Buyers Remorse

[John White]

I think I made a big mistake when I bought this Reatta. I knew a car 18 years old with 27,000 mi. would need some work, but I had a rude awakening today. I took it in today to get the fluids drained and flushed. The estimate was about $750. The speakers went out on the way to the shop and I still had the problem with the drivers side lock and passenger side mirror, so had those checked. So far I need about $3300 worth of work plus after market speakers, tires, and whatever it costs for the exterior.
When I made this purchase I thougt that about $1000 to $1500 for getting things in shape plus another $1000 or $1500 for the exterior would have the car in real nice condition.Right now I'm pretty much in a state of shock.
Some of the things that need fixing are:
Door lock actuater $285
Mirror $464
Strut bar $84
Oil pan gasket $260
Clean intake $690
Hoses $395

I'm not really able to do this work myself, so I'm about to the point where I wish I could take a thousand or so loss and just for get it.

[Ronnie]

John,
Keep your chin up. I's not as bad as it seems. First, you have a mechanic that either wants to take advantage of you or just has no idea what is involved in the work to be done.

Fluids drained and flushed $750??? That is ridiculous. About a three hour job and about $75 in supplies.

Changing the oil pan gasket is a 2 hour job at the most and the gasket should cost less than $20. You can do the job if you have any experience at all. $260 is way out of line.

Clean intake $690? Run as fast as you can from this guy. Probably a $7 can of Seafoam cleaner will take car of it. Search for posts here on Seafoam.

Many of the other parts you need probably are available from Jim Finn. They will be used parts but they will be in good usable condition.

Don't throw in the towel yet. Step back, take a deep breath, and don't panic. You will find someone near you that understands Reattas and will treat you honestly on doing the repairs. I bet someone on this forum near you will be willing to help.

[kennyw]

Door lock actuater they are on ebay all the time for next to nothing. most Gm's use the same one. Run: This guy is getting you to pay for his new addition..........ken

[EDBSO]

Originally Posted By: John White

I'm not really able to do this work myself, so I'm about to the point where I wish I could take a thousand or so loss and just for get it.

What did you have in mind?

[DAVES89]

I think we need Manikmekanik to volunteer/bid his services. I would be willing to bet that if you would buy his used parts and pay his air fare plus a little for labor you would get your car back in shape. And for way less then what that guy wants. He could ship the parts/tools UPS. He ownly owns 7 Reattas, [although he does have an issue with the horn setup on his daily driver,that black car],he should know everything you need to get fixed.

[TommyH]

The most time consuming part I think would be the door lock actuator, simply bewcause of it's location. They are pretty cheap, though. Check for the parts on eBay.

Here is the first mirror I found. Passenger side, right?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BUICK-REA...sspagenameZWDVW

[TommyH]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/88-89-90-...sspagenameZWDVW

[TommyH]

That is the lock actuator

[Vincent Vega]

Those estimates are absurd. The Reatta drive train is very common. I can't imagine how clean an intake will be after spending 7 bills! Trust me, it's not that dirty with 27k on it. Go somewhere else.

[Barney Eaton]

You did not indicat what you paid for the car. If you paid a respectable price then putting a little into the car is ok, However if you paid top dollar, then it should be close to flawless.

I just noticed a 24,000 Red 1991 coupe in Indiana and the asking price is $12,500

Like the other post, I think you are getting ripped... not sure why the intake would need to be cleaned on a 27K car even if it is 18 years old.

Send me a private message with your phone number and/or email and I will put you in touch with my nephew.

He works in the body repair business and is a car guy. He lives in your general area and can probably give you some names of more reasonable repair shops.

[Jim]

John,
Where ever you are taking your car to get it fixed STOP. Don't go to the "chain" shops or the GM dealer. Find a local mechanic and I can supply you with any parts you might need at very reasonable prices.
I will be away from home though starting this Thursday for about 10 days.
I can be reached at jfinn@cpinternet.com

[imported_NYBobP]

Jim and Barney are right. Find a local guy. Get the parts from Jim. If you don't have a lot into your car, get it repaired...but do it frugally. The forum will help you out.

[CoolWheels]

John-
I felt much the same way you do when I first got my Reatta. But after getting ripped off a time or two by chain service station mechanics, I found a local mechanic who got top ratings from local media. I ordered my parts from Jim Finn. Thereafter my repair costs were a fraction of what the biggies charged. Just do due diligence and you will come out okay.

[Reatta Man]

John,

Like the others in here, I think the prices you were quoted are waaaaaay too high. Would you mind telling us who quoted those prices to you?

By the way, in San Antonio, I can find shops that charge $85-90 per hour, and some that charge $45. And, the cheaper shop is a NAPA shop that offers a 12 month 12,000 mile warranty!

So, shop around......

[Howard]

John:

I really can't offer anything more than what our other members have told you. But, the prices that you were quoted are more than just highway robbery! I should know, I used to work in car dealerships. You should be able to have everything done for an amount much, much less that what this moron wants to charge you. Keep searching, you will find someone. Please report back what you find out. Good luck.

[John White]

I want to thank you all for the support and suggestions. I checked with a couple independent shops with good reputations and would only save a couple hundred dollars. The dealer here has a lot of experience with Reattas as the owner has owned one since new. I didn't think that for the limited savings it would be prudent to take it to a shop that had no experience with Reattas. I want to thank TommyH for the tip on the actuator and mirror. I bought the actuator and have a bid in on the mirror. The shop rate is $98/hr and they estimated 1 hr for each. So I am going to try to install myself when the door panels are off for the speakers. I think the initial shock has worn off and when these items are done I will be able to enjoy the car and keep it running more economicaly with the help of this forum. Thanks