944SpecRacer

Don't forget 6 qts of oil!! If this is your first oilfilter change look where the oil filter is and buy the appropriate oil filter wrench. And yes oil will spill out!!
Eric

jp944

Personally, when I did my last fuel filter change I would have paid $50 to not get all that gas on my arm/shoulder. If I was getting paid for it, I'd charge actual work time plus the half hour it would take me to clean that crap off of myself.

I guess it is all a matter of perspective, but it sounds like it was probably worth it to you. But you won't know it was worth it until you do the fuel filter job yourself once or twice. If you start doing your own basic maintenance, and you'll be happier, wealthier and know your car much better. My $.02.

944SpecRacer

Another thing you may want to concider is most people who own cars this old think $500-$1000 a year is a decent maint cost to keep the cars running right. Timing belt job abot $400 plus, Clutch about $1000 plus. Parts are not too cheap and it's best to stay on top of maint or it'll get REAL expensive REAL fast!! And these cost are not including normal stuff like brake pads, tires, oil and filters. They great cars you just either need to wrench them yourself or get your checkbook out!
Good luck in the P-Car world,
Eric
PS Remeber you have an inexpensive Porsche. Just think what a tune up cost on a CGT!! More than your whole car is worth!!

M758

Oil = local parts place 7quarts at $2.00 per quart = $14
Air filter = Paragon = Est $5
Oil Filter = Paragon = Est $5

Total parts = $30 (including tax & Ship)

Labor = 1 hour for the untrained (45 min for those who have done it before, guess book rate at 0.5hrs)

So figure $40 labor

So est to do it yourself
$30 plus 1 hour's time

Est to have a shop do it for you
$70-80.

adie

I had to get a new set of wires for a 944 and as I needed them stat I got the beru ones, whilst I was there I get a new cap and rotor, I never got change out of £350 CAD, i got the same for my V8 and got change from £40 GBP. Unfortunately you have just been stung by the cost of having a P-car. However there will be people who can point you in the path of cheaper spares, always worth thinking about before starting a job and having to rush and buy full price for some parts to finish a job. 1 thing to add to the equation, if the shop did what they did in a time frame and manor that was positive (hey! they charge what they charge and there's nothing you can do to avoid that) I'd think about keeping tham on file, if you paid $50 less, found out that the car wasn't ready in time and the car was returned with greasy pawprints all over it and the stain of a coffee mug on the roof (yes! I worked for someone like that) it would NOT be better value. Good mechanic's are unfortunatly never cheap mechanics.

ERAU-944

well matt - i made no comment on the price. i think it is high for what he received, but that's just me. i guess not every mechanic is as coordinated as i am. i mean, it takes all of 2 minutes to change spark plugs... and that's lolly-gagging. the fuel filter is not a fun job, but still for those 2 simple... SIMPLE tasks, i do beleive $150 is steep. for that i'd like to see them at least take off the cap and rotor and clean them thoroughly. i understand our cars are quite expensive to tune up properly - so yes if i were to get a full tuneup by my standards i'd be looking at closer to $350 counting all the parts and labor. that's why i buy my own parts and do my own work. otherwise i'd be skipping meals and holding down 2 jobs just so i could drive... not that i wouldn't do it if it became necessary

anyhow i've gone off on a tangent. i'm with the other guys - you didn't ask for specifics, and you got shafted. next time, you'll be the wiser... but this time, chalk it up as a learning experience.

pologuy

Ok, this thread has seemed to get a lot of attention, lol. How do I turn off the email notifications?....lol...just kidding.

I guess my whole point, if there is one, has gone by the wayside, so to speak. If I would have been told that it would have cost even $200, I would have gladly have paid it.

My problem is that the guy gave me a quote of $150 for a "tune-up" and $300 to change my water pump. My thinking is that the water pump job cost more than they anticipated so my tune-up only got me spark plugs and a fuel filter and they said screw the rest for the quoted price. When I picked the car up, I was told that the water pump change was quoted low. So I know they just didnt give me the REAL tune up to make up for it. When I called and asked then how much a tune up costs and was told $150, I was also told that they used the MAHLE filters in tune ups. filterS, plural....... The water pump was misquoted so I paid for it in the tune up or lake there of......

Anyway, Now I have to find a new place to take my Porsche in Northeast Wisconsin and have to buy a air filter (K&N) and oil filter (Mobile 1) and oil (Mobile 1 - 15W-30 Fully Synthetic).

Any Ideas?

Thanks as always

GMS

NO such thing as a "tune up". Porsche has maintenance services clearly detailed in the warranty and service book. Apart from changing the timing belt more often, not much else is required.

special tool

So you got your water pump changed for $300?

