Diagnostic Scope Of Works, Reasonable Or Rip Off Price?

[Andy109]

Hi,

thanks for reading through this thread and hope you can help.

Im a newbie to the forum but hopefully will become a long time regular member, now on to business,

bought my 2009 fiesta 1.6 tdci zetec bought 6 months ago with 64k miles on the clock and very happy with it, over the past couple weeks I've noticed the car has lost its sharpness in acceleration / power and a occasional rumble / rattle sound, now on about 68k miles.

Decided to take the car for a diagnostic check to see if its just me or if something is actually wrong with the car.

the results came back and the work required is:-

cambelt change

egr valve sticking

leaking sump.

the break down of price given is:-

egr valve & gasket 3 hrs labour - £640

sump plug, sealant, seal 1 hr labour - £120

cam belt kit and water pump 3 hours labour - £520

total - £1280

The parts will be genuine ford parts, so just wondering is this a reasonable price or am i getting ripped off? would it be easy to do these jobs my self?

I hope you can help and look forward to your replies

A

[btmaldon]

Sounds like a right ripoff. The EGR valve can be cleaned. There are loads of threads on it. I don't know these engines but sounds like a long job when a lot of people on here do it themselves.

Not sure when your cambelt is due but worth checking. An Indy garage should be able to do it cheaper. Just make sure you use a recommended garage.

Is the sump really leaking? There maybe some oil or diesel on it but unless its dripping, I wouldn't worry.

[Mike77]

Egr can be blanked off, simple enough job, and a blanking plate (stainless steel best) can be had for less than a fiver. Regarding your cambelt kit and swapping over,, that price is terrible, you could get a decent mobile mechanic to do the job for half that money !!!!

[potter18]

Go to a couple of different garages and get some more quotes

[Andy109]

thanks for the quick response everyone,

with regards to blanking the egr valve, i assume i would still have to clean it before blocking it off as i think its sticking a bit. I've seen a few plates on eBay but I've also heard that you have to put a gasket in-between as well?

im a few 1000 miles off the recommended timing belt change, it needs to get done anyway so i was thinking the sooner the better, also I've heard of putting a new water pump in at the same time? is this recommended? ford sells the timing belt and water pump as a kit.

is the EGR a major issue that needs to get repaired / fixed ASAP?

thanks for the help so far everyone

[Mike77]

Egr can cause problems, and put the car into 'limp mode' so you will notice reduced power if this happens. No need to use a gasket with the blanking plate, but do try and get a stainless steel one as alloy ones can burn up, then you would have problems. Don't think the egr would need cleaning before fitting unless its throwing your engine management light onto the dash ? On any car that runs a water pump on the timing belt cycle, it is a no brainer to change this with the timing belt kit, as its quite often this part that fails and causes the belt to snap, or slip. Using Ford parts is a choice only you can make, personally, I think there is equally good products on the market, that do exactly the same job, for a fraction of their prices !!!

[matt1981]

That cambelt quote is shocking. I had my Citroen done recently and the water pump both for 220 with a service. Shop around

[Andy109]

thanks all,

@Mike77 can you recommend any brands for the cam belt and water pump? did you install them your self? also have you blanked off yours? i know its supposed to help reduce emissions but doesn't the EGR valve help warm up the engine quicker or am i mistaken in that?

I have only really done simple car maintenance so not sure if i can do this myself.

thanks again all and ill keep updates on this

[MattDRX]

Better than Renault, cheapest Quote I got my 182 done for was £725, but lol at that cost for an EGR valve, just take it off and spray a can of carb cleaner through it, that'll fix it for a while.

Ford must be cheaper themselves to do that, where abouts are you in London? I may know a decent company nearby that can do it for less and do a proper job with no tipxex on the cams matching up crap.

[Mike77]

I've not blanked mine off as yet, but fully intend too. Did my focus, and it felt better from the off. I just bought my belt kit and water pump from euro car parts, they are a reputable company. And got my mate to give me a hand with the fitting. Better in my opinion if you get a price from a good few garages, and you'll see a huge reduction in your original quote.

[Sheriff]

I nearly spat my coffee at the EGR quote alone!

I'd have told them to suck my fat one.

Then do the EGR yourself and save a fortune.

Cam belt a no brainer, but can be done cheaper for sure.

[mick85]

What's ur mileage why they sayin u need new timing belt change if u blanking off egr take bit time a give complete intake system a really good clean

Sent from my iPhone using Ford OC