Question for Mechanics

[mml373]

Subaru - never own another one. Kid got a 2006 Outback Legacy with 113K on it to take to college. Two years later had to replace the head gasket, which I found out later is a problem on that year. Then timing chain, then sensor after sensor. Now it is throwing a check engine light for fuel sensor or something that was recently replaced and it's good, so they think it is a wiring issue and want to replace the wiring harness for $1200 and if that doesn't fix it the bulkhead wiring harness for another $2000. It's sitting in the driveway for sale in excellent physical, but not sellable with current electrical problems. I've about had it with all the old junk we have that is is good condition, but worn out.

Replace it with old stuff that isn't worn out junk. The cost of new is just too damned high. My new philosophy is to buy used pickups for no more than $7500. You can find some really good ones out there. Current daily driver is a 2003 Silverado. Body is beat to hell/rusted, but truck came to me with a new engine and transmission and has run reliably for 3 years so far.

 

[GoWyo]

This is our only load pulling truck and it has been a dependable vehicle until the transmission got tired and torque converter grenaded. But, it was worth the new transmission at $3500 (local shop rebuilt it and the guy does a good job). During the transmission rebuild time we had to borrow neighbors and friends trucks and we figured we better find a newer highway pulling rig and this old truck would be the backup. Well the time has come to find the newer truck, so we are holding off on the repair and shopping in a terrible buyer's market. Probably a base model diesel crew cab (I prefer vinyl floors and less electronic gadgets). I hate the idea of spending the $$$, but we are spending almost a new truck payment on the annual repair bills.

Have a friend we partner on a lease pasture with who is a good mechanic when he isn't at his job as a machinist and has done a power stroke replacement on one of his own vehicles and can do this over the course of a couple months. May rebuild, replace the motor -- depends on budget, but it would be nice to have a redundancy in the trailer pulling rig department.

Or may get it back together and put a bale bed on it. Or sell it and get a big block gas burner with a bale bed. Lots of options once we have a newer road rig.

 

[Lucky]

The problem with spending 8-10k on a 10k truck is that it's still a 10k truck. Decisions Decisions

 

[alacowman1]

My old truck gets a wash and wax ,every time I price one..

 

[alacowman1]

The problem with spending 8-10k on a 10k truck is that it's still a 10k truck. Decisions Decisions

That's the thing..8-10 ain't nothing compared to buying new..if he drove it another 50 to 100k. thats an investment compared to losing that much just leaving the dealership in a new one.…and dealers around here are wanting your used trucks

 

[Lucky]

That's the thing..8-10 ain't nothing compared to buying new..if he drove it another 50 to 100k. thats an investment compared to losing that much just leaving the dealership in a new one.…and dealers around here are wanting your used trucks

Not saying it's a bad investment but at the same time you have to be aware of what you sink money into. I've got old stuff and new stuff. Both take maintenance, you just have to understand when enough is enough. I have no idea what the OP is working with except that it's an old 7.3 powerstroke.

I had one back in the day. I still remember how good I thought it pulled and how nice it was. 1997 Green extended cab 4x4 LWB F250 powerstroke. It was a nice rig. I still think the late 90's F250 & 350s were the best looking trucks. I've got a 1995 F250 gas that I really like. Doubt I'd sink 10k in it though. 3-4k would be the limit.

 

[alacowman1]

Not saying it's a bad investment but at the same time you have to be aware of what you sink money into. I've got old stuff and new stuff. Both take maintenance, you just have to understand when enough is enough. I have no idea what the OP is working with except that it's an old 7.3 powerstroke.

I had one back in the day. I still remember how good I thought it pulled and how nice it was. 1997 Green extended cab 4x4 LWB F250 powerstroke. It was a nice rig. I still think the late 90's F250 & 350s were the best looking trucks. I've got a 1995 F250 gas that I really like. Doubt I'd sink 10k in it though. 3-4k would be the limit.

we Had a old man bring in a old wore out Astro van to put a new crate V6 in ..I thought to myself as he was leaving out..it is worth as much now going out the back door ,as it was when it come in the front..but im sure as thrifty as that old man was, he'll drive that out of it..

 

[Son of Butch]

I thought to myself as he was leaving out..it is worth as much now going out the back door ,as it was when it come in the front..but im sure as thrifty as that old man was, he'll drive that out of it..

Plus his insurance rates didn't go up by switching to a newer vehicle.

 

[Lucky]

To the OPs original question. If the shop called me and said we got a broken bolt in the head and gave me a few options as to what could happen I'd be fine with the repair cost if, I agreed to the possibility of things going awry. If they just tried something without asking I'd hit them for the labor cost of replacing the head. The problem shops run into is 95% of the customers think they fix stuff with some sort of magic wand then charge an outrageous amount. Working on cars and trucks takes allot of skill. Working on a 25yr old diesel with who knows how many miles complicates things even more. People always say that engines good for 500,000 miles. They seem to forget everything attached to it is only good for 10 yrs before it becomes worn and easy to break.

 

[callmefence]

To the OPs original question. If the shop called me and said we got a broken bolt in the head and gave me a few options as to what could happen I'd be fine with the repair cost if, I agreed to the possibility of things going awry. If they just tried something without asking I'd hit them for the labor cost of replacing the head. The problem shops run into is 95% of the customers think they fix stuff with some sort of magic wand then charge an outrageous amount. Working on cars and trucks takes allot of skill. Working on a 25yr old diesel with who knows how many miles complicates things even more. People always say that engines good for 500,000 miles. They seem to forget everything attached to it is only good for 10 yrs before it becomes worn and easy to break.

