Car Trouble

I don't know much about cars, but that's a drag. 

Are you able to take it to another shop for an estimate?  I did that earlier this year with some brakes that we needed repairing and I saved about $150!!!  The shop might also be willing to knock some time off of the labor, etc. if they know they could lose the whole repair job.

i would definitely shop around. dealerships are usually higher in price than independent mechanics. look for mechanics that specialize in either toyotas or import cars.

I agree with cyclefiend.  Definitely shop around and ask friends for recommendations.  In this neck of the woods, dealerships are waaaay more expensive than independent mechanics - you just have to make sure you're going to a good, reliable one.

Joyce

Dealerships generally charge twice the labor cost than an independent mechanic ($100/hour vs. $50/hour).  Ask them what the cost is for the parts, and labor separately.  Then, look the parts up on line and see how much they are marking them up. 

It seems like a total hassle, but it could save you some cash. 

Also ask about a warranty.  For any significant repair, the repair shop should offer some type of guarantee.  Make sure to ask if it is just parts or labor warranty.  What good is a warranty if they only cover arts worth $20, but you still have to pay for the labor again which is what usually drives the repair cost up.

The most important part is to seem like you know what you are talking about.  If they know you will just open up your wallet and give them whatever, some mechanics (not all, because I know a few good ones) will take advantage.  Usually the more questions you ask, the less likely they will try to pull something on you.

I agree with the others about shopping around.  My DH worked for the Nissan dealership and they charge way more than a regular repair place.  We had to have some work done on our AC and were able to save some money by calling around.  You might also try googling "AC problems with 1999 Camrys".  I did that with our Explorer and found that there was a manufacturer defect on the AC units for the year we owned.  Unfortunately, it wasn't being covered by the warranty any longer, but it was still useful information to share with the repair folks.

Great advice everyone! I definitely think that shopping around would be a good idea. My family has always had Toyotas and we always go right to the dealer, just because we trust that they'll do it right. But I'll find out if there are any other shops around here with a good reputation.
 
It's so hard being a woman (and I look very young) because mechanics tend not to take you seriously. I really wish DH was here to deal with this.

I completely understand.  When I walk into a dealership, they take one look at me and think "she has no idea".  However, they don't realize that I drive junkers my whole life and had to figure out what was wrong half the time.  Here is some advice, when you take it to a new place tell them you think it might be XXXX based on your experience.  You will definitely earn points because the problem has already been diagnosed and you will end up being right. 

Terri, I hear ya about mechanics taking advantage of women. And it doesn't really matter how old you are, they just do that to women always. I'm so sick of it. I even do some repair work myself and know a fair amount about cars and trucks, but I still get bogus estimates just because I'm female.

On the other hand, my ex was so clueless that he got taken advantage even worse than I, because he had NO idea about anything about cars and would just pay people money without asking questions. As for me, I actually got us better deals because I do know about cars.

It's so hard to find an honest car mechanic, but they are out there if you look.

There may be a very simple way to disconnect the AC and reconnect the defrost. One of your independent mechanics would be more likely to do that for you. The dealership won't because of the way they buy and sell parts. They have approved ways of doing repairs and lots of times it is overkill, replacing things that don't need to be replaced just because one little part is part of a bigger unit.

Let us know how much it ends up costing and how much work it really needs. I hope you are pleasantly surprised!

Good car vibes coming your way!

The AC compressor does cycle whenever you have your defroster on, but to tell you your defroster won't work without the ac compressor is misleading, IMO.  Your defroster will work, just not as well. I believe this to be the case with all cars, but I am not absolutely certain.
 
I would see if you can get a REBUILT compressor, with a clutch and have someone install it for you. 

This estimate,and repair seems way out of line to me,but without actually looking at it its hard for me to tell..the prices for repair are insane however.


  In most cases,do not go to the dealership to have work done...
Ask family and frienfds where they get their work done...I have found that smaller privately owned placed offer better service and cost.I do most of my own work to my cars,but do have a personal mechanic for larger jobs like timing belts and such.He gives me great prioces for labor and i buy the parts.

good luck and let us know what happens.

Ok, I HAVE to interject here.  Not ALL mechanics take advantage of women; it's one of the oldest myths in the book.  My DH is a mechanic--has been for almost twenty years.  The shops he works/worked at charge the same thing for everyone. The last shop he worked in had a female service advisor, for Pete's sake! She teaches a class she affectionately calls Dip Stick 101.  It is called something along the line of Beginning Car Repair for Women.

I worked in the automotive field for seven and a half years.  My FIL was a pioneer in hiring women in the field. He ALWAYS paid exactly the same wages regardless of sex in a time when it was very unusual to do this. He also fired mechanics for trying to treat women as pieces of meat.

Do not assume that ALL members of any given field act in a certain manner. In this day and age, we all know this isn't true![]

Lori, it's when a woman walks in to a shop and the mechanics ASSUME she's an airhead.

THAT'S what we all find so irritating. Not ALL of them do that, but I can count on the fingers of one hand the ones who haven't.

I cherish the ones who don't. But it is a real thing and women really need to be AWARE of it.

The same thing will happen to a guy who obviously doesnt know anything about his car.