I am an auto service and repair victim no more!

I've never really been much of a car guy. I like cars and all. I just never got into working on them. The whole oil changin', carb tweakin', tire rotatin' thing was just lost on me. I'd just rather be out shootin' hoops or watchin' a game on any given Sunday. Well that all changed today. Our 97 Saturn SL (The Red Dragon) has some serious metal on metal action going on right now. I was pretty sure it was a brake/rotor thing. Sure enough it was. But, in addition to the brake repair I was quoted $398 of additional ASAP repairs and maintenance. Here's the quote from Saturn of Spokane that got me all fired up:

Coolant Flush $89
Brake Fluid Flush $89
Brake/Rotor Repair $159
PCV $22
Marker Bulb $15.60
License Plate Bulb $15.80
Oil Change $32.95
Power Steering Flush $74
Air Filter $37
Wiper Blades $22
Total $556.35

What complete B.S. And I thought Saturn was the honest dealership. I've let people quote me crap this for a while now. My good friend Sean Miller has always told me I could do it myself, but (not being a car guy) I was always a bit apprehensive. I just bought into the system. One hour of education at Shucks Auto and a quick call to Sean and I'm ready to stick it to the man. I am a victim no more!

Here's my cost breakdown from Shucks:

3 Funnels $6.79
Two Wiper Blades $22 (What, no mark-up for the blade install?)
Coolant $12.99 (Whoa... saved around $75 here)
Coolant Cleaner Stuff $3.99
Marker Bulbs $3.99 (Saved about $10)
License Bulbs $5.99 (Saved about $10)
Air Filter $17.99 (Saved $20)
Power Steering Fluid $3.79 (A $70 savings here)
Brake Fluid $4.99 (Nearly a $70 dollar savings here)
Shop Towels $2.99 (As I'll probably make a horrific mess)
Oil catcher/holder $8.99
Coolant catch thingee $8.99 (Shucks has free fluid recycling - sweet)
Budweiser 6 Pack $6.99 (Picked up the 16oz tall boy man cans)
Total $114.27

If we assume that I can actually complete these tasks (an assumption that will be tested live in my next blog post) I will have saved $261.08. Actually, I'm sure it will be more as they didn't include sales tax in their quote. With our 8.6% tax rate included in their bid, it looks like I'll save $308.93 by doing it myself. On a sidenote, I think I just felt a few chest hairs spring up. That brings the grand total to seven.