I have my rig at the dealer for its third timing belt installation (230k miles). The did a good job at 110k miles in 2010, and at a good price of $600 with me supplying the parts. The current price is $700 which includes installation of the ID Parts timing belt kit and new boost hoses. They called me today and said a cover bolt and two water pump bolts snapped off, and they need to charge me for 3 hours of additional labor. Is this legitimate and reasonable?

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05 CRD Sport, Inferno Red (240K miles, Jan 2016)
Westin Brush Guard, Hella 500, Hidden Hitch
Magflow Muffler, ProVent CCV, Fumoto Valve, ORM
OEM Skids and Rails, EVIC, Mr Diesel Fuel Pump
Michelin XTerrains 235/70/16

I don't know the history of your vehicle, but if it has lived its whole life in MD, then I assume it has acquired some rust underneath? Probably a consistent surface rust on basically everything?

I grew up in NY and have snapped off more bolts than I care to reminisce about. Even after acquiring some "feel" for bolts that were likely to snap, I still did it often. I now live in Arizona and I can barely remember what a stuck bolt feels like, not to mention I haven't seen cancerous rust, like my Subaru had, since I moved here.

My is to take it as it is and accept that as these vehicles get older, the costs of collateral repairs are going to increase. I made a habit of replacing broken screws and bolts with stainless equivalents and found that they were less likely to cause problems in the future. You may want to ask if they can do the same. Good luck!

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2006 Limited CRD: Frankenlift II, Fumoto Drain Plug, DIY Stage 1 Tune, In-Tank Lift Pump

The above is correct.

I've seen my fair share of severely corroded vehicles that make you cring thinking about trying to take any bolt/nut loose let alone actually finding a bolt/nut that resembles a bolt/nut.


We have 3 major military bases here so you see perfect vehicles and severe corrosion vehicles all in the same day.I will warn the customer before any work is done that there maybe extra $$$ involved if it's corroded and let them make the choice if they want the repairs done or not.