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

Kirk · 08-19-2009, 04:53 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, 07:05 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, 05:52 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?

jjanari · 08-20-2009, 07:41 AM

here's the tool folks keep talking about (the SIR tool) that's sold by pelican, etc.:

http://www.samstagsales.com/Porsche.htm

again, you can use a different tool, but I'm not sure what you would you to pull the hub from the wheel carrier. if you look at the SIR tool (ST B 90-P2 ) it has that horshoe attachment for pulling the hub out. I'm sure if your neighbor is a good wrench, he can improvise, I'm just not sure how you would do so, even having done the job myself.

pschaub · 08-20-2009, 08:15 AM

@ gstoli - What shops in Boston have given you a hard time? Give Motor Sport Garage a call in Cambridge/Allston. I found them in the Nor'Easter, the local PCA mag.

I have taken in parts there before, just made sure I told them over the phone what I had. This way they could be sure to have any extraneous parts on hand that may be needed to complete a job. Not sure what they would charge for the work you are looking to have done.

410 Cambridge St, Allston MA
(617) 783-3078

gstoli · 08-20-2009, 11:33 AM

I prefer not to post my bad experiences... Some of these guys may well be forum members.

What I can do is post the quotes I've been getting today:
Shop // two rear wheel Bearings price (parts and labor included) // front engine mount price (parts and labor included)
- Auto Engineering : // 1012 // 338
- Motorsport garage : // 904 // 577
- European Performance Engineering // 850 // 425
- Auto Sport Engineering // 1100 // 462

I am in the middle of changing jobs and houses... no time for DIY's... And my neighbor is on vacations. And I still need to work to make this extra $1K

And it's a pity not enjoying the very few summer days in Boston...

Still looking though :-)

Brad Roberts · 08-20-2009, 08:57 PM

whoa.. A little info needed here:

Shops charge X amount on top of what they pay wholesale. Now.. there are a LOT of parts whores out there that operate on moving a lot of parts cheap with nearly NO margin (this is who you find online) The reason for the shop markup? It is their WARRANTY on the part. If the part you bring in FAILS.. YOU (the car owner) is going to EAT the second repair. If the part the shop installs FAIL then the SHOP eats it.

Pretty simple.

This why shops don't want you to bring in your own parts, it is to protect them and to protect you.

Now.. I'll read the rest of the post

B