Two-bay workshop with a blue-gray wagon parked in the left bay.

Two-bay repair shop in Saratoga County

Independent auto repair, with an estimate you approve line by line

Pine & Piston Garage has two bays and three technicians. We check your car against the same seven-line inspection sheet every time, send you the parts and labor price for each job we recommend, and do only the work you approve.

Two bays

A two-post lift for wheels-off work, and a flat bay for service, diagnostics and belts.

Seven-line inspection

The same sheet every visit. A line nobody has looked at yet is marked as not checked.

Approve or Not now on every line

Each job has its own parts and labor price. Nothing starts until you send your decision.

Open Monday to Friday, 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM

Call (518) 555-0154Book the car in

Standard jobs, parts plus labor

These are our standard prices for the cars we see most: compact sedans, wagons, hatchbacks, small vans and pickups. Each job is priced as parts plus labor. Your written estimate is the price you approve, and an approved price doesn't change.

Brakes and tires

  • Front brake service

    Replace both front pads and rotors, clean and lubricate the carriers, bed in the new friction material.

    Parts $280.00 · Labor $200.00 · 90 min bench time

    • Pads and rotors both sides
    • Carriers cleaned and lubricated
    • Fasteners torqued and marked
    • Road tested
    $480.00
    Request this

  • Tire rotation and pressure set

    Rotate the road wheels, set pressures and re-torque fasteners.

    Labor $45.00 · no parts · 30 min bench time

    • Wheel positions recorded
    • Pressures set
    • Fasteners re-torqued
    $45.00
    Request this

Engine, belts and cooling

  • Drive belt replacement

    Replace the ribbed accessory drive belt and re-check tensioner travel.

    Parts $190.00 · Labor $60.00 · 30 min bench time

    • Routed to the diagram
    • Tensioner travel recorded
    $250.00
    Request this

  • Upper coolant hose replacement

    Replace the upper coolant hose, refill and bleed the system, pressure test.

    Parts $90.00 · Labor $110.00 · 60 min bench time

    • Clamps seated
    • System bled
    • Pressure tested
    $200.00
    Request this

  • Spark plug set replacement

    Replace all four spark plugs, check coil boots and re-scan for stored misfire codes.

    Parts $120.00 · Labor $80.00 · 60 min bench time

    • All four plugs gapped to spec
    • Coil boots inspected
    • Re-scanned for misfire codes
    $200.00
    Request this

Routine service

  • Oil service

    Drain and refill engine oil, replace the filter, reset the service reminder.

    Parts $50.00 · Labor $40.00 · 30 min bench time

    • Oil and filter replaced
    • Service reminder reset
    • Drain plug torqued
    $90.00
    Request this

  • Battery replacement

    Fit a replacement battery, clean the terminals and re-test charging output.

    Parts $180.00 · Labor $60.00 · 30 min bench time

    • Battery secured
    • Charging output re-tested
    $240.00
    Request this

  • Cabin air filter

    Replace the cabin air filter behind the glovebox.

    Parts $35.00 · Labor $25.00 · 20 min bench time

    • Filter replaced
    • Housing reseated
    $60.00
    Request this

Bench time is the hands-on time for the job, not how long we keep your car. Tax and any fees appear as their own lines on your estimate. Don't see your job here? Call (518) 555-0154 and we'll tell you whether it's one for us.

A closer look at two jobs

What the price covers, so you know what you're approving.

  1. Brakes

    Front brakes: pads and rotors together

    When front pads wear down to the backing plate, the rotors are usually scored as well, and new pads on a scored rotor wear quickly and can pull. Our front brake service replaces both pads and rotors on both sides, cleans and lubricates the carriers, and beds in the new pads. We torque the wheel fasteners to spec, mark them, and road test the car before we call you.

    $480.00 · parts $280.00, labor $200.00 · 90 minutes bench time

    Brake rotor, caliper and two brake pads on a steel workbench.

  2. Belts

    Replacing a drive belt before it lets go

    A ribbed accessory belt with cracks across the ribs can still drive everything today. When one lets go, it takes the alternator and water pump drive with it. Replacing it takes thirty minutes on the bench, and we re-check tensioner travel and record it while we're there.

    $250.00 · parts $190.00, labor $60.00 · 30 minutes bench time

    Ribbed replacement drive belt on a steel tray.

Check-in to keys back

From your first call to picking up your keys.

Step 1 / 4Check-in

Check-in

Tell us what you've noticed: a noise, a warning light, a smell, or simply that a service is due. We write your concern on the repair order in your words, record the mileage, and agree a pickup time with you. If you have old service records, bring them along.

Key activities
  • Your concern written down in your words
  • Mileage recorded at check-in
  • Pickup time agreed with you
What you get
  • Repair order number, printed on everything we send you
  • A pickup time we've told you, which we don't quietly move
Who you'll talk to

Sam Ortiz, service desk

Who handles it
Service desk
Four steps from check-in to pickup

Estimate PP-1042, line by line

Every estimate we send uses this layout. This one is for a 2018 compact wagon that came in with grinding from the front when braking and a battery light that flickered once.

Pine & Piston Garage

Saratoga County, NY

(518) 555-0154

ESTIMATEPP-1042 · revision 1
VEHICLE2018 compact wagon
Front brake servicePads worn to the backing plate, rotors scored.Parts$280.00Labor$200.00
$480.00APPROVE
Battery replacementFailed a load test. Charging output reads normal.Parts$180.00Labor$60.00
$240.00NOT NOW
Oil serviceAbout 2,000 miles past the service interval.Parts$50.00Labor$40.00
$90.00APPROVE
Proposed$810.00
Not now$240.00
Approved$570.00

The battery stays on the car's record, quoted at $240.00.

Tax and any fees appear as their own lines.

What approving means

  1. You give us permission for these jobs at these prices.
  2. We book the work once parts are in and a bay and technician are free.
  3. The battery creates no job and no charge, and a not-now line is never invoiced.
  4. Doing the battery later means a fresh estimate.
  5. Anything we find during the work comes to you as a new estimate.
  6. Work you've already approved keeps its prices.

Choosing a line on the estimate isn't approval until you send your decision.

The shop

Pine & Piston is an independent garage with two bays. Bay 1 has a two-post lift for wheels-off work like brakes and suspension. Bay 2 is a flat bay for oil service, diagnostics and belts.

Sam runs the desk, so the person who writes your estimate is the same person who picks up the phone. Every job is booked to a named technician, and that name is on your repair order.

Service bays
2
Technicians
3
Lines on every inspection
7

Who you'll deal with

  1. Sam OrtizService desk

    Service advisor

    Writes and sends estimates, books the bays, and calls you when something changes.

  2. Ada ChenTechnician

    Lead technician, brakes and chassis

    Leads the wheels-off work in Bay 1.

  3. Ellis ReedTechnician

    Technician, diagnostics and service

    Warning lights, belts, hoses and ignition work.

  4. Mateo CruzApprentice

    Apprentice technician, service and tires

    Oil service, filters and tire rotations.

From a customer in Wilton

I booked an oil service before a long drive and asked them to look at the tires while the car was up. The estimate had two lines, $90.00 for the oil and filter and $45.00 to rotate the wheels and set the pressures, and they didn't touch anything until I said yes. The car was ready at the time Sam gave me when I dropped it off.

Marisol T.

Wilton

Book the car in

Tell us about the car and what you've noticed. We'll call or text to agree a drop-off time.

When do you need us?

We'll get back to you during shop hours. Nothing is booked until we've spoken.