Finally got her in a shop
 

So I finally got my Box in for a clutch kit change and a 90k service. Cost me around 3600 for both, but I'm also getting an RMS change as well as an inspection and some bonus stuff added in.

Weird thing is that he didn't want to give me a copy of what he wrote down. I realize he will give me a receipt when I pay for the repairs, but right now he has my car and I wanted some paperwork to show that. The guy refused but with a bit of persuasion I got something.

Is it just normally like that or is this fishy?

Are you having this done at a dealer or an independent garage?

Independent shop that does work on luxury cars.

Did you get a price from a dealer who will also give you a 2 year parts and labor warranty?

That estimate seems high to me.

I did, it ran at 4200 I believe for both services.
This independent shop gives a 1 year warranty on every thing they change or repair, so that's in there as well.

Are the parts lists the same, for example did the dealer also quote a new flywheel perhaps?

Yes, the dealer was going to replace the clutch, flywheel, and bearings.

This independent shop is throwing in a RMS change, as well as that warranty and they are changing more things in the 90k service.

Not trying to be a bother, just looking out for your wallet.

Once the flywheel is removed, an RMS change takes a few minutes and the part is not that expensive.

Not at all, this is good advice for my next visit.

Hmm, so this is expensive for a independent shop? It's still less than a dealer, and I'm getting a bit more things, so its not terribly bad. Also in terms of quality I've heard good things about this particular shop.

Sometimes a dealer or even an Indy, when presented with a bid from elsewhere, will adjust the price. Garages around here are looking for customers.

Sometimes even a good and honest Indy, due to the lack of knowledge of the car, can lowball a quote, only to later give you a call, saying you need additional parts. For this particular job, the flywheel, the slave cylinder, the CV joints, etc are all candidates.

That seems very high, I'd do some more searching just to make sure, then again if you're happy that's all that matters good luck with the repairs.

I just had to replace my clutch and they did the whole kit for $2100 at the dealership with one year warranty.

Why an RMS change if the seal is good? Is there a resolution to the problem that they want to install / we should all install?

I'm here in AZ (Phoenix), too. What shop do you have your car at? I bought my Boxster from i******************************** on Baseline (they have a full shop), have had it serviced there and at Scottsdale Porsche (dealer), and I have my 914 worked on at Stuttgart Southwest (they work on Boxsters, too).

For detailed work, what I do is bring a sheet I've printed with exactly the work I expect them to do, and I get them to sign it, no prices, just what work they're actually going to do. We then work on the pricing as it goes, if there's an issue. I also have standing orders to call me if they find something else that needs to get done. Even with people that I trust, having this kind of documentation helps the job go better and avoids problems.

As for whether or not what they are charging you is high, about right, or low, I'd have to see the exact list of all the work they did, the parts they replaced, the hours of labor, and their labor rate.

I'm down in Tucson, so it would be hard to get it up there to Phoenix to just do some maintenance.

The Clutch replacement cost me 2600, that's coming in with a new Clutch, flywheel, bearings, RMS, and a warranty for one year.

90k Service they are charging 700 dollars, I believe this includes a whole list of filters, inspection, and new spark plugs. Perhaps more things I would have to ask.

For a 60 k service, clutch replacement,front brakes w/ rotors, RMS, horn replacement, and new emblem on rear decklid, only set me back $3800 @Sunset Porsche in Beaverton, Oregon 4 months ago, so seems yours seems a little high for an indy but it depends on locale.

I think it's on the high side, personally.
I just did my own 120k service and parts were about $400 including new brake lines etc... so I could see $700 on your service as acceptable if they do indeed all the inspection that's on the official list.
Now the clutch kit is about $400 online and could take about 8-9 hours at worse including installing a new $60 RMS. I think that $2600 for that is totally inappropriate. My local dealer ship charges $140 per hour and the local indie I use (5th gear Motorsport) charges $98 / hour.
If you don't seem shocked by the estimate then I suppose you can afford it and all is well. I personally would look for another shop.

Actually what happened is that we use the Box as a daily driver, and because of some complications we had to get her fixed asap. So we looked at a couple of shops, and found the one that would fix it first. I probably will not be using this shop next time, there might be a couple of places I can go that are a bit further from town. The nice thing about this place is that they are within a mile from school, so I can basically walk and pick up the car.

