Hi GSXR,Good to hear you got it sorted out, @WFD! This really didn't look like a bad car overall, but it had some question marks, and the seller seemed to be bent on marketing spin. But anyway.
Some of the stuff on the invoice looks normal for your typical shop rates. A couple of things raise my eyebrows though... $190 for 1 hour labor to adjust the belt tension? That's a 15-minute job unless the tensioner (or the belt) had to be removed for reasons not mentioned on the invoice. Ditto for 1 hour on the passenger mirror adjustment switch, and 1 hour to clearance lug bolts. Similar question for the power steering reservoir/hose work, 6 hours seems excessive unless there was additional work involved that wasn't documented. Does this shop have a 1-hour minimum labor charge on each individual job? If so... WOW. Cha-ching, for them.
On the flip side, 3.5 hours for the oil level sending unit (and oil change) is downright reasonable. Oddly, there was no oil pan gasket mentioned... I hope they really did drop the pan and replace this sending unit. Alternately, I hope they did not re-install the pan using sealant instead of a gasket, this will cause a nightmare of epic proportions for the next poor sap who needs to remove the oil pan.
Resurfacing brake rotors "on the car" for $500 seems ridiculous, though. You could buy all four rotors brand new from the dealership for less than $500. I've never heard of this procedure before. I've heard of on-the-car wheel balancing, but not rotor surfacing. Odd.
Note that for people who can turn a wrench in their garage or driveway, all of this could have been DIY'd for well under $1k (or, maybe $1500 tops with new brake rotors). Edit - plus probably 10-20 hours DIY labor, for a first-timer looking up everything here on this forum.
I’m not sure what you meant by saying I was “bent on marketing spin.” From my perspective, the inspection largely aligns with the account provided by the family member I purchased the vehicle from — and it also addresses or contradicts some of the assumptions made earlier in this thread.
Also worth noting: the person making many of the accusations in this email chain is directly involved in a long-standing custody dispute I’ve been engaged in for over three years, which makes their objectivity and motives highly questionable.
I’m happy to have a respectful and fact-based conversation about the vehicle, but I feel it’s important to be transparent about context.
Best - Don
