Hi

I went to a repair shop, a smaller one, not the big franchises like Pep Boys or Aamoco or Midas,

for an oil leak repair on my 93 Camaro V6; 3.4 L

I think they put sealant on it And....since it was in a difficult place where the engine had to be hoisted it cost $430 includes labor

Midas quoted me at a bit north past 600 bucks to repair my oil leak, includes labor.

Now, just 2 days ago, I noticed the Temperature Gauge on my 4th Gen. went up Too Close For Comfort at like 1 and a half bars below the red zone.

The red zone is the area of the Temp. Gauge that warns against impending overheating.

This was only after driving my car for 1 hour.

As you know, the temp gauge runs from 100 to like 270, I figured I was at like 250....it got up to this level like 5 times in an hour, but mostly stuck at the half way point

I stopped some place in the shade for 45 minutes to get my motor to cool off then added coolant even though it was already there in the radiator.

But there was no coolant in the little narrow Coolant Intake Plastic Pipe.

So I added coolant to that little intake coolant pipe

I then parked my car after driving it for 1 hour more and 3 hours later at night, I popped the hood and noticed there again was no coolant down that little Coolant Intake Plastic Pipe

A sort of mobile mechanic a young guy took a look at it and said it's probably a Small Leak somewhere because the tool he put in the radiator measured less than optimum power, it was like a gauge tool or a meter he put in there.

He also said I would need to leave the car with him so that he can take the time and maneuver I guess around the big bulky guts of a 4th Gen. Camaro to find out where the leak is from.

Since this dude is a younger mechanic who does mobile work and was recommended by my friend as someone who has talent and has very cost effective rates, I am guessing he will charge me like half of what it cost a bigger repair shop to fix my oil leak.

Again my oil leak repair was $430

So this is the heart of the question...

Please I encourage members to answer the following:

Repair Shop Charges $430 which includes labor to fix an oil leak

How much would a smaller repair shop mechanic who is also a part time mobile mechanic and is young eager to please, yet talented charge to repair the Leaking of Coolant from my car?

(I don't want to keep adding coolant or water and I don't want to risk my head gaskets blowing)

*Note getting to where the coolant is leaking is the heart of the matter, we're not talking about the under belly where the engine has to hoisted to seal and oil leak, right??

That would be a $1200 repair for just 2 gaskets.

I am going to do the following and more (4:20 pm)... after I have the coolant sealed....(wait for it)

thanks for any help

 

(as an Adendum)...

$1200 would be the cost to repair two (2) head gaskets IF AND ONLY IF the car overheated badly. this is what my free lance mechanic who is like the mechanic in that film with dennis wilson and james taylor....so i digress..... well my free lance mechanic told me this.

What I want to do for my CamBaby is provide her preventative auto care, we ddon't wnt her to overheat not even once. and she hasnt;

just to clarify

it should cost way less to fix a hole causing coolant to leak than it costs to seal an oil leak, am I right? im guessing half that

gentlemen i want to hang to her as long as possible then drop a new motor in 2 and half yrs.

drive her only 6000 miles per yr.

anyway last week it was the ignition lock that needed replacing otherwise she would not turn off

the locksmith charged me $260 which included labor

what was the alternative for us non-tech savvy camaro owners? and lovers of camaro's lol..

wasn't going to disasemble an air bag by taking off the battery cables

not my cup of tea

thanx again

 

?was the leak in the pan ,for that they should have been able to do oil pan an gasket for that money ,that was to much seems to me ,you could need the intake gasket wich goes on the cars ? miles on the car

 

*My 4th gen. has 136,000 miles and I drive it 6,000 miles per yr. only 2 oil changes per year

430 dollars was to do a lot, the oil pan and gasket they put sealant and hoisted...

the motor to work around the bottom

it depends where exactly the leak is from probably that's why it seems too much

i was shown the problem area of where the oil was leaking by a tech who worked there.

this auto repair shop that did my oil leak repair was highly rated by customer service reviews

2 places Midas and a chain / franchise oil change place wanted $600 and $650, parts and labor

I paid $430 where I had the work done, includes labor

Right now I am on a fixed income or else, I'd take the time to research and maybe fix my current problem with a hole somewhere that's leaking coolant

I've decided to allocate $500 for the mobile mechanic who works at a repair shop in Ocean Beach, San Diego, CA to fix this leaking coolant problem

Ocean Beach is like hippiesque sort of like Venice Beach, CA

I'm hoping they would have cost-effective, Liberal hippy-prices

It is often 70 to 80 degrees right now in San Diego, CA and a strong sun after like 10 am which means Any car gets hot.