The car is back with me now, despite the steep price I am glad I had this done, the clutch, gear change, and throttle response feels so much better and together now.

Here's the online reciept I got:


DIAGNOSIS/ CHECK CLUTCH/ SLIP 98.50
PERFORM BRAKE FLUID FLUSH 138.50
FREE 26 POINT INSPECTION 0.00
R & R TRANSMISSION/ CHECK CLUTCH 950.00
REPLACE FLYWHEEL, CLUTCH PACK 188.50
LOF SPECIAL W/ SYNTHETIC OIL 98.50

PERFORM 90000 MILE SERVICE/ REPLACE PLUGS, CLEAN K/N

FILTER 205.50
REPLACE REAR MAIN SEAL 138.50
RESET / CHECK OBD SYSTEM 0.00
BLEED HYDRO CLUTCH SYSTEM 138.50
PERFORM INJECTION SERVICE 138.50
REPLACE CABIN FILTER 98.51
--------------------------------------------------------------------
LABOR SUBTOTAL 2,193.51

1 OIL FILTER 0.00
6 PREMIUM SPARK PLUGS 24.68
1 FUEL FILTER 27.99
1 K/N AIR FILTER CLEANER 9.95
2 CARB CLEAN 8.99
2 BRAKE FLUID 12.99
1 INJECTION SERVICE KIT 28.99
1 CABIN FILTER 27.39
1 CLUTCH PACK ( FACTORY ) 336.08
1 FACTORY FLYWHEEL 533.90
1 REAR MAIN SEAL 14.10
1 SET FLYWHEEL BOLTS 8.90

Total $3,324.17

$130 for the cabin filter? I can replace that in 72 seconds.

Opening the clutch slave cylinder bleeder while bleeding the brakes takes 2 minutes.

The number seemed a little off to me as well :-P. What would that normally cost?

Interesting that they charged you for both a brake flush and a clutch flush. I believe the procedure can be done all at once.

What's the $205 filter?

All comments aside, you got your car back quick, but they jacked up the price with some "extras" that cost them almost nothing.

What spark plugs did they use?

Honestly I have no idea, is there a way I can check? I can also call them up.
I won't be using them again, I understand I'm a minor but the guy that worked on my car was being a total jerk through the entire process. That would be fine if the price was low, but I was paying a damn bit extra.

Let it go and enjoy your car.

Next time obtain a quote that looks exactly like the invoice you posted and ask questions before you give them your car.

Thanks, as this was the first time I ever talked to a mechanic about a quote, I had no idea how much they could rip me off. There are about 3 other places I know that can service my car, I'll make sure to get a good quote from each place before I get my car in.

I worked as a service manager at a dealer for a little while before I finished school. You wouldn't think so, but those guys are under some heavy stress from constant customer interaction. It's not a fun job at all.

You can always still call the guy back and ask questions. Chances are slim, but if you ask, you may get a little discount if you have a specific number in mind and a reason for the number.

If they did all the work, they did not rip you off, they came in under the quote.

However, you could have gotten a better deal.

Agreed, what's done is done. You agreed on a price and they did the work...
BUT $200+ for changing the cabin filter :eek:
Next time DIY and you'll save some easy $.

Fletch

The $205 for the filter is in the labor section so it must have been for the time it took them to clean and oil your K&N engine air filter.

re: service in Phoenix - your location just says "Arizona", didn't know if you were here or Tucson.

One way to avoid getting ripped off for service is to make sure that you're not having them do anything that takes under 1 hour of labor. Your cabin filter is a good example. Looks like to me that they did the standard trick of billing you an hour of labor (or more) for any procedure that takes less than an hour. When I had my M3 in for service once, I had my BMW shop order a new button for my glovebox, they're junk and break often. When I picked up the car, they'd charged me 1/2 hour of labor to "install" the button - all that was involved was to push it onto the bayonet fitting, takes under 2 seconds! Charge removed when I protested.

I only have the shops do work that is a real PITA to do or requires special tools, a lift, procedures, etc.