Brought In a 2001 Jeep 4.0l engine completely disassembled services required on the block crank and connecting rods were as follows -jet wash engine block -engine block boring .020 oversized -crankshaft ground .010 undersized -remove old pistons from connecting rods -resize connecting rods and press new pistons on connecting rods. Total bill for the above mentioned services 1034$. As a technician/mechanic of 20 years I’ve build my share of engines and have never paid that much to have machining done on a basic engine such as a 4L engine.I bit the bullet, paid the the bill and chalked it up to tough times and inflation. I will also state that the machining was spot on everything went together without a hiccup. This brings me to the cylinder head. I was going to do the cylinder head rebuild myself as I usually do when building an engine (if the deck is flat and not warped) I had purchased new valves and seals and the guides were within tolerance for me to rebuild myself. The valve seats on the other hand were hammered out and required machining. I called and spoke to graham and was told that if the seats were to be machined that he would need to do the complete rebuild and quoted 325$ for the service. Ok (a little more than I was willing to pay) so I reluctantly bring the disassembled, cleaned head with all the new valves and seals to have them do the machining of the seats, deck the head and assemble it. I get a call 2 days later and graham states that the seats were hammered out and would need to be cut and replaced with inserts. Ok cost? Well you are going to have to pay for the parts. Fair enough. 50$ worth of seats that brings the total to 375$ go ahead. So I go to pick up the head and the bill is 615$ umm. That’s like 240$ more than quote price. Needless to say just shy of 1700$ for machining on a basic engine is excessive. I’ll be looking for a new machine shop for future projects. I understand times are tough but this was just price gouging plain and simple.
Hi Peter, We are sorry our wires got crossed and that you felt our pricing was so much money. Our pricing has not changed for four years, and it is competitive pricing for todays market. I spoke with our machine shop foreman about this work order and he informed us that pricing was provided, and that this order was authorized. We would not do any of this work without authorization by the customer FIRST. This is our strict policy. Based on the pricing for seats specifically, it looks like the cost of the seats was $50 but the labor to install the seats is $150. We are sorry if this was unclear. Although we are glad to know that the craftsmanship was spot on without any misses on the machining, and we would be happy to provide you with a free inspection on another engine. We are a locally owned small business and we take great pride in our business and our team here.
- Cetus Automotive Repair Centre