Rear wheel bearings - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

blinkwatt · 08-19-2009, 10:49 AM

What wheel bearing was that to replace?

It was only $40 in parts and $350 in labor for my front driver side on my 01' S.

gstoli · 08-19-2009, 11:08 AM

gschotland:
Yes, I would be willing to buy a used one :-). If I don't find a used one I'll buy the one from pelican parts.

blinkwatt:
Check out this link:
google search

Evidently, it all depends on where you buy them and what make are the bearings. It's strange that the OEM are less expensive than others... Of course the price I got from the mechanic is way above the web prices... They just replaced the spark plugs for $200 (60 for the spark plugs and $140 labor). It was the first time I went to this mechanic as I was very disappointed from my last one (first and last visit 2 years ago for a top motor replacement- $2200... ouch!). I am done with mechanics... I will become one my self...

Should anyone be interested who are these non-dealer stealers, pm me... I'd be more than glad to give more info...

gstoli · 08-19-2009, 11:14 AM

I actually went there with my laptop and showed them the price search for the bearings and the DIY webpages that say that this is a 2.5 hours project.

They said that they don't think this is doable as a DIY and that the price for the parts is what they get and they can't change this...

Pretty fancy shop though

Paul · 08-19-2009, 03:02 PM

Run away, don't look back.

Kirk · 08-19-2009, 03:53 PM

My local independent was going to charge me $600 to do two wheels, just the labor, no parts. I was going to pull the wheel carriers and bring them into the shop and have them simply press out the old bearings and then press in the new ones, maybe a 1 hour job. They still would not move from their $600 price. They have a book where they look up the time required for a job, multiply it by their hourly rate, and then give you a labor cost. It's that simple and most shops simply won't budge on that screwed up formula.

The shop you're using should not object to you bringing them the parts as long as they are good quality. If you can get them cheaper, then more power to you, right?

Also, do a search, we just discussed this. Someone else here wanted to rent the Pelican tool. They ended up buying the $80 Harbor Freight version. You should send them a PM to see if that worked, I haven't seen a report back.

Kirk

jjanari · 08-19-2009, 06:05 PM

the problem with the harbour freight tool is that I don't see how you could use it to remove the wheel hub from the carrier. the pelican tool has a horseshoe attachment for this purpose. you can pm for info on the pelican tool (which is actually manufacture by SIR tools) since i rented one from a member on renntech. I'm suspect he wouldn't have a problem renting it to you, if you wanted to go that route. on the other hand, if you bought the tool yourself, you would have no problem re-selling it or renting it out and getting your $$ back.

-jimmy

btw, the prices you were quoted for the job are absurd! the bearing i bought from VERTEX auto was OEM (I think it's manuf by FAG) and was only about $35 or $40. i understand the need for markup and to make money, but....

gstoli · 08-20-2009, 04:52 AM

I haven't been able to find a shop that agrees with me bringing the (OEM) parts to them. "It's against their policy for safety reasons" or something... In other words... extra $$$

Generally speaking, when I go with an SUV in a shop for maintenance I don't really care what they do (as long as they charge reasonably). But with the Porsche I am really unconfortable when they take her in and leave me in the the "waiting room". I like to be there and see what they do. I also like to get receipts of all the new parts they use. And I would very much appreciate it if they gave me back the part that has been replaced. But mechanics don't do these things...

Anyway, my neighbor was fixing cars some years ago. He's unemployed now, but still has a ramp and all the tools one can imagine. So, I am going to him today to ask him if we can do this together and pay him for his service (at least I will be helping someone I know needs to $$$). Is the tool needed to remove the bearings a special Porsche tool or something conventional can do the job anyway (in case he has something conventional).

The funniest of thing is this... I am a chemical engineer, with a Ph.D and a postdoc. If I calculate how much I charge per hour (of course I get a yearly salary but I can always divide...) it's about $100 an hour. The mechanic/engineer charges about the same money without having spend half of his life studying. And then they overcharge you for parts etc... It makes you wonder why should someone study?

smohican · 04-25-2011, 07:07 AM

Finish replacing the L/Rear bearing on my 986 S, for the third time. The job is alot easier with the SIR TOOL B-90. I highly recommend it. Also, I contacted the Porsche Corporation of North America to tell them that I had to replace my bearing three times already with only 65K miles on my car, and to my dismey, they told me that my complaint is the first complaint they have ever heard of. So Porsche owmers, please contact the Porsche Corporation and tell them about your similar wheel bearing failures. Their (Porsche) number is 1-800767-7243. They need to know what is the problem and maybe they can do something about it or compensate us for the bearing failures. After all, it is a "Porsche."
Steve M.

TWODAN · 04-26-2011, 05:14 AM

i don't know where you are in boston, i'm on the south shore. recently i took my 1975 bmw 2002 that had been in storage fo 19 years to motor cars international in bridgewater to bring it back to life after they quoted me a ball park figure. i looked at their shop and decided to go for it. greg and his team of racing gear heads did a great job. you can have the old parts, and receive complete documentation upon completion, stop in to view progress in my case etc. i enjoyed the 2002 and wanted to go faster. the solution was my 2008 s which i purchased from them too. google them and give them a try.......as for high prices on parts......i work at an appliance parts house and i'm amazed everyday what manufacturers sell their electronic parts for. thankfully the days of the $300.00 washing machine are almost over and the new ones are closer to 1K, which allows for the higher prices of parts. and yes, warranties are common on electronic parts.