Charley B

I was quoted $363 for trans service on '88 S4 AT by European Motorsport of Livermore. Does this seem Hi, Lo or average?

DonT

Where's the pick-up and the destination?

Richard S

What's included in the service?

Rich

Bill51sdr

Seems awfully high. See what they quote if you provide the parts.

Charley B

Richard - The service includes draining the trans and torque converter, replace the gasket and new filter.
DonT - I'm not sure what you mean. Livermore is about 15 miles from my home.

crank71

I just did the tranny service on MY84 and with no prior experience doing it, took about 4 hours with a lot of time spent cleaning. Fliter and fluid cost me about $50...$363 seems high to me.

Richard S

Charley, that is waaaaaay to much for a fluid change. Buy a service kit ($30-$40 I think) and some fluid. There are several knowledgable owners (and one brilliant owner.....you know who you are ) near enough to you to lend a hand and help you do it. Cables and shift points can be checked at the same time. Easy job, no reason to spend that much $$$$.

Rich

Bill Ball

Off the top of my head, I would call it high. I think you reported some work there recently, and the cost seemed about 20% higher than I would have expected even at the best shop in the area. Usual trans service is: test drive and observe operation of tranny for any anomalies (report to owner). Drain the tranny, drain the torque converter, pull the pan, inspect fuild and pan for any debris, condition of fluid (report to owner). Inspect for other leaks, condition of hoses, cables, cable boots and vacuum line (report to owner). New filter and pan gasket. Refill tranny and TC, cycling the tranny and checking to make sure it is at the right level, test drive. No adjustments. Maybe 2 hours labor at most - can be done in far less time usually. 8 Qts of tranny fluid - something like Mobil 1 or Redline synthetic at $6-7/qt. Pan gasket and filter - $35. These are approximates, but I see maybe $275-300 at most. Now, if something is wrong, there may be a need to run pressure diagnostics or go further, but the usual tranny service is just a fluid, filter and pan gasket change, test drive.

I thought the cost of living out in Livermore was less than other areas of the Bay Area. This makes me question that assumption.

If these guys are good, then ask them about their service. Perhaps they include more than I list. If they are good, then I don't mind paying when the alternatives are not good. You might try a Mercedes dealer as the tranny is Mercedes and quite often the dealers are a good place to go for servicing this system. Certainly perfered over a Porsche dealer.

Richard S

The brilliant one has spoken. (thanks Bill!) I would guess the majority of that price is for the labor. 2+hrs at $125/hr plus parts and tax could send it over $300.

Rich

Charley B

Thanks guys, I think you're right on the money. I guess I'll do it myself. I'm sure it's a pretty straight forward job. I just can't help but cringe at the the thought of liquids running down my arms and then having to dispose of the sorry mess afterwords. In my 20's it was worth the feeling of accomplishment after a job well done. Now it's just a PITA.

Bill Ball

It is an easy job excepting the awkward position of the filler.

mspiegle

That's how much it costs to have a valve body rebuilt (not including installation/removal). It shouldn't cost more than $200 for a FULL service fluid/filter change with good synthetic fluids.

Ed MD

The Po had the AT serviced with parts, fluid and disposal fees all under $190 here in Atlanta 2
years ago. Ed

chaadster

$363 seems high, although not outrageous. I don't think mechs are fetching $125/hr in my neck of the woods, but I would expect to pay more at a shop for the trans service kit than from a retailer like 928 Int'l (say $50 vs. $35).

That said, if you don't enjoy doing the work yourself, paying a bit of premium to have it done at a well-trained, professional shop can be worth the added peace of mind.

khalloudy

Bill,

interesting you mention the mercedes dealership. I tried asking one of the local MB dealerships here in Phoenix about servicing the 928 transmission and they declined! i donno what to say about that

Sincerely,