Mechanic says I need to change motor mounts... Options

[Rider]

1994 GT, Manual, 192k miles

One mechanic told me in April that my transmission mount was cracked. Recently, I've been hearing bumping/knocking noises when accelerating in a straight line that get worse when turning right and disappear when turning left. Also, those "bumps" get louder under harder acceleration (duh).

Went to the mechanic today, and he said to change all of them because changing just one would eventually damage the other two. He also said it'd cost me $480 plus tax - $280 for parts, $200 for labor. Two questions:
1. Is $200 a fair price for labor?
2. The mounts are listed as part numbers 8852, 8869, and 8871, but I've read that I also need to get other parts in order to replace the mounts. I can get those three mounts (Anchor brand) from RockAuto for $133 shipped, but what other parts should I get?

This post has been edited by Rider: Sep 12, 2011 - 10:19 PM

[richee3]

I would personally want to replace them all at once if the budget allows it. Just the same as when headlight bulbs burn out or tires get worn out, when one goes bad, you know the others are close to the end of their useful life. They were made in the same place at around the same time from the same materials. But if funds are short, replacing just the one will work just fine. I'm not sure what your mechanic is trying to pull by saying that putting a new mount in the car will cause the others to break... Sounds like he's just trying to get some extra cash in his pocket and get you to replace all the mounts at once. Like I said, that's how I would do it anyway, but if that's how my mechanic was going to act, he wouldn't get a single penny of my money.

By the way, you should be expecting to keep your car more than another year. 192k is nothing compared to some of the cars we've got on here. Some of them are approaching 400k and they aren't exactly being pampered. Miles are just numbers on Toyotas, nothing more.

This post has been edited by richee3: Sep 14, 2011 - 9:46 PM

[cheela]

Miles are just numbers on Toyotas, nothing more.

best quote ever. sooo true