Hi,

My car has been suffering from compression leak in cyl#1 since spring. I've been trying to delay the inevitable these past months. But right before my car's emissions test was due, I did a couple of tests and confirmed that the leak is caused by a bad valve. The short of the story is I failed emissions on the HydroCarbon.

Since I didn't have any valid reason for delay, I took the engine head off.

Now I have 2 machine shops to choose from. One was recommended by my mechanic and they charge $250 for a basic (clean, cut, grind and leak test) with $10 per guide replacement. The other machineshop was recommended by an auto repair shop I found on the internet. This machine shop charges $200 for the whole job including guide replacement and they seem to have been around since they have a listing on the Yellow pages.

The first is located in upstate NY and second is located in Brooklyn, NY. My dilemma is whether choose peace of mind with the costlier quote or a cheaper deal. Does anybody know if $200 is the going rate in Brooklyn?

Your input will be greatly appreciated.