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Ok, I have 2 pieces of work I have to do on my car.. I need to replace the timing belt, and put in a performance clutch.

I have the parts for the clutch.

Now..I need a shop that can do this that knows what they are doing. I called up a Certigard location today and they quickly estimated it at $600-700 CDN to do timing belt+water pump... and another $500 in labour alone for the clutch disc.

I know I can get a better deal than that... especially since I would have to pay tax on that too.

Please, post some shops that do good quality work on japanese cars, and maybe where I can swing a deal with them for doing both bits of labour at the same time.

PS: I will be e-mailing corksport and asking for an estimate for the same thing just to see what they say, but it isn't easy for me to drive there to them.

both jobs pretty much require pulling the engine if I remember right..

Sounds almost as if they are looking at a book that says how much each job costs to do, and are forgetting that there's a labor overlap (essentually they are charging for some of the same labor twice) when you go to change a clutch when the motors already been pulled for the timing belt.. Might ask if they can provide a breakdown for the basis of the labor estimate for each job.. If $400 (just as a stab at a number) of the clutch job is for pulling the engine, then ask 'isn't that labor already factored into the estimate on the timing belt and pump?

Why would you need to pull the engine? It would be easier to work with if it's out of the car, but it is so much work just to pull the engine. I know thet when clutch is being replaced, they just drop the tranny, but leave the engine. When they do a timing belt and a water pump, they do it with the engine in the car. That one is a lot of work.

You're probably right.. I'm going largely off memory, and what someone (I think a local dealer?) told me.. regarding the timing belt being very difficult to do without pulling the engine out.