Matt H

well matt - i made no comment on the price. i think it is high for what he received, but that's just me.

Mike, I was just hoping someone would post what they thought a tune-up meant, as it means many different things to different people. Nothing personal.

i guess not every mechanic is as coordinated as i am. i mean, it takes all of 2 minutes to change spark plugs... and that's lolly-gagging. the fuel filter is not a fun job, but still for those 2 simple... SIMPLE tasks, i do beleive $150 is steep.

Yep, they are simple. You and I can do them in a matter of minutes. Apparently Pologuy cant or he would have (or deemed that his time was worth more than 150 bucks). For what he got 150 bucks *might* be 15-20 dollar high! Call the dealer and see what they charge, let me know if 150 is still high.

for that i'd like to see them at least take off the cap and rotor and clean them thoroughly. i understand our cars are quite expensive to tune up properly - so yes if i were to get a full tuneup by my standards i'd be looking at closer to $350 counting all the parts and labor.

Moves to my other point. For what you expected, you would NOT have expected 150 bucks. Therefore, it woud have been obvious to you that you were not going to get what you expected.

that's why i buy my own parts and do my own work. otherwise i'd be skipping meals and holding down 2 jobs just so i could drive... not that i wouldn't do it if it became necessary

Yep, yep!!

Pologuy, can you just post the entire invoice, so we can see what all was done at once? You never made mention of the WP before and 300 bucks is WAY too low. Trust me, if they went up 20 bucks on your tune up they damn sure werent covering the WP job.
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Chris_924s

This must NOT be a 944 wrench. I have changed a WP on a FORD 4 cyl and it took all of an hour once I pulled the belt off. If you look at the Haynes manual the descprition of the 2 is quite similar..

Remove belt, remove tensioner (I replaced it on the Mustang), unbolt WP and installation is reverse of removal..

so an unknowing or unwitting wrence WOULD be way underestimating this job.

Tony K

Like I said in your $300 water pump/timing "chain" thread - TAKE YOUR CAR AS FAR AWAY FROM THAT SHOP AS POSSIBLE. They obviously never lifted the hood of a 944 before. Anything else they do on your car is a nightmare waiting to happen.

You have been registered on Rennlist for two years. By now you should have learned the following:

- If you are going to have your car worked on, take it to a Porsche specialist with a good reputation.

- Buy parts for your Porsche from Porsche/German car parts places, not retail chain stores that sell third-world junk. If you can't stand mail order, look in the phone book for a local foreign parts distributor, or order 5-6 oil and air filters at a time and stick them on a shelf in your garage.

- 944s are affordable as far as Porsches go, but they are not Ford Probes, and you can't cut corners. Do it right.

The funny thing about this greasemonkey you took the car to is that you are still paying nearly the same money that you would have paid at a specialist, only you're not getting the expert service. When you have your water pump done, TAKE IT TO A SPECIALIST. It might be (someone correct me here) - what -$1200 +/-? The extra couple hundred bucks it will cost will be well worth everything that this monkey will screw up. I can guarantee you that if you take it to this guy who did your spark plugs, he will screw up one or more of the following:

- incorrect/uneven torque on water pump bolts

- balance shaft or crankshaft sprocket(s) facing the wrong way

- incorrect placement of any spacers/washers

- "0"s to line up the balance shafts (wrong) instead of the notches on the flanges (correct)

- incorrect rotation (clockwise/counter-clockwise) of eccentric tensioners & spacing of eccentric roller

- IMPROPER BELT TENSIONS

Run away from that shop. Don't become the "DPO" of that car for the next person who owns it.

Good luck . . .

elf89

I definitely see Matt's point of view, but I would like to add that the shop could've saved the aggravation by spelling out what they were going to do, what they were going to charge for it and calling if they ran into anything unexpected.

It also sounds like they're in over they're heads with 944s. Just doing the timing and balance belts can cost $300+ and they should be doing that when they do the water pump. Belts, Rollers and Water Pump can easily be a $1000+ repair at a reputable shop that knows 944s.

There are a couple good, non-dealer shops in Milwaukee that know 944s (Mraz for sure, perhaps Fabson). I do not know about the Fox Valley or Green Bay, but I think there's a local PCA chapter that might be able to point you in the right direction. Maybe Hacker-Schorr knows of one. He's from Green Bay, but I think he does most of his own work. Good luck!

Darius Juca

easyest way...do your own work.......

Danno

"but I would like to add that the shop could've saved the aggravation by spelling out what they were going to do, what they were going to charge for it and calling if they ran into anything unexpected."

yeah, typical process would look like this:

1. customer presents list of work he wants done and asks for estimate
2. shop gives written estimate detailing what will be done and how much it will cost
3. customer signs work-order
4. shop does work

Simple.