Also there's a reason shops tend to want to replace everything associated with a problem instead of surgically just doing what's needed. People want to beat them up if they run into a problem.
The detail of what happened in the op seems very believable to me. Along with surprisingly honest. They ran into a broken exhaust bolt on a truck that's had lots of wrenches on it. The op himself basically said it's worn out. They tried to fix it because at this point what else do you do? It's apart putting it back together doesn't help. They tried and it didn't go well. At the very most they cracked a well used cylinder head that needed to come off anyway and go to a machine shop. There's not to much milk spilt here imo. From way over here I'm thinking I'd probably pay the bill and keep them in mind for future work.
Edit. As I said earlier I would look into replacing the engine vs 8000.00 on a head. But I don't think I'd be to upset with the shop

 

[GoWyo]

I'm not upset with the shop. They said they had pulled quite a few of these broken manifold bolts and were pretty confident in getting it out. Pulling head and milling it out would have saved the cost of the head, but would have had other costs. We only have two shops local that work on diesel pickups and I prefer this one.

My truck has 240k miles on it and I'm sure it will go another 150-200k with some r & r on the motor. The body is in good shape, suspension is good, steering is a little loose and the doors sag and are hard to shut, but AC, heater, cruise all work fine.

I've driven the newer rigs and they pull the gooseneck load of cows or the 8 tons hay quite a bit better. Having the old truck for a backup would be ideal. Just need to find the next road towing rig.

 

[Atimm693]

I'm not upset with the shop. They said they had pulled quite a few of these broken manifold bolts and were pretty confident in getting it out. Pulling head and milling it out would have saved the cost of the head, but would have had other costs. We only have two shops local that work on diesel pickups and I prefer this one.

My truck has 240k miles on it and I'm sure it will go another 150-200k with some r & r on the motor. The body is in good shape, suspension is good, steering is a little loose and the doors sag and are hard to shut, but AC, heater, cruise all work fine.

I've driven the newer rigs and they pull the gooseneck load of cows or the 8 tons hay quite a bit better. Having the old truck for a backup would be ideal. Just need to find the next road towing rig.

One thing's for sure, with mechanic bills like that it's worth considering a new truck, especially if you depend on it to earn income. I'm sure you would find it worthwhile to crunch the numbers.

Everybody likes to tout those old trucks as the best thing ever. But they're old. Hard to find good used parts, and high quality new parts are expensive, if you can get them. Skilled labor to fix them is expensive.

 

[GoWyo]

If I was a good mechanic with the right tools I wouldn't mind keeping an old truck running, but I really don't enjoy turning wrenches. I only do it because the shop rates are so high. I had a little money and figured I would get the exhaust fixed. Now I'm wishing I had left it alone and just kept driving it. Hindsight is 20/20.

 

[Silver]

I feel your pain GoWyo. It's a no win situation when not fixing the vehicle leaves you with a worthless asset, fixing it might cost at least as much as it's worth…

I have a 2005 Dodge 3500 dually Laramie with about 160,000 miles on it. The 5.9 Cummins has a hole in the block. So it's been parked for a couple of years while I mull the situation over lol

 

[Lucky]

A quick search on reman motors showed long block 7.3 powerstrokes between $4,500- 6,000.

 

[Brute 23]

One thing's for sure, with mechanic bills like that it's worth considering a new truck, especially if you depend on it to earn income. I'm sure you would find it worthwhile to crunch the numbers.

Everybody likes to tout those old trucks as the best thing ever. But they're old. Hard to find good used parts, and high quality new parts are expensive, if you can get them. Skilled labor to fix them is expensive.

I'm running 2 trucks that will roll 200K this year and it being cheaper to run them in the dirt is highly debatable.

 

[CowboyRam]

I have a slight leak in the exhaust manifold on my 94 chevy. I'm just going to drive it, because it's home is in the junkyard. It's an old Forest Service truck, not many amenities other than A/C. I drove it several years without heat, that was not all that fun when it was below zero outside. I did finally get that fixed, and just put new plugs and wires on it. It has been demoted to a feed truck; I no longer have insurance or license on it.

 

[Travlr]

I've bought a couple of totaled trucks through an online auction... and repaired them. They have salvage titles, but one was 68K miles and the other 72K. I bought one for $9600, put about two days and less than $500 in it... and drove it for two years... and sold it for $12K. The other one I got for $10.6K, put a couple of days in it and about $200, and am still driving it with no plans to sell it.

With a clean title they sell for 25/30K... but either way they run exactly the same no matter what kind of title they have. And they are just a used truck regardless.

 

[moses388]

Quick check of the salvage yards did not find many options. Copart has a 1999 F350, but it is in Alabama. Yours is a 1997 and you are in Wyoming.

 

[LandandVine]

Not a mechanic but I am a consumer. I agree with the folks on here that are suggesting a middle ground. They broke something that could have been avoided. The truck and parts are old and corroded but, that is exactly why they are being repaired and replaced. If they can't work on old stuff without destruction and adding expenses then they can eat a portion of the costs until they can learn to be more gentle. Good luck