Know what the repair should cost
before the shop tells you what it does.

Fair-price ranges for the most common car repairs, computed transparently: published labor times × your state's real shop rates + honest parts bands. Free, no sign-up, no shop referrals — the estimate is the product.

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Car repair cost calculator

Transparent math: labor hours × your state's shop rate + realistic parts range. See exactly how this is computed →

Shop type
Parts
Fair range $120 – $210 per axle
Labor: 0.8–1.2 hrs × $110/hr$90 – $130
Parts (quality aftermarket)$40 – $80

A quote inside this range is ordinary. Above it isn't automatically a rip-off — but every dollar above should map to an itemized line you can question. Below the range: ask what parts brand is being used.

Repair guides, priced

Every guide shows the fair range for your vehicle type, the lines shops add to quotes (and when they're legitimate), and the questions that keep an estimate honest.

Brake pad replacement$120 – $560 per axle

What brake pad replacement really costs in 2026

Brake pads and rotors$250 – $1,360 per axle

Fair 2026 pricing for a full pads-and-rotors brake job, by vehicle and state

Alternator replacement$250 – $1,490 per job

Alternator replacement cost in 2026

AC compressor replacement$470 – $2,250 per job

AC compressor replacement runs $800–$1,800 in 2026. Where the money goes

Transmission replacement$2,060 – $10,320 per job

The $4,000–$8,000 question: 2026 transmission replacement costs, rebuilt vs used vs reman, and the checks that keep you from paying for one you don't need.

Timing belt replacement$420 – $1,400 per job

Timing belt replacement cost in 2026

Water pump replacement$230 – $1,100 per job

Water pump replacement pricing for 2026

Starter replacement$210 – $1,200 per job

Starter replacement cost in 2026, and the free checks (battery, connections, relay) that rule out the cheap causes first.

Radiator replacement$290 – $1,600 per job

Radiator replacement pricing for 2026

Struts / shocks replacement$370 – $2,240 per pair (front or rear)

Strut and shock replacement costs for 2026

Wheel bearing replacement$190 – $980 per wheel

Wheel bearing replacement cost in 2026

Spark plug replacement$100 – $650 per job (all cylinders)

Spark plug replacement pricing in 2026

Head gasket repair$1,130 – $3,260 per job

Head gasket repair: the $1,500–$4,000 diagnosis you should verify twice. 2026 cost breakdown and the total-loss math.

Catalytic converter replacement$310 – $3,590 per converter

Catalytic converter replacement in 2026

Serpentine belt replacement$70 – $340 per job

Serpentine belt replacement

Repair costs by vehicle

Fair-price ranges for the most common repairs on the vehicles Americans actually drive.

Honda Civic

Repair costs & fair prices

Toyota Corolla

Repair costs & fair prices

Honda Accord

Repair costs & fair prices

Toyota Camry

Repair costs & fair prices

Nissan Altima

Repair costs & fair prices

Toyota RAV4

Repair costs & fair prices

Honda CR-V

Repair costs & fair prices

Ford Explorer

Repair costs & fair prices

Jeep Grand Cherokee

Repair costs & fair prices

Ford F-150

Repair costs & fair prices

Chevrolet Silverado

Repair costs & fair prices

Ram 1500

Repair costs & fair prices

1 · Transparent

Math you can check

Every estimate shows its work: labor hours, your state's rate, parts band. No black box, no "call for pricing." Read the methodology.

2 · Independent

Nothing to sell you

We don't take referral fees from shops or gate estimates behind lead forms — incentives shape numbers, so we removed the incentives.

3 · Grounded

Built to be refined

Estimates come from the published sources in our methodology, dated and reviewed monthly. We're also gathering anonymous reader-submitted quotes — as each repair's sample grows, its range gets recalibrated against what shops actually charged.

Anatomy of a repair quote

Every honest quote breaks into the same three parts. Padding hides in the totals; it can't hide once you separate them.

A repair quote separated into labor hours times rate, parts, and fees, with the questions to ask each partBrake pad replacement — front axleLABOR1.0 hr × $110= $110Ask: is 1 hourtypical for this job?PARTS$70ceramic padsAsk: what brand,aftermarket or OEM?FEES + TOTAL+ shop supplies $15+ tax≈ $195–210within fair range ✓

Decode your own quote →

Reading a repair quote: the 60-second version

  • Ask for itemization. Parts (with brand), labor hours, and fees on separate lines. A single-number quote can't be evaluated — and shops that itemize price more carefully.
  • Compare labor hours, not totals. Rates vary by region legitimately; hours shouldn't vary much for the same job. Our per-job pages show the honest hour ranges.
  • Question add-ons against their trigger. Fluid flushes, "while we're in there" parts, shop supplies over ~10% — each has a legitimate trigger, listed on every guide here.
  • Get the measurement. Rotors have a stamped minimum thickness; pads have millimeters left; batteries have load-test numbers. Good shops volunteer them.
  • A second quote costs 20 minutes. On anything over $500, it's the highest-paid 20 minutes of your month.