Once you get back on the road upload some pics of your car :)

Particle,

I know you are a frequent contributor on this forum and I respect your viewpoint but was wondering if your statement that my costs were ridiculous was from a DIY perspective or actual experience from a garage? Now that you have seen my full list of work, do you still think the price is ridiculous?

Thanks, Larry

You are being realistic and I hear your situation. I'm 56 and fortunately, right now, I can still get under the car and work on it (It's taking more time to get back out from under then I remember). I came into this car, like many here (I suspect) that I need to do my own work or it just wasn't going to happen. So many of us come at your original post by looking up or knowing the cost of parts, because as DIYers that's the process and seeing what $3k would buy.

You have the invoice, you could look up parts costs and do the math and see if you were charge fairly. If you are satisfied, then you have your shop and a place to go if something breaks. If my car goes belly up in the near future, I have no clue where I would go. Right now I would have to have the tow truck drop it off at my house and just push into garage

Quite honestly I have never even looked to see what a 90k service would include.
Why - because by the time I reach 90k miles (I'm at 81k now so 90k maybe a 1+ years and the car will be 15+ years old) I hope to have replaced most of the notorious wear parts

Enjoy the ride.

I have only used a shop once and that was a long time ago. I worked as a mechanic 15+ years ago, though. I do all of my own work.

My breakdown:

Cabin filter - $20
Engine air filter - $30
Coolant, 3 gallons - $150
Spark plugs - $30-$60
Oil - $50
Oil filter - $10
Brake pads - $150-$300
Rotors - $200-$600
(Full pad and rotor set for under $300, non-OEM)
Transmission fluid, filter, gasket - $200
Brake fluid, 2 quarts - $50

Going with the high end, $1470 in parts, $1530 labor. I really don't see more than 5 hours of labor, so about $300/hour labor based on your quote.

On the low end, $890, $2110 labor.

Particle/Kelly,

Thanks for responses. You may be amused to hear that my, ummmm, curiosity was raised by a $4.50 charge for a 30 amp fuse. Even I knew that was obscene. The final breakdown was 1250 labor, 1800 parts.

I'm going to do some more research on parts, looking at pelican I know the parts were on the high end, but it's unlikely a garage is going to order parts online. My curiosity is whether and how much the shop adds to their actual cost for parts.

My guess is the garage used the standard dealer shop manual allowance for labor charges. Doesn't matter how much actual time it took, but what the manual allows.

They did do a few more things than just the 90 k service and brakes but I think that 1200 for labor was a bit high. Bottom line is that I love my box, gonna install my Skybreaker next week (thanks again Fred), and maybe have a chat with the owner of the shop. Might also look around for an alternative although they are good, just pricey.

Larry

Most shops do use the book labor hours regardless of how long it takes and generally they are faster than book. One thing to look out for is labor for things that are combined. For instance if you have the clutch and IMSB done at the same time and they charge for the time to remove and reinstall the tranny for each.

On parts, a legitimate Indy should have a relationship with the local porsche dealer and get a 30-40% discount on parts. They also get a similar discount from other non internet parts suppliers and just charge you full retail. Some of the Internet suppliers sell to the public at near wholesale prices.

If you are really lucky you will find an Indy that will let you supply the parts and just charge labor only. That is the. Best of both worlds as you get some DIY savings without you doing the labor.

Wheni I have my Indy do my clutch later this year, it will be around $800 labor and the clutch kit is around $500 so I am looking at only $1300 for a full clutch replacement