Sharing estimate for Independent Shop work on my 996

[bobbunnell]

Just got an estimate from local Indie shop.  Thoughts on charges?  I normally change my oil and oil filter in my garage in about 20 minutes.  Haven't changed manual transmission oil before, but looks like a DIY also.  Probably will only get the brake flush and coolant flush......Suggestions?

 

Job #1 REPLACE TRANSMISSION Oil
Labor--REPLACE TRANSMISSION OIL $127.40
Part--SYNTHETIC GEAR OIL 3.00 $26.35 $79.05
Job Total : $206.45

 

 

Job #2 REPLACE COOLANT Jeff
Labor--REPLACE COOLANT $166.60
Part--PORSCHE COOLANT 2.00 $45.15 $90.30
Job Total : $256.90

 

 

Job #3 REPLACE BRAKE FLUID Jeff
Labor--REPLACE BRAKE FLUID $225.40
Part--Brake Fluid 2.00 $13.20 $26.40
Job Total : $251.80

 

Job #4 PERFORM OILSERVICE Jeff
Labor--PERFORM OILSERVICE $98.00
Part--SYNTHETIC OIL 8.70 $13.20 $114.84

Part--SEAL RING 1.00 $0.80 $0.80

Job Total : $213.64

 

SUBTOTAL:

Tax $74.30
Supplies $0.00
$0.00
Misc $0.00
Sublet $0.00
Labor $617.40
Parts $311.39

 

TOTAL $1,003.09
 

[JFP in PA]

In each item, the labor seem excessive.

[GromitInWA]

As you can see the labor charges add up. According to the info I've found, each service have the following labor times:

Oil service - 0.5

Manual transmission fluid - 0.5

Brake bleeding - 2.0

Looking at your figures, it looks like they're using slightly different labor hours. What is their hourly rate? Around here it is $180/hour.

The oil service is missing a new oil filter.

Transmission fluid is an easy DIY and requires no special tools. Brake fluid and bleeding will be easier if you have a power bleeder. Coolant is the hardest since it requires a bunch of fiddling under the car with hoses and compressed air. So all can be DIY, it just depends on what gear you have and time at your disposal.

[kgoertz]

Those all all pretty straightforward jobs with the right tools.  It is definitely worthwhile to buy a power bleeder for the brake bleeding, but once you have one it is pretty straightforward job.  Plus it gives you a good opportunity to inspect the brakes and measure the rotor thickness. 

 

The coolant change is definitely the hardest.  But if you buy or borrow a coolant vacuum refill tool (like the UView 550000 or the FJC 43610) and don't attempt to drain the coolant completely then it is pretty simple.  I did mine while replacing my water pump.  My recommendation would be to just get out the coolant that is easy without removing the hoses from under the car.  And use Volkswagen coolant which is exactly the same thing at a much lower price.    There is a very good writeup on this forum or rennlist on how to do the flush.

It would probably take me about half an hour each for the oil change and transmission fluid change.  And a bit more than an hour each for brake bleeding and coolant flush.

[JasonStern]

The rates seem excessive.

 

If you aren't the DIY mechanic type, then the coolant I wouldn't touch. With the engine in the rear and the radiators up front, it's easy to get air bubbles that affect the car's cooling ability.

 

The oil changes are fairly straightforward. I recommend doing that yourself so that you know it is done right. Also, this allows you to install a magnetic oil drain plug so you can periodically check for any potential IMS bearing debris. Likewise, you can cut open the oil filter and use a magnet to search for any unexpected wear. Plus at the price the dealership is asking, you can buy an oil with a high ZDDP content and send an oil sample off to Blackstone Labs to have an engine oil analysis done for roughly $100 less than they would charge.

 

My girl is cutting me off from the PC, so unfortuantely I can't voice my opinion on the rest.