How Much Does It Cost To Replace A Flywheel [DIY & Pro Install]

An automobile’s flywheel, designed to seamlessly move power from the motor to the machine, is meant to moderate energy usage. It basically rotates at a high speed in order to balance out the speed of the engine.

Somewhere in the lifespan of owning a vehicle, you might need to replace the flywheel altogether. 

On average, it costs around $170 to replace an automobile’s flywheel for parts alone or $887 for parts and labor combined, where the average cost of parts is $170 and the average cost of labor is about $717. 

In this article, we will break down the total costs of this auto replacement project by looking at both the cost of parts alone and the cost of parts combined with labor.

In order to understand differences in costs, we’ll look at factors that affect the cost of auto repair labor, as well as factors that affect the cost of parts. We will also discuss the long-term cost of flywheel replacement, as well as ways to save money on the project. 

Cost Breakdown

The cost of any auto repair project must be broken down into the cost of parts as well as the cost of labor.

Some individuals will only pay for parts (and do the labor themselves), while others will face the steeper costs of professional auto body work. 

Flywheel Replacement Cost of Parts Alone ($170)

The following cost assessment (cost of parts alone) applies to individuals who intend to replace the flywheel themselves or get assistance for free or reduced rates outside of professional auto repair work.

Not everyone is capable of completing this parts replacement project on their own, though, so we’ll discuss the costs of labor in the next section, as well. 

You can significantly cut average costs by paying for parts alone and doing a DIY project. On average, the cost of a flywheel is going to be around $170, depending on the make and manufacture of your car.

Costs can vary significantly depending on which parts you choose, but on the higher end, they can cost as much as a few hundred dollars or more, and as little as just below $50. 

Cost Comparison

To get a better idea of how the cost of parts can differ, though, take a look at some price quotes we pulled for flywheel parts for different types of automobiles. 

Flywheel Replacement Cost of Parts Plus Labor ($887)

In order to understand the cost of labor, you need to ask the question: how long does it take to replace a flywheel? Knowing the answer to this question can key you into the cost of labor since most auto work is paid for at an hourly rate.

Multiplied by the amount of time it typically takes to replace this essential part, you have your average cost of labor. 

So, we first must look to the average cost of labor in the United States for auto repair work. In many cases, it can take anywhere between 6 and 8 hours of labor in order to properly replace a vehicle’s flywheel.

When we look at the average cost of labor ($102.50) and multiply that by the average time (about 7 hours), we can see that the cost of labor rings in at an average of about $717.50.

In this case, the cost of labor is significantly more than the cost of parts, and you can start to see the bargain in replacing the flywheel yourself. When you combine the cost of labor and parts, as well, you’ll see that the total comes to about $887.50.

Of course, depending on where you live and what type of shop you are getting labor from, your cost of labor will vary.

Further, depending on the availability and skill level of the mechanics, you may find that your prices reduce due to a shorter labor time overall. 

Reasons for Replacing a Flywheel

There are several reasons that car owners may need to replace their flywheels. The flywheel is interconnected with several other parts in the vehicle, and as such, when these parts are malfunctioning, it can affect the flywheel, too. 

First, you may need to replace your flywheel if you find that your vehicle is experiencing clutch vibrations. When you depress the clutch on a vehicle, the flywheel should be able to operate properly.

However, you’ll know if your flywheel is in danger due to the clutch because you’ll find that these vibrations indicate a failing spring mount on your flywheel. 

Further, you may find that you start experiencing slipping gears. If this is the case, you should get your flywheel looked at and consider a replacement. A bad flywheel is typically the main reason that gars would start slipping.

Or, you might find that you are due for a flywheel replacement if you are prone to riding the clutch in your vehicle. This habit can easily lead to an overused flywheel that results in a burning smell. 

Factors that Affect the Cost of Replacing a Flywheel

While the general cost of replacing a car’s flywheel is close to our above-mentioned estimates, you can’t expect every auto repair project to cost exactly the same. Many factors are at play that may cause the cost of this project to fluctuate for each individual. 

Different Types of Cars Have Different Expenses

Certain automobiles have longer lifespans than others, which means replacements may happen more or less often accordingly (foreign vs. domestic cars, electric vs, standard engines, and other factors affect the lifespan of a car).

Further, the make and model of your car will affect the cost of replacing the flywheel since the cost of parts fluctuates among different types of vehicles. 

