Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting check engine light came on...

...so my wife took it to the dealer. I'm a pc guy, not a car guy:)

They replaced the hego(?) sensor. Damage=$126 part, $130 labor.

Taken badly or just a little? I know since I don't have time to do it, we have to pay, but is it reasonable?

Thanks for your time,
kc pepe

You didn't get taken too bad, considering it was the dealer. Sounds like two hours of labor at ~$65 an hour. Parts are always overpriced from a Ford dealer, unless you're in good with someone there

In the future, you might want to consider taking the car to AutoZone, or any other local automotive retailer that will pull codes for free. Once you have the code, you can take it pretty much anywhere to have it looked at, or do the work yourself if its easy (like forgetting to tighten the gas cap). Call around to see who will pull codes for free, but even a small charge is better than what a dealer would charge.

Or you can come to the Milwaukee area and I'll pull the code for you

Sometimes the check engine light comes on and nothing is wrong with the car. For example, if you don't tighten enough the gas cap after refueling, the light comes on and after a few driving cycles, the light is off again.

I guess you will never know if you got ripped off or not. I hope not. I suggest next time something wrong with your car, you first submit the problem to CEG forums. With the members experience, you'll most probably find the answer before going to the garage.

Welcome to CEG and good luck.

The part is available for about $60 at an auto parts store. The replacement for the toughest sensor should only take an hour. They probably charged you for some diagnostic time as well, so 2 hours labor isn't unreasonable.

A HEGO sensor is a Heated Exhaust Gas Oxygen (O2) sensor, or an O2 sensor for short.

Your car has four of them.

If you would have bought the sensor yourself, you could have gotten it for ~ $60-70.

Three of the four sensors are relatively easy to replace and would definitely take less than two hours (even for a beginner)!

If you find out the CEL code that was pulled, someone can tell you exactly which sensor it was and about how long it should take to replace.

~$50 part from a parts house (with a lifetime warranty) & maybe 30 minutes to install it.

IMO you lost a ton. However since you are not mechanically inclined it may have been worth it???

Thanks to everyone for your input. I will definitely take your advice into consideration next time something goes wrong.

Clear one point up: It's not that I'm not "mechanically inclined", I've just never been eager to figure out how cars work. I do that with 'puters. So yes, it probably is worth it to pay top dollar for someone else to do it, and hopefully do it right.

Have a great day!
kc pepe

Originally posted by kc pepe:

---

It's not that I'm not "mechanically inclined", I've just never been eager to figure out how cars work. I do that with 'puters. So yes, it probably is worth it to pay top dollar for someone else to do it, and hopefully do it right.

---

I also work on computers and have done so for the past 16 years. As an aside, my first computer was an Apple ][! Hard disks weren't around yet! Floppy disk drives were $600! No monitor (hooked up to a TV)! 16K (yes K) of RAM!

But you have to remember that whatever you are paying to the auto repair shop, you will have to make about a 1/3 more (in order to cover taxes paid to the good 'ole US of A) in salary.

In your case, although you paid the auto repair shop about $255, you would have to earn about $360 to cover it (before taxes). I don't know what your hourly rate is, but I figure it is at least a days worth of work.

One of the main reasons that I started to learn about fixing cars is the steep hourly rates of mechanics (which is around $80-90/hr. in the Norther VA area). Not to mention they overprice their parts.

I replaced my first O2 sensor a few weeks ago for $80 in under an hour. I figure that not only did I save myself some money, learn a little about cars, and gain some satisfaction from the work of my hands, but I also saved myself the time of having to bring the car to the $tealer and hoping that they will do the work correctly and not screw me in the process.

Of course, all of this is mute if you make hundreds of dollars an hour. But then, why would you own a Contour...

Originally posted by GeoPappas:

---

Of course, all of this is mute if you make hundreds of dollars an hour. But then, why would you own a Contour...

---

Blasphemer!

You'd own one because you would know that, regardless of price, there is not a finer example of automotive ... err.. finery.... ya, thats it, thats the ticket, finery... available to ... err.. have, and that owning a Contour instantly makes you more attractive, slims you down, reduces your insurance payments, saves you gas, and of course proves your intell.. intle... intilectshual... umm, err... brain works better than that of the riffraff who drive lesser cars.

Has anyone seen my bottle o' pills?