Repair Estimate Review
 

New 2000 986 2.7 owner. Brought the boxster in for an oil leak. Received this estimate.

Re-seal valve cover gaskets and spark plug tubes, replace rear main seal, replace IMS with LN engineering 2 row ceramic (6yr-75k)bearing, replace clutch, release bearing and pilot bearing, replace engine oil and filter, replace air filter, replace serpentine belt, replace coolant, replace transmission oil, Check over for MSI and bulb replacement, Brake/clutch fluid flush, replace front strut upper bushings, bearings and bump stops, Check alignment.****

Total estimate ($5216.91)

Thoughts and guidance would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

That's a pretty big number.
Mileage on the vehicle?
If it's at a major service mileage point, that could be why you have so many items quoted.
Did your mechanic:
-check cam deviation values?
-cut open oil filter to check for metal debris?
Or did he just start a very expensive and extensive repair list?
Wow, this could be half of what you paid for the car in the first place.
This is why I DIY everything I can. I'm too damn cheap to pay someone to do what I can do myself.

Shoot, if you're going to do all that and replace the coolant, you may as well throw in a water pump too. This looks like the total package to get everything caught up on preventative maintenance for a long time.

It is often said that a $10k Boxster is really a $17k Boxster once you get it caught up on work needed.

Are the valve covers what were leaking? How many miles on the car?

That is a big chunk of money to spend on a 16 year old car, but for a good shop that knows these cars, I think that is reasonable and sounds like a good refresh of the car that will keep it reliable for a while. While they are doing that I would also consider adding in the water pump and chain pads on the variocam.

If you are equipped and willing, some of that is not bad as a DIY and we can guide you through. On the other hand, I just asked a shop to go ahead and replace the front and rear main seals on one of my '99s. Even though I am capable of doing it myself, I just don't have time to get to it and have put it off too long. I'm paying $112/hr labor. The 2 seals will cost about $20 and I'm having them do the engine mount which is $162 for the part. By the time it's done I'm expecting to pay about $1,750 to install under $200 of parts. ...and I'm glad to have the job off of my project list.

I would be leery of a diagnosis of oil leak from both valve covers .It's likely nothing more than the plug tubes I could see one side leaking but not both at the same time.
If I was going to remove both covers I would also do the cam chain pads . They wear a lot by 100,000 mi. on the 5 chain motors and the revised more durable parts are only about $20 per side.(mostly labour about 5-6 hrs ).
A clutch and IMS bearing and rear seal would be about $3k total about 1/2 that for parts

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B59qJNVJCE9yWXk2Vy1hM2g0bVU/view?usp=drivesdk

Thanks for the response

78k miles. $115 for labor. Im into the boxster for about the same as the repair estimate. I dont think the previous owner kept up with the maint. Im guessing it is the plug tubes too. However, i have read about IMS failures and that freaks me out but on the other hand it seems to be the dual bearing. Also read that those seals could leak as well. I figured while he is there for IMS RMS is worth it. Im not too sure of the valve covers. Short reading i have done is it is a sealant not a gasket. Water pump was done a year or two ago so good there. Ill ask about the chain pads. The clutch im partial on he is there so might as well get it done. Not sure of the WaT done to it. If you guys dont think this number is not too far off from parts and labor im okay with pulling the trigger and bringing this car to true value and base lining the maint. At these numbers though i feel i should have picked up the s.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B59...w?usp=drivesdk

My big question is what is the source of the oil leak??????

I'd start there and then catch up the rest of the maintenance as you have time/money.

If the car has made it 78K miles on the original IMS, I'd wait and consider doing it when you need a clutch (unless the cam deviation values indicate otherwise).

Excellent point. Often it is just the spark plug tubes. My 2000 S had a leak from a loose fitting on the AOS. Both of those are (relatively) easy to fix and cheap parts. I was trying to convince myself for months that my current leak was not the RMS, then told myself it wasn't really that bad....
Anyway, dcs9654, do you want to get all maintenance and everything that is wrong fixed at once? Then spend the money. If that's more than you want to spend, determine the leak source and see if it can be fixed without the transmission coming out and just fix the leak for now. -Maybe a second opinion from another shop.
As others have said, the dual row IMS bearing is not that much of a worry at 78k miles.

[QUOTE=dcs9654;502296]

Thanks for the response

If you guys dont think this number is not too far off from parts and labor im okay with pulling the trigger and bringing this car to true value and base lining the maint. At these numbers though i feel i should have picked up the s.


My opinion is that is an entirely reasonable quote for the amount of work being done. Clutch, IMS and RMS alone are around $2500.00.

For convenience, here's the pic he linked. Pretty oily, but how long to get that messy?
No good way to tell for sure where it came from without cleaning it first. I'd guess RMS is likely though.
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1467948983.jpg

$5k for a '99 with 78k miles is a heck of a deal unless it was wrecked or has some other issue. Did the previous owners do regular oil changes. If not there are other things to be concerned about, like main bearings.

Is that the original clutch w/78k on it? If so then likely makes sense to just do it now.

But, if it's already been replaced at some point, I would wait on the IMS until you need the clutch, especially w/dual row.

Agree with 78F350. The rubber seal was leaking on the AOS on my LE and created a messy leak that looked like RMS.

If the clutch is good and you have a 99 with a "reliable" dual row IMS, it sucks to spend all that money to change a cheap RMS. Maybe do it in chunks - change the spark plug tubes and AOS, then go from there. If the leak stops, then save up for a clutch job in a yr or two.

Or throw a wad of $$$ at it and have a tip top engine and a happy mechanic.

Well with regard to the S you could have picked up there is no sense worrying about that. Who knows what that car may have needed in terms of maintenance? Sounds like you got a good deal on this purchase and you'll still be in good shape when you decide which repairs to go ahead with now.

If you have the means, It seems like a good deal to me. I was estimated at $5k for just the clutch and IMS and decided to do it myself. (Also, I did not have the means at the time.)

I don't see that as being as far out of line as other do. We just finished an IMS Solution (dual row) installation on a 2001 car, which included a new clutch, pressure plate, throw out bearing, pilot bearing, RMS, new plugs, oil change, air filter, brake/clutch flush, and a couple of other minor updates; the parts bill alone was well over $3K and obviously does not take into account the labor hours to complete the job. So your estimate of $5K for even more work does not seem off base.

Find the oil leak and fix the leak, filters, LOF, serpentine belt, are good preventative maint. Trans fluid only if you know it is old. Plugs, inspect and replace. I personally would wait on the clutch and IMS if not relate to the leak. That is fully 1/2 the cost of the est.