That Tuesday when a single broken fan belt cost me 6 hours and $340 at a TA in Ohio

I pulled into a TA near Columbus last week for a quick fuel stop and noticed my alternator light flickering. Turned out the fan belt had a crack running through it, and the shop wanted $340 for the belt and labor because they had to order the part from the next town over. What got me thinking is whether paying that premium for on-site service is worth it compared to having a spare belt in the cab and doing it yourself on the shoulder. Has anyone else been stuck paying triple for roadside repairs when you could have fixed it for $30 with a little planning?

3 comments

3 Comments

sean_green4422d ago

$340 for a fan belt that costs thirty bucks at AutoZone?

blair_nguyen22d ago

Right, that thirty dollar markup is pure dealership tax for doing almost nothing.

gavin46921d ago

Man, tell me about it! My buddy Jake took his old Civic in for a simple serpentine belt swap, and the dealer tried to hit him with a $275 labor charge on top of a $60 belt. He walked out and did it himself in his driveway with a YouTube video and a socket wrench in like 45 minutes. The markup felt like they were just hoping he'd be too scared to ask questions or get his hands dirty.