Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Zetec Maintenance Price check on dealer wp replacement

I Have a 96 contour with a bad water pump. Ive gotten kinda squeemish about starting the job outside in the cold and rain.

So I called the local stealership and asked them for an estimate. The guy said they do water pumps on the car for $283.93(parts and labor). I asked him if he was sure it was for the right car and did it include everything and he said yes as long as there were no other problems along the way.

The guy I got the car from had an indy estimate of $600-$700?

My question is : Is $283.00 what I would end up paying at the dealership? It seems kinda low since the last time I visited the Ford dealer for a door hinge pin they tried to slam me for an $80.00 hinge.

PS the counter guy said that you just need to loosen the timing belt to get the WP out. Is that possible? I was under the impression that it definitely has to come off completely.

$700 from a garage maybe if you did the waterpump and the timing belt. Or maybe just the waterpump from a dealer; avoid them if at all possible. They charge 3x the price of a regular garage. By a quick search under waterpump in this forum, I found your answer, you do have to remove the whole timing belt and pulleys. With 134K miles, I would replace the timing belt, pullies, and waterpump all at the same time. I'm sure somone on here would help you out if you needed it.

Sounds like you are right to be wary .... maybe they quoted for a V6 by mistake? But he did mention loosening the timing belt so probably not.

I would call again, try to talk to a different rep and get the quote again without telling them you already have one. If they insist they can do it for that price, drop it off and get a written estimate. At least in MD, they cannot then charge you for work exceeding the written estimate unless they get your approval first. You live in a pretty lib state, right, so they should have similar consumer protections