I add coolant and some water to save on coolant and to dilute coolant which already is comprised of water, but now after only 30 minutes the temp gauge goes up 80 percent; 1 and a half bars close to the red zone.

Also, the long skinny tube where coolant is put in (the reservoir) gets empty of coolant after I add it only 30 minutes later or sooner

I also notice the right front side leaking coolant

It did so 8 months ago when a person pointed it out to me at a parking lot, but my freelance mechanic friend told me it's normal to have some coolant leak if you put too much

But, I should have checked it then, it's obviously getting worse

I'm doing minimal driving which entails moving my parked car a 1/10 of a mile every 3 days per California Vehicle Code.

Tuesday I will drop it off at that Ocean Beach repair shop where they will take a day and a half to find out where it's leaking

$500, parts and labor is what I'm allocating in my budget and even that should be more than enough....I'm anticipating $350, includes labor

Thanks for your feedback / comments / questions

more of are welcomed.

 

Question should be more direct, that is a lot of read just to ask a simple question.

There is no way to estimate a coolant leak repair with knowing what is leaking. Coolant leak can be anything from a clamps that needs re-positioning to a cracked engine back. Normally you can assume you are going to pay for a pressure test but even that can vary greatly is cost depending on where you live. A pressure tester is a inexpensive tool any mechanic should have and some shop just use an hourly rate. If it takes 15 minute to pressure test and find a leak and they are $60 per hour then it cost you $15. In other parts of the country there is a straight $85 for a pressure test and time gets added to that as they search for the leak. So if they are $100 per hour and take 15 minutes you are getting billed $110.

If you live in a depressed area something may cost you $25 and the mechanic will treat you like a customer, you can head into NYC and the same service will cost you $250 with the rudeness being plentiful and completely free of charge.

 

? I wonder if its the water pump a good looks should tell ,check all hoses ,yes I have not hear of a shop saying will find the leak in day an a half ,sounds like you live in a nice place near the ocean ,if you could get it up on some ramps an jack stands ? is why has the free lance guy not found it,a raditator for those are cheap if you have hole in it ,if your leaking out say half gallon in 30 minutes that should be very noticeable ,could be the weep hole on the water pump too,something seems wrong for sure ,but with that much water ,don't know why you would not see it fairly easy ,Oh an you should not water down 50/50 anti freeze where you live couse its hot there a lot ,some food for thought hope all works out for ya though

 

Thank you. This is all good info. He needs it a full day; i will be back in morning so for me it's a day & a half. when i brought it over he should of jacked up the car to see under it, I guess, but it was dry then so he added some water into the reservoir tube that holds coolant. this is an easy but cumbersome sort of fix,...it's not difficult like electrical work....electrical work requires a special breed of mechanics, there aren't too many of them. here in san diego, ca, there are lots of electrical auto mechanics specializing in electrical work, way in-land & east like next to Arizona, hard to get to these select few...with this type of leak whether it be oil or coolant, they can do different standard tests that any mechanic can do. it is just more harder on a Camaro. honestly my freelance mechanic likes to work on honda's and other imports...i don't know how old you are, but back in the 80s there used to be a honda commercial with the slogan: "honda we make it simple."

 

yes, i will try to be more direct. Gorn, I know what you mean I have visited my relatives often in NYC where even in the boroughs like queens they can be rude, completely included part of the service LoL... *this is excellent info., a pressure test anywhere from 15 bucks to $110 and then add like the going mechanics rate of labor in Southern Cal.: 95 bucks per hour and that's 200 dollars right there off the bat and a 200 Reman. water pump installed or an aftermarket radiator and we're looking at 400 dollars.

*what i wanted from the mechanic was a Range, anywhere from at least 300 dollars to 550 dollars... or an average. I like to say to people who tell me it all depends: "i know it all depends on such and such, but there must be an average, right? or a worse case scenario, right?"

thanks again.

 

Whoa..."cracked engine block"? that's not good. maybe in PA where 1 of my favorites Fabian is from and where the world famous Poconoes resort is, a person can turn on the car and the freezing cold winter would crack the engine block if a Camaro wasn't properly warmed up before driving? say it ain't so with my car. now i need to research the consequences of a cracked engine block. by the way this same mechanic showed me that the throttle body as a nickel-size coin hole in the center, which can't be sealed but a new throttle body has to be put in at some point for optimum engine power.