Upkeep and Maintenance

How often you perform maintenance on your car, on time, will also affect how often your flywheel needs replacing.

If you don’t take care of the car and address issues as soon as they arise or when regular maintenance is due, you could be spending more money overall on replacing your flywheel. 

DIY vs. Professional Labor

A DIY project will cost significantly less than a replacement done at an auto body shop merely because you cut out the cost of labor.

Or, if you’re able to get the assistance of a friend who has mechanic skills, they may be willing to do the job or help you with the job for a much more reduced rate. 

Associated Repairs Add Up

Having associated auto repairs can also increase the cost of replacing your flywheel indirectly. For example, problems with a car’s clutch and flywheel are often interconnected, meaning you may end up paying for clutch repairs when you get your flywheel replaced. 

Fluctuations in Costs of Labor

The cost of auto labor in your state or region may differ vastly from the cost of auto labor in another region. Further, costs of labor in a specific location may differ based on factors such as local cost of living, local costs of business, the type of auto repair shop (independent or dealership-based), and more.

According to Auto Chimps, the average national cost of auto repair labor is around $102.50/hour, where the lower extreme is just above $70/hour and the higher extreme is just below $130/hour. 

In the United States, you’ll find that the highest average costs of labor are found in Washington, D.C., Connecticut, California, and Georgia.

On the other hand, though, you’ll find some of the most affordable labor rates in places like Ohio, Michigan, Maine, and Wisconsin. Do note, however, that this fluctuates slightly from year to year, and every case is different. 

Long-Term Costs of Replacing a Flywheel

How much does it cost to replace over time? How many times will it need replacing in the vehicle’s lifespan? These are questions you may be asking yourself in addition to questions about the overall cost of replacing a flywheel. 

While you can’t necessarily predict exactly how often you’ll replace your vehicle’s flywheel, you can safely say that you likely won’t need to do it very often. Similar to engine replacements and other major parts replacement projects, the flywheel replacement shouldn’t happen more than a few times in a car’s lifetime, maximum.

The cars that experience frequent wear and tear, however, will likely need this part replaced more often since excessive wear affects the clutch. And of course, the clutch affects the flywheel as well. 

In a vehicle’s lifespan, though, you should only really need to replace the flywheel about once every 90,000 miles on average. And given that the average lifespan of an automobile includes about 200,000 miles, you may have to get this replacement job done about twice in the span of driving the same car, if you bought it from new.

This would put the average lifetime cost of replacement at about $340 for parts alone or $1,774 for parts plus labor combined.

How to Save Money When Replacing a Flywheel

When replacing car parts, there are several different ways that consumers can save money on their purchases. Aside from replacing the flywheel yourself, take a look:

• Compare costs and shop around. When buying any product, you need to compare costs among manufacturers and selling platforms. The same is true of auto body shops where you might potentially take your patronage. There’s no shame in calling repair shops to ask for hourly quotes before committing. Further, you may find a difference in buying parts from in-person stores vs. online retailers. 
• Look for discounts. It’s always worth it to ask the auto repair shop if they have any extra coupons or discounts they can apply to your purchase. While it may be a long shot, you never know when certain employees may be able to or willing to offer one. 
• Avoid the dealership if possible. One good rule of thumb when it comes to auto repair and services is to avoid the dealership fees. Dealerships are known to often cost more than private auto body shops and chains. You are more likely to get overcharged for a flywheel replacement, especially since this is a big-budget job.  
• Use discount browser extensions if shopping online. If you’re looking for a new flywheel online, it may be worth it to install a browser extension like Honey or RetailMeNot that can automatically compare coupons across the web to get you the best deal. 

Conclusion

Overall, the average cost of replacing an automobile’s flywheel is going to be broken down into costs of labor and costs of parts. An average new flywheel will cost around $170, whereas the cost of labor will cost around $717.

That puts the average cost of a DIY project at around $170, which is about $700 cheaper than paying for parts and labor combined.

Individuals who need to get this part replaced in their car will find that many factors affect the total costs, including geographical location (which affects the auto labor rates), costs of associated repairs, discrepancies among types of cars, and more. 

In the lifespan of an average car, you probably won’t need to replace the flywheel more than two or three times. This means that you don’t have to worry too much about long-term costs unless you put significant wear on your car.

However, our estimate for a lifetime cost of flywheel replacement would be around $340 for parts alone or $1,774 for parts plus labor.  You may be interested in the Flywheel resurfacing cost.