Auto repair prices

What the posted prices cover

Every price on this list comes straight from the shop’s booking page, so what you see here is what you see when you book. They are before tax.

• Computer scan and diagnosis, $50. We plug in, read the stored codes and live data, and check what the code points to. It answers the question of where the problem is, so you can decide what to fix.
• Oil change with regular oil, $55. Old oil out, fresh regular oil in, and a look underneath while the car is up.
• Oil change with synthetic oil, from $100. Synthetic costs more per litre, and engines take different amounts, so this is a starting price. Many newer engines call for 0W-20 or 5W-30 synthetic, and the owner’s manual will tell you which.
• Flat tire repair, $20. A nail or screw in the tread, patched from the inside when the tire can be saved. A puncture in the sidewall cannot be repaired safely.
• Tire swap on rims, $50. Your other set is already mounted on wheels, so we take one set off and put the other on.
• Tire change off rims, $100. The tires are mounted onto your rims, for when you only have one set of wheels.
• Rustproofing, $140 for a car and $180 for an SUV. A no drip undercoating against road salt.
• Tune up and yearly maintenance, $150. Filters, plugs, fluids and a full once over, the visit most cars need once a year.
• Ontario safety inspection (DriveON), $240. The inspection for a Safety Standards Certificate. Repairs needed to pass are quoted separately.

Parts, taxes and the final bill

Where a job needs parts, the parts are priced for your car and quoted before we start. Brake pads for a compact car and for a full size truck are not the same price, and a standard battery and a high performance one are not either. HST is added to every bill.

Work with no posted price

Brakes, batteries, shocks and struts, A/C, no heat, mufflers and exhaust, a car that will not start and engine repair have no posted price. The cost depends on what is actually worn or broken and on your make, model and year. For these, we look at the car first and then call you with the price. You decide before anything is replaced.

The $50 scan as a starting point

If a warning light is on, or the car is doing something you cannot name, the $50 computer diagnostics is the usual first step. A code like P0420 or P0300 tells us which system complained, not which part to buy. We read it, test the likely cause and then give you a price for the fix. That stops you paying for parts the car did not need.

See the oil change, tire change and safety inspection pages for more on those jobs, or book online at Unit 1, 1541 Star Top Road, Ottawa, ON.