Hello!

I have put yet another 35,000 miles on my 1986 944 na. This morning I took it to the dealer for the timing belt / balance shaft belt replacement along with an oil change. My question is this: Has the price of the belts fluctuated over the past few years??

The cost of my belt replacement in 1998 consisted of the following:

Labor - 3 hours @ $72.00 /hr. - $210.00
Balance Belt - 944-102-219-04 - $41.70
Timing Belt - 944-105-157-04 - $13.30

For a Total of $265.00

Today the prices had risen as follows:

Labor - 3 hours $ $90.00 / hr. - $270.00
Balance Belt - 944-102-219-04 - $128.49
Timing Belt - 944-105-157-04 - $35.82

Today's Total was $434.31

What Gives??

-Jeff

 

There is NO WAY the balance belt is that much. I don't remember how much mine were when I bought them a month ago, but it was a lot closer to your first quote than the second one.

 

I think you got royally ripped on the cost of the balance belt. Should not have been more than $30 or so.

Sorry,

 

Wow, he's NUTS! Right off my invoice from 3 weeks ago:

Timing Belt: $24.95
Balance Belt: $41.70

 

Ya gotta watch em every minute!! <img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />


TRUST NO ONE-----X files

 

944 102 219 04 LIST is only $48.50!

I'd be back at the dealer in a heartbeat and asking to speak to the service manager.

 

Where can I find the list price of Porsche parts? I would like to be able to have something in hand before I go in pointing fingers. <img src="graemlins/nono.gif" border="0" alt="[nono]" /> <img src="graemlins/yltype.gif" border="0" alt="[typing]" />

 

Just call the parts counter and see what they charge.

 

Those prices, while not fair market, are pretty close to what is to be expected when paying full retail. They are certainly not cutting any breaks, and they must be very proud of their labor. I am more concerned that they were doing an interval belt maintenance and only replacing the belts... no rollers, no tensioner, no seals??? Maybe they want you to come back later...

Hope the belt service holds up well for you.

Good Luck!

Skip

 

[quote]Originally posted by Jeff Kohnke:
<strong>Where can I find the list price of Porsche parts? I would like to be able to have something in hand before I go in pointing fingers. <img src="graemlins/nono.gif" border="0" alt="[nono]" /> <img src="graemlins/yltype.gif" border="0" alt="[typing]" /> </strong><hr></blockquote>

I got the list price off the invoice I got when I had mine done two months ago - and that was from an independant shop that marked them up! Even then I didn't pay that for them. Skip, I'll have to disagree with you here, that belt is not over $100 in any retail market.

 

Fair enough, and I agree it is not what should be - however, parts are nearly never charged at full retail (list) to anyone... even from the dealer. Some independant and marque shops will charge varying rates for parts that are either hard to get, or hard to install - in addition to the standard labor charge *by the book*. Consider this; the rear wheel bearing on a late model 944 is ~$40, the shop labor rate is 3.5 hours per side, the proper removal equipment and any machining or pressing needed. While most of us would consider this cost a part of the shop doing its' business, they may not see it that way. I liken this to the shop labor rate of $90 - a bit high, isn't it? Also, parts come from many sources - some shops may not have the 4-5 good wholesalers to source parts from, and may have to settle on the one-guy who has stock. In this instance, the price could change daily unless they are published without clause (as with catalog and online order houses). If this was a Porsche dealer, then they really have no excuse on the balance shaft belt. I don't think the price is great - and I wouldn't consider it way off base... my greater concern is that this car has gone through 2 belt intervals with *only* the belts being serviced.

S

 

Just in case anyone cares, I just bought all of that stuff from <a href="http://www.allzims.com" target="_blank">zims</a>.

The timing, balance shaft belts, roller and tensioners were a total of ONLY $120.

If your mechanics won't let you bring in your own parts, then I would go somewhere else. My mechanic prefers me to bring my own parts as he says that Porsche will rip you off. He has a contract with Porsche and has to buy his parts from them, but he said that he doesn't care if I bring my own.

Just did hoses, rollers, tensioners, all belts, water pump, seals and oil cooler seals and front main for a grand total of just over €650. Not too shabby.

 

SORRY, DID NO ONE ELSE CATCH THAT!!!!!!!!

He charged you for 3 hrs of labor. Was he an amateur or something. It takes maybe a very slow hour to take the belts off and put new ones on. I've never used the outrageous Porsche tensioning tool, but I couldn't imagine that adding 2 more hours.

THAT IS INSANE!!!!! I would ask him if he calculated his lunch in with that. <img src="graemlins/cussing.gif" border="0" alt="[grrrrrrr]" />


One more thing, $90 an hour, was that at the dealership?

 

The work was done at a Porsche dealership. Traditionally, this shop has done what I consider to be excellent work at a reasonable price. In the past I spent a fair amount of time talking with the Mechanic while he worked on my car - he seemed very knowledgable and willing to discuss what he was doing. That is very rare in the Chicago area - it seems that most shops would prefer not to work on 944's. Prior to my 944 na I had a 951 that was being serviced at a different dealer. While the car was in for a clutch master and slave I actually had the mechanic tell me, "If you want to fix this car you should sell it and get a 911."

On the topic of rollers, seals, etc..... I have receipts dating back to day one. As far as I can tell the rollers and seals have never been replaced - I am at 107,000 miles.

Finally, the dealer I just had the service work done at will allow you to bring your own parts - at least they did a few years ago. However, the prices they have charged in the past have never justified the additional search time.

 

seriously
give him a break people
anything under $500 at the dealership is a deal
he got a belt change for ~500 at the dealer, i bet he could get a belt/waterbump/rollers/seals change at the dealer for 1500..sounds amazingly reasonable