[Kirk]

I agree with Brad's analysis of the impact of overhead on shop costs. You have to realize that the mechanic without your level of education is certainly NOT getting paid the $100/hr that you pay for his service. Most of that is absorbed into the overhead costs and the cost of capital to even have the shop in the first place!

Still there is NO question that when it comes to Porsches the labor rate can sometimes become unreasonably inflated, especially by the dealerships. When I recently purchased a Carrera 4S I was also strongly considering a Ferrari F355. The ridiculous labor and parts costs are what scared me away from that though.

In the end, if you don't want to pay the price, then fix it yourself. I just tore the transmission out of my 914 to replace a $1.75 seal. The labor would have been 500X the cost of the seal at a shop. In the end though the work was pretty easy and only required one $10 special tool. Most jobs really just come down to turning wrenches (and banging knuckles). So if you don't want to pay or you want to be more meticulous about the work done (as I am), then do it yourself. But do yourself a HUGE favor and have at least two cars. I've got three Porsches I can switch between, so while one is on jack stands (I have one like this now) I've got another one to get me back and forth to work.

In your case, if you're moving and can't do the work yourself now, then find the best price and just get it fixed! You can do the next big job DIY.

BTW - Brad does make a good point about the torque wrench for the axle nut. I'm lucky in that I have access to one of these through my work, but yes they are around $500, I've looked. Sometimes you may just find that it makes more sense to take it to a shop then to buy a tool like this. Personally I bought the SIR tool as I felt it made more sense for me to do the job and I'll need the tool for other cars in the future....

Kirk