engine air-oil separator (AOS) replacement cost? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

wrs986 · 07-10-2019, 03:28 AM

I just had my 1999 boxster base in for a repair at a local (Porsche specialist) shop and the mechanic told me I need to replace my engine air-oil separator. I have no leaks on the garage floor and I’ve only seen a puff of smoke a few times at start up. No check engine light and it idles and runs smoothly. 39k miles, I’ve had it for about two months now. He said $1000 to do the work. That seemed high since the part is about $100. I called another shop ( about an hour away) and they said about $400 for the repair. Are there hidden costs or is the local shop just trying to rip me off since I have a 20 year old car? I think I will drive the hour and save $600.

78F350 · 07-10-2019, 04:01 AM

I've replaced a couple. There's a rubber hose on the bottom that can be difficult to clamp in place, but it's not '$1,000 difficult'. The only other factor I can think of is that some of the more rigid plastic hoses that attach to it may be brittle and need replacement too. That may justify the $400, but not $1,000.

Here's the article on how to do it yourself: https://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/Boxster_Tech/09-ENGINE-Air_Oil_Separator/09-ENGINE-Air_Oil_Separator.htm

kk2002s · 07-10-2019, 04:01 AM

I think you answered your own question.
How did the shop determine the AOS was bad?
Yes the part is relatively cheap but is a PITA to remove/install. Make sure they replace the (2) flex hoses, especially the one that connects to the Throttle body.

Quadcammer · 07-10-2019, 04:49 AM

$1k is robbery if they are not replacing the under intake hoses.

i've gotten this down to a 1 hour or less procedure. Almost all the work is done under the car with the passenger rear wheel off.

Any experienced shop should be able to complete this in 1 hour of shop time, assuming there are no other issues preventing a smooth R&R.

Changing the under intake hose is a royal ass pain, but its still should not be a $1k job.

husker boxster · 07-10-2019, 05:16 AM

Maybe they have a $1 swear jar. In that case, $600 seems about right.

wrs986 · 07-10-2019, 05:55 AM

I agree, watching a YouTube video makes it look like I could possibly do it myself. Not sure if I want to start something I might not be able to finish and then have to take it back to this local shop. I think I will take it to the shop that is an hour away, have them do a scheduled oil change and have them evaluate the car. I just started it and there was no smoke at all. The oil filler cap has vacuum but not so much I can’t remove it. The engine does drop in rpms when I take the cap off. All seems pretty normal to me. The local shop’s labor rate is $95 an hour. That would mean about a 8 hour job. Or just maybe this is his way of saying we don’t want to work on your old car.

gti13 · 07-10-2019, 09:16 AM

Mine went out the day I started driving it, literally within 3 miles

I watched all the online videos and was able to change it myself relatively easily with just a jack and axle stand, not going to lie it wasnt exactly enjoyable but very very do-able yourself. As they say online the best advise is to get yourself a few band clamps from home depot to replace the factory clamps, this will make installation a breeze

thstone · 07-10-2019, 01:57 PM

$1000 is from a shop that already has more work than they need.

$400 is about right. $100 parts + 2 hours of labor. Yes, a shop should be able to do it in less that that but they will almost always charge the book hours unless you're a regular customer.

I've done it myself and it is a royal PITA due to limited access but it can be done in a couple of hours. Just know ahead of time that you're going to cuss a lot so pick a day when the kids aren't around.