the Cost of General Auto Repair

The distributor cap and rotor in my van needed to be replaced. I've done this with other vehicles in the past, but having worked on my van in the past and not having the time or desire, I decided this was a job best left to my mechanic.

I brought the car in because it was sputtering and running very roughly. The mechanic told me the distributor cap and the rotor needed to be changed. Because it is extremely difficult to access these parts in a the van's engine, I decided to let my mechanic take care of it. Normally, I would have done the work myself, but in a van, the engine can be accessed through the front hood or through the passenger section by removing a cover located between the driver's seat and the passenger's seat. For me to do this, it would have taken several hours and a lot of swearing. Instead, my mechanic took about 1.5 hours and it was all done. For me, it was well worth the money.

I have the repair manual for the van that I drive. I researched where the parts were and thought about doing it, but my wife reminded me of the last time I worked on the van to replace the thermostat and how long it took. Given that reminder, I decided it was worth the money to have a professional do it. Even though I'm pretty comfortable working on my other car and my motorcycle, because of the engine placement in the van and the difficulty of accessing parts, even simple things like spark plugs and cables, I think this type of work is bet left to either a professional or someone who has more time and patience than what I have.