don't want to pay that labour charge again...6 months later for a water pump problem. Honestly.. a rubber timing belt is about 35 dollars. and a water pump is about 65 dollars. And the labor is about 3 hours maximum. Any good mechanic can do this in the driveway. So... don't feel any loyalty at all to Firestone or Midas, or uncle Louis if you can save some money. There is absolutely NO delicate adjustments, or computerized readings necessary to do this work. $998?? that's the price for lonely women who don't have a father or boyfriend to help them. Yeah... you teen-age mechanics can give me all the thumbs downs you like. I've done a few belts and water pumps. It's a few hours, but easy! THE WATER PUMP NEVER HOLDS THE TENSION ON THE BELT. That is the tensioner pulley, a separate item. teenage armchair mechanics!
