Help some girls out, please. Too much to pay at the mechanic?

Bad deal. Oil and filter should be changed sooner.

rotate tires around 5K Alot of professonal service companies look at most of these items with simple oil changes and advise you of there status. Find a new service provider

Besides replacing oil and filter & tire rotation, the rest really falls into annual state inspection. But I guess when they are only being paid $35 (NYC) they just gloss over everything.

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I don't know what to tell you other than what they are asking is a lot. And that they would have to make those inspection anyway before a repair.

If I was you I would say forget about the deal. Most of the stuff he's inspecting, you'll know when it is failing. As for the brakes, they hardly ever fail (other than the pads wearing out).

And next time you get your brake pads changed (and the car is on the lift) strike up a conversation and pick the mechanics brain and ask "so what do you think - how the rest of the brake and boots?"

The stuff is right there and visible so he'll just glance over and let you know. $200 dollars saved.

You can get your oil & filter changed, and the chassie lubed at places like Jiffy Lube for around $30. Tire rotation would usually run around $10 per tire at most. The rest is fluff that most shops do for free along with one of the other services. So at most she should be paying $70 for these services.

Sound "FISHY"! ANy reputable garage or shop should include these "normal" inspections in there oil change process. A decent oil change with high quality oil and filter including inspection should be at least half of that price. I highly reccomend not going 15000 miles between oil changes also, if it is in fact a reputable shop they should have told you that!

Oil change costs $35. Tire rotation costs $20.

Get your oil changed every 3000 miles. Tire rotated every 6000 mile.

The rest is just making money for the mechanic.

That's $25 where I work on an average car. If your friend drives something unusual it could be $200. My brothers BMW holds 8 qts synthetic-($50+) and has a $25 oil filter-plus labor,for example.

Well. I think the money is being well spent for the safety of you and your vehicle, but if you suspect it is costing you too much money, you can shop around. It's called 'competitive' shopping. If you have a male friend you know and trust, involve him in your shopping; mechanics have a tendency to jerk females around because most of us are not mechanically inclined.

sounds a little high to me just to check the car out but it probably has a little to do with what part of the country you are in.

should be able to get it done for about $100

too much money for "looking" at things that very rarely present problems