$150.00 Anchor in a 93 Geo Metro

SAHMof2 · Apr 1, 2010

Hi all. My sil is headed south for Easter in her new/old car. It doesn't have an anchor so she went to GM this a.m. to get one put in. They wanted to charge her 150.00 to do it. Can anyone tell me if this is correct? I "thought" they had to do it for free if the car didn't have one at all.

Thanks all.

SAHMof2 · Apr 1, 2010

Oh and she is currently getting advice to install it herself or someone she knows who is handy. My insides are not liking that. Can you tell me if this is as huge of a no no as I think it is?

TIA

bobandjess99 · Apr 1, 2010

i don't have teh newest LATCH manual, so i am not sure if chevy has a free program or not. Oh wait...you are in Canada? The rules are different there anyway. someone with canadian knowledge should pop in soon, hopefully.
As to doing it yourself, that is actually completely acceptable. It's just screwing a nut in with a bolt. It's a "yes, yes" , lol.

LittlePeanut · Apr 1, 2010

You mean a top tether anchor right? It's hit and miss with dealers as to whether they will do it for free or minimal cost but $150 is INSANELY high. Yeah you can do it yourelf too but you need the correct part. One of the other techs on here will have the part number in the LATCH manual.

crunchierthanthou · Apr 1, 2010

The first line of the most current Technical Service Bulletin on retrofitting found in the 2009 LATCH manual says GM of Canada is not authorized to use it.

As far as having a friend install it, that's okay. It should be a DIY job.

Jennifer mom to my 7 · Apr 1, 2010

and to do it yourself, you also need a torque wrench. I think the wrench is only like 15 US dollars...
Or you find someone with one.

QuassEE · Apr 1, 2010

I'd love to see the breakdown on the parts and labour on that $150. It's a $10-$15 part and takes .25 labour hours.. so that's about $35-$40 IF they charge. Call another dealership.

-Nicole.

ketchupqueen · Apr 1, 2010

But even if it takes 15 minutes, some dealerships have a 1 hr. labor minimum, or sometimes even 1 1/2 hours. So that may jack up the price.

It shouldn't be hard, I'd order the part and screw it in myself or have a handy friend who already has a torque wrench do it.

safeinthecar · Apr 1, 2010

Installing a tether in a Geo Metro is really, quite literally, screwing in a bolt. The nut is already welded to the frame of the car (underside of the package shelf n the sedan, under the car in the hatchback) You'll need a torque wrench and a tube of silicone sealant. Use something sharp like an ice pick or an awl to poke through the carpet where the nut is, then cut away the carpet to give access to the hole. Use silicone sealant around hole before inserting the bolt to keep exhaust fumes from entering the passenger compartment. Tighten the nut to 16ft/lbs. t takes about 10 mins to do both TAs.

My tether manual is in DH's car at the moment, so I can't give you the part number. GM uses the same one for all vehicles though. I'll try to remember to update with the # tomorrow.

QuassEE · Apr 1, 2010

Any Canadian dealership I've dealt with has had .25 minimums. US dealerships I've dealt with have had .25 or .5 minimums. I can't imagine 1.0 here in Canada.

-Nicole.

crunchierthanthou · Apr 1, 2010

safeinthecar said:
Tighten the nut to 16ft/lbs.

and if you don't have access to a torque wrench, just know that means secure, but not very tight. Although, even a basic version of the tool is much less expensive than the labor charge at the dealer.

Jeanum · Apr 1, 2010

safeinthecar said:
Installing a tether in a Geo Metro is really, quite literally, screwing in a bolt. The nut is already welded to the frame of the car (underside of the package shelf n the sedan, under the car in the hatchback) You'll need a torque wrench and a tube of silicone sealant. Use something sharp like an ice pick or an awl to poke through the carpet where the nut is, then cut away the carpet to give access to the hole. Use silicone sealant around hole before inserting the bolt to keep exhaust fumes from entering the passenger compartment. Tighten the nut to 16ft/lbs. t takes about 10 mins to do both TAs.

My tether manual is in DH's car at the moment, so I can't give you the part number. GM uses the same one for all vehicles though. I'll try to remember to update with the # tomorrow.

GM doesn't provide part numbers for the LATCH manual as they change over time and the GM dealerships are supposed to have the current tether anchor part number info. for each GM vehicle model. I also get the distinct impression from the LATCH manual that the part number varies depending on the specific GM model rather than a universal GM part, or else it would be much simpler for GM to actually provide a part number for the LATCH manual if it truly was the same part across the board.

:twocents:

Pepse · Apr 1, 2010

That is crazy, ford is about 47 for the part and free to install

QuassEE · Apr 1, 2010

Ford dealers in Vancouver still install one for free, parts included.

That's why it's best to call around a bit.

-Nicole.

ketchupqueen · Apr 1, 2010

QuassEE said:
Any Canadian dealership I've dealt with has had .25 minimums. US dealerships I've dealt with have had .25 or .5 minimums. I can't imagine 1.0 here in Canada.

-Nicole.

Okay. Most of the dealerships around here are 0.5 but some are 1, and I know one nearby is 1.5. But I can accept that is not the norm.

QuassEE · Apr 1, 2010

Ouch, I can't even imagine paying a 1.5 minimum on an oil change, for example!! It's typically around $50 for an oil change here, with .25 labour ++ parts!! I have three friends who work at three different dealerships and recently asked two what the minimums were now that a few dealerships are charging for TAs. One was .25 and the other .5, then add to that my own experience over the last 18 years of driving and never have I seen 1.0 here. Even at 1.0 + parts we still wouldn't have $150.

-Nicole.

hipmaman · Apr 1, 2010

I'd call around before I pay $150 for a top anchor. That's crazy!

ketchupqueen · Apr 1, 2010

QuassEE said:
Ouch, I can't even imagine paying a 1.5 minimum on an oil change, for example!! It's typically around $50 for an oil change here, with .25 labour ++ parts!! I have three friends who work at three different dealerships and recently asked two what the minimums were now that a few dealerships are charging for TAs. One was .25 and the other .5, then add to that my own experience over the last 18 years of driving and never have I seen 1.0 here. Even at 1.0 + parts we still wouldn't have $150.

-Nicole.

What, they don't charge $85/hr for labor there? (Same places...)

To be fair, things like an oil change are typically exempt from the minimum time charge here (they have a set fee schedule for things like that instead.)

We broke a cupholder on our Corolla, and they wanted $80 for the part and another $85 for the minimum 1 hr. labor charge. Plus tax.

It took my husband 2 minutes to put it in himself, unscrewing the old one and screwing in the new with a screwdriver (though we still had to pay the $80 for the part. Ouch.)

SAHMof2 · Apr 1, 2010

Thank you all very much. Glad to hear it can be done DIY. I do hope she calls around until she gets a more satisfactory response.

I've forwarded this thread to her for her information.

Thanks all again.

safeinthecar · Apr 5, 2010

Jeanum said:
GM doesn't provide part numbers for the LATCH manual as they change over time and the GM dealerships are supposed to have the current tether anchor part number info. for each GM vehicle model. I also get the distinct impression from the LATCH manual that the part number varies depending on the specific GM model rather than a universal GM part, or else it would be much simpler for GM to actually provide a part number for the LATCH manual if it truly was the same part across the board. :twocents:

I finally remembered to snag my LATCH manual from DHs car.

The Geo brand was make by Toyota for GM, and the pre-welded nut is the exact same one used in all Toyotas. Toyota uses the same part across the board. (here in the US the cost is a $5 donation to SafetyBeltSafe)

$150.00 Anchor in a 93 Geo Metro

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