Hey guys.

Just picked up a 2000 Accord LX coupe, 4cyl 5spd with 135k on it for about $3800.

Stepping down from a '99 Ford F150 because being a student working part time and driving 50 miles roundtrip to work and back, I was spending $250-$300/month on gas and well......that's just silly when you're only taking in $1000/month. My first "real" car was a 2000 Accord too (after I smashed my '86 mustang into a few trees), except that it was a V6 EX Auto. I put almost 200k on that thing before I sold it in 06. So it feels very familiar being in a Honda again!

Anyhow, I gave it a good once over when I picked it up at the dealership and aside from a few dings and dents and some rust on it, I figured I'd have to put $500-$1000 into it to get it running pretty well. (figuring for brakes and the timing belt job) I'm not afraid to tackle most jobs myself, but I usually leave the more serious stuff to a local mechanic.

So today I took it down there and put it up on the lift and discovered that both the two main steel fuel lines from the tank and the main brake line were pretty much trash. Completely rusted out, I actually had fuel dripping about halfway down. Then while we were going over the front end, he noted a serious rust spot on the oil pan, which I, of course, just had to poke at...leaving a nice puddle of oil on the floor.


1st Question:

I've only lived in this area for about a year or so, so I don't know this mechanic all that well. He charged me $1200 total for parts and labor to replace both fuel lines from front to back, the brake line, and the oil pan. (plus an oil change+brake fluid). Do you guys think that's a fair price? I've never done fuel lines before and I at least needed the car driveable.

2nd:

If someone's familiar with MA or Federal law concerning used vehicles over 125K, do I have any recourse with the dealer? I don't think "Lemon Law" really applies, but I can't really find anything specific about selling a car to a consumer that's blatently leaking fuel. I have pictures and paperwork from the mechanic.

3rd:

After spending what I had saved up for the timing belt on fuel lines, I'm now seriously considering doing the timing belt myself, the brakes can wait for now, but at 132k the timing belt is a ticking timebomb. We didn't take the valve cover off to inspect it, but the water pump is obviously the stock one and it's seeping pretty good. I can't say if the belt was done or not, but I'd say it's a good bet it wasn't. What kind of a headache am I in for if I attempt the timing belt job myself?

4th:

I'd just like some honest opinions on whether or not I've been totally screwed over here, by either the dealer or the mechanic. Even if I paid for the belt and brakes, I'd still be looking at a total cost of about $5750 all said and done (TTR included) to buy this car and get it running well. Subract the $1800 they gave me for my truck that was legit only worth $1000 and I'm lookin at about $4k out of pocket.

The rest of the car is in pretty decent shape. The transmission is pretty tight and the suspension and tires are both great. New battery too.

So that's quite a long first post. Sorry for rambling, it's been a crazy 48 hours! Thanks for reading! Lookin forward to getting to know some of you guys!


-J

 

Hello and welcome..analize is what we need here..Sounds to high a price to pay for parts and labor..don't know about your lemon law, so check it out on google to see..

WheelBrokerAng

 

Welcome!

Sounds like a fair price for the job you had done, if it was an awesome reputable mechanic, but I'm sure you could have found a bit better of a deal. As long as it was done right and reliable, then you should be good.

On the lemon law I am not sure.

As far as timing belt, I wouldn't attempt doing it if you do not know what you are doing. If you were confident doing the job you just had done for you - yourself, then I would say try out doing the timing belt. Judging by the fact that you had to get it done, I would say let someone else take care of the timing belt.

Check your PM.

- Nikita

 

Welcome from a fellow new englander.

The price you paid for the fuel lines and oil pan seems a bit high. The lines are probably $200-300, and they arent very hard to install, I would say an hour or less especially being a mechanic and having a lift.

An oil pan is very easy to replace, but I am unsure what a replacement one costs.

All in all I would say it was a bit high, but nothing outrageous.

As far as tackling a timing belt goes, its not all too hard of a procedure, I am a novice myself and have done 5 or 6 timing belts without issue. You just must remember if you do it wrong, it will damage the whole engine.

A common issue with doing the timing belt is getting the crank pulley bolt off, they are very tight, my air gun with over 500ft/lbs of torque has had some problems with them. I would recommend buying the crank pulley tool that will hold the pulley in place and then a long breaker bar and the longest metal pipe from home depot you can find.

 

Thanks for the responses guys! Hope you all had safe and happy holidays!

I just got off the phone with the dealership and they have agreed to send me $250, which I consider to be "fair enough" though I do feel like I had to settle a bit for that.

Just for kicks I called around several shops and they all wanted around $1000 just to do the fuel lines in the car. That doesn't include the brake line or oil pan.

I'm definetely kicking myself for not doing the pan myself, I'm quite sure I could have handled it easily, but I didn't want to get involved in crawling around underneath my car in 40 degree weather three days before christmas either. I just wanted it done, as I was going out of town for the holidays. I double checked the work and it looks like they did a really good job. They're all tight and not a hint of a drip.

I also found what appears to be complete service records for the vehicle.
They are all handwritten in a book called the 100,000 mile warranty plan from a local dealership. Looks like he changed the oil every 3000 miles, along with every other major fluid change, brakes, tires, filters, wires/plugs and all other general maintenence, including the timing belt/water pump/other crap service at around 85k. The pump is definetely weeping though, so that'll have to be done again soonish.

I called two dealerships and they have no record of the car. Neither does carfax, so either this was all done at an indy shop or he did it himself. I obviously have no way to verify if all this work was actually done, or if this book is really for this specific car. However, the coolant in the tank is blue. Doesn't that mean it was done at a honda dealership? Or can you get blue coolant from an auto parts store?

 

Hmm.. blue coolant is a new one to me! Usually it is like a fluorescent greenish-yellow. Not sure if/where you can get blue coolant. If you need your water pump changed out let me know! It's kind of a big deal, but I've done it plenty of times, as well as the timing belt. I won't charge ya an arm-and-a-leg either haha!

 

I think Honda coolant (buy at dealer parts counter) is blue. So he still might have done the work himself.

Timing belt is a good excuse to get a real shop manual. Downloads are nice, but I always liked the book. The best one is from Helm.
www dot helminc dot com

That book has every little detail about the timing belt. I've done a couple myself too. Read through the procedure & make sure you understand the timing marks BEFORE you remove the old belt. Ask us some questions if you're not sure.

 

Maybe not. From the FSM:
Keep an eye on the coolant level. If it's just weeping - not dripping - that pump may last another 60K, until the next timing belt change.

And if those are the correct service records, aside from the repaired rust issues it sounds like you got a pretty good car.