Hi

I've been meaning to find myself a good mechanic that I trust to give my Patrol a good service (plus future services) and inspect for other problems that might be creeping up.

Last week I was driving to work and steam suddenly started coming from my bonnet. I pulled over and it seemed to be coming from the radiator. I waited till the engine cooled, added some water to the system and drove the patrol to the closest service centre/mechanic.

The mechanics first diagnosis was that I'd split a main radiator hose that was difficult to get to. I agreed that he should get a full hose kit and replace everything. He quoted $800 for the work. Seeing as my car was already at the shop, I agreed to it without much research, I just needed it back on the road. He called the next day to say that he'd done a pressure test and the radiator itself is leaking too. The old copper radiator that I had, he said would cost about $1200 and labour would be on top of that. He advised that we could do a cheaper radiator, around $500 worth and that with labour to install it he'd charge a total of $1000. Patrol is running great now, $1800 later.

Don't get me wrong I liked the mechanic, I thought he was a good bloke but I think it's just diligent to check whether I was charged fairly for the work and the parts. I don't know a great deal about automotive mechanics but seemed to be able to find a Patrol radiator + hose kit for around $400 online. I want to know whether what he charged is about right (I understand he needs to make a living out of it, and the labour essentially had to be charged twice!). If it is, I'll probably continue to use him.

Thanks
Paddy