Is This Estimate on Cylinder Valve/Water Pump/Timing Belt Repair Fair?

Asked by SiketDisc Aug 07, 2023 at 10:54 PM about the 2008 Subaru Outback 2.5 i

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

The timing belt broke on my standard 2008
Subaru Outback, unfortunately it happened
when I was on the highway. Got it towed back
to my house hoping a family mechanic could
work on it but I’m a bit too far away for him. I
had a mobile mechanic check it out and
diagnose with a borescope going in through
the spark plugs. The cylinder valve heads (I
hope this is the right term) looked alright on
the driver side, but there was def piston
contact on the other side and both valve
heads on the passenger side were damaged.
The water pump also is needs replacing (this
what lead to the timing belt issue I believe).
For the repair of the 2 valve heads, machine
shop, water pump, and timing belt I was
quoted at “just under $2,000”. That seems like
reasonable estimate but just wanted to get
some more feedback or advice on any of it.
Thanks for any help!

2 Answers

39,935

Owning/maintaining a car is not cheap , If you like the car have the work done at a reputable shop .

I do like my car… not as much as my 96 but I do like her and she’s the one now getting me around. Are you suggesting a mobile mechanic won’t be sufficient? With finances, I’m looking to be as economical as possible while still getting a quality job done. I’m not terribly concerned with the ability (nor reputation) of the mobile mechanic… suggested through a local fb page and he has 5 years at a dealership plus 2 years running his own business. Curious to what some knowledgeable folks are thinking on the quote.

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