75K Service Estimate

[dbansal]

Hey Guys,

My car is coming up on 75K and I'm doing the first service. I called ROCS auto in belleville, nj and they gave me this price:

$1,300...

Check everything..etc..
Oil Change
Oil Filter Change
Air Filter Change
Fuel Filter Change
Cabin Filter Change
Spark Plug Change
Coolant Flush
Brake bleed...front and rear.
Automatic Transmission Flush and fluids change

[dbansal]

Reasonable not reasonable?? labor rate of $95/hr

[Timco]

All things I would do myself, but sounds reasonable. That's a lot of time and items if all done properly.

[dbansal]

thanks for opining

[mountainman]

Around $400 worth of parts if you shop wisely. That leaves $900 in labor. You can do it yourself if you are handy in a day. $900 is pretty good pay or savings for a days work where I come from. Kind of depends on whether you have more time or money. And bear in mind you don"t have to do it all at once.

[dbansal]

the only thing i would be able to handle myself are the air filters... i could do oil but it gets way too messy and disposing 9 quarts of oil will be a hassle...

[steved0x]

Originally Posted by mountainman

Around $400 worth of parts if you shop wisely. That leaves $900 in labor. You can do it yourself if you are handy in a day. $900 is pretty good pay or savings for a days work where I come from. Kind of depends on whether you have more time or money. And bear in mind you don"t have to do it all at once.

Agreed, I have done all of that on my car with the exception of AT flush and coolant flush (I did do a transaxle oil change though, and the AT car needs that oil changed as well) but I understand it is a lot tougher to get to in an AT car. And I have flushed coolant on a Tacoma and a Miata.

You could take that $900 and buy:
3 ton low profile jack from Harbor freight for $75
2 pairs of 3 ton jack stands for $50
15 quart oil pan $15. Any auto parts store will have a big drum you can pour the old oil in for recycling.
Motive European Black Label Bleeder $70
If you are missing specific tools like an 11mm metric wrench for brake bleeding
Spark plug socket $15 GearWrench 80546 5/8-Inch x 6-Inch Swivel Spark Plug Socket - Socket Set With Spark Plug Socket - Amazon.com
Airlift for coolant flushing $120 Amazon.com: UView 550000 Airlift Cooling System Leak Checker and Airlock Purge Tool Kit: Automotive
HF Compressor for airlift tool: $125-$150
101 Projects book: $25
Bentley manual $75

I am probably missing a few things but you could get set up pretty well for that $900 and do most of that yourself. The AT fluid exchange would be the only one I would be leery about but only because I have never done that. There are guides in both the 101 Projects book and the Bentley.

And you can certainly space it all out over time. Unless there is a critical issue (and most of your list seems non critical, just do the oil change first if it is due. Do the air filters and learn how to get into the engine compartment. If it is past due then do the spark plugs, and if you have any seepage, do the tubes and O-rings while you are in there. Etc. It can be fun

But if you want to have a shop do all of that work $900 seems fair to me as well. That is a decent amount of labor to do all that stuff.

Good luck!

Steve

[steved0x]

Originally Posted by dbansal

the only thing i would be able to handle myself are the air filters... i could do oil but it gets way too messy and disposing 9 quarts of oil will be a hassle...

I never worked on a car in my life but once I got the boxster I decided to learn to do the work myself, at least as much as I could. And I also got to cut my teeth on my son's Miata.

You can for sure burn up a Saturday out there messing with it though, but it is kind of satisfying too You can do it!

[dbansal]

Thanks for the vote of confidence everyone... im mulling my options now!

[thstone]

$1,300 is reasonable for a dealer. Indy should be under $1,000. DIY $500.

Your money, your time, your choice.

The only thing that I will ask is that I thought that the major service intervals were 30K/60K/90K miles. I would have expected 75K miles to be a minor service (basically oil and filters but not spark plugs, coolant, and brake fluid). But maybe my memory is out of date.

[dbansal]

the at flush, coolant, and brake fluids are things that i want... I bought the car at 68k miles and am not sure if 60k was done or not...

[thstone]

Originally Posted by dbansal

the at flush, coolant, and brake fluids are things that i want... I bought the car at 68k miles and am not sure if 60k was done or not...

Ahh! Yes, now it all makes sense! Good thinking in doing the backdated service.

[dbansal]

these guys wanted almost 2x as much:

I found a cool one today.

originally posted in local mechanic thread by bavarianmotorist..
PowerTech


POWERTECH • 311 West Main Street • Rockaway, NJ 07866 • Phone: 973.586.3210 • Fax: 973.586.6891



They ONLY do Porsches.

[trimer]

When I changed my plugs and coil packs, oil and filter I started the morning with a beer belly and by the end of the day, after moving and contorting, getting up and down etc, I had lost 30 lbs and gained a wonderful wash board stomach. Amazing what these cars can do to us. I enjoyed doing it once, but would not do it again...specifically plugs and coil packs.

[steved0x]

Originally Posted by trimer

I enjoyed doing it once, but would not do it again...

That is fact. On my son's old Miata we did a clutch slave cylinder, replaced the clutch hydraulic line with an upgraded braided one, updated headlights, changed all fluids, valve cover gasket, plugs, wires, etc... When it was totaled and we got another the enthusiasm wasn't there to do all those same things again.... That stuff may eventually will get done but we will wait until the old part breaks first...

[patssle]

6 years ago I was a computer geek that had never touched a car aside from changing a tire. Now I have a 2 post car lift in my garage and am building a 914-6.

If I can do it anybody can. The filter changes are as easy as it gets - if you can follow directions on how-to articles on Pedro's Garage or Pelican Parts!

[mountainman]

I rack up about 50K Porsche miles a year between the three we have. no way I could do that if I didn't do my own maintenance. The cost of a years worth of dealer oil changes alone .almost paid for my 4 post lift. Aside from that, the more you work on your car, the more you learn about it, which is never a bad thing.

[marano]

Try Caste System Performace in Norwood.

Originally Posted by dbansal

these guys wanted almost 2x as much:

I found a cool one today.

originally posted in local mechanic thread by bavarianmotorist..
PowerTech


POWERTECH • 311 West Main Street • Rockaway, NJ 07866 • Phone: 973.586.3210 • Fax: 973.586.6891



They ONLY do Porsches.

[dbansal]

So I called a second shop...nice guys at provost in bordentown nj. He told me that there's no need to to auto trans flush nor the coolant as they are lifetime fluids and that there are no fuel filters on 03 models. He told me both the 996 and 986 stopped with the fuel filters after 01' so that only leaves the air and cabin filters which I could probably do, oil which I could probably do. Spark plugs and brake bleed I won't do immediately or may take it to the first shop I spoke with

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[dghii]

Correct about the fuel filter. I know that the coolant is suppose to be 'Lifetime' but what does that really mean? I'd change the fluids.