Car Mechanic Suggestions

[Durian Fiend]

Hi again ~ I'm reporting back how it went with my car.  I'm pretty worried because I think I still need a good mechanic for myself and my daughter and granddaughters also.  There are several cars in my family and we all relied on Joe Pereira for 30 years, and we sure do miss him, as a good friend and as our mechanic.
As I said earlier, Mike told me my transmission is going out so I took the car to Transmission Technology and paid $235 just to be told my transmission is okay - the problem is in the engine. So I went back to Wally and he put in a new camshaft position sensor and I've been driving for two days and my car has finally stopped surging and choking.  I'm now not afraid to drive to Hilo, and am happy with the way the car is acting.  BUT the problem is now that Wally just installed a camshaft position sensor a year ago. He charged me $177. this time and about the same a year ago. I mentioned this to him and he said he didn't remember. Any ideas on what I should do? Thanks again for all your help.

Thanks for updating us.   These sensors should last several years. In the unlikely event the first replacement was with a used part (It's been known to happen) , then perhaps a one year lifespan wouldn't be surprising.   When getting parts replaced on your car by someone besides yourself, it's always a good idea to verify where the new part came from with a receipt or the box it came in.  
Your receipt from the shop should also list the error code diagnosed, if any.

Thanks to u tube videos, if you have a code reader and some basic skills with hand tools, many of these kind of repairs can be done at home.   I've done this parts swap on an old Subaru myself. 

My curiosity with your case led me to a very brief how to video right here:   https://www.google.com/search?q=camshaft+position+sensor+on+2005+neon&rlz=1C1VDKB_enUS967US967&oq=camshaft+position+sensor+on+2005+neon&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i22i30j0i22i30i625j0i390l4.9751j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:41d4184a,vid:Rkos9vIaXjA