OLY-S

Hi all... my '15 CS is coming due for some of the higher-end maintenance. Following are the estimates from a local dealer. I asked for a breakdown by parts and labor... but this is all I was given. As such, I'm a tad wary. So, for those of you that have real-life dealership knowledge (i.e., not looking for "stealership" bashing), I'd welcome your thoughts.

Brake Fluid Flush $250 + tax
Drive Belt $750 + tax
Spark plugs $675 + tax

Thx in advance for all constructive feedback!

Oldboy52

Had my drive belt replaced as a stand alone service in August of 21 at Porsche dealer. Labor $178, belt $61. Total: $240.

Had 40k service done July of 20 at Porsche dealer. Included cabin and engine air filters, spark plugs wiper blades, compressed air bottle for flats, oil/filter change. Total: $1300. $500 for parts/supplies, $810 for labor.

Had brake fluid flushed Sept of 20, total: $218.

Lou

TMc993

You didn't state your location but you might want to check with independent shops in your area that have a good reputation for working on Porsches. The shop I use always comes in significantly below dealership pricing although I have to admit that they don't have those tiny bottles of water with the Porsche logo on the label.

Nokones

I was quoted around $700 or so by Porsche North Scottsdale a few months ago for the belt.

Cayman7

Lou, those are outstanding prices! Guess I need to move to Brush Prairie Last Fall I paid a dealer $600 to do the belt. You actually paid MSRP for the belt itself, my dealer charged me $98. Love those dealer markups, as if the Porsche prices aren't inflate enough. Another local dealer quoted me $2,100 for the 4 year/40K service. I had an indy (former 30 yr Porsche tech now working out of his garage) do it for $1K.

Sajan

full 40K - air filter, cabin filter, drive belt, spark plugs and brake fluids should run you about $1200 at an Indy in a major city with parts. ~6 hours of labor was quoted to me for the whole thing...

Individually these are some of quotes I have gotten from indy mechanics (includes parts)
Drive belt - 390, 360, 175, 295, 550
Brake fluid - 150, 190, 230
Spark plugs - 350, 415, 735, 500

Oldboy52

Yes, i’ve always felt like I was being treated well. I also replaced my tires there. Tire cost matched on line price. So, left with mount and balance labor cost. Not cheap, but a stellar job.

Dutchman69

Well.. I bought a 69k mile 1 owner BS in June 2020 and the open differential went bad and the front motor mount all in the first 3k miles over the last year and a half. No track driving, just use it for spirited canyon fun and cruising.

Super fun repair bill - from what I can gather nobody has ever seen an open diff (spider gears specifically) go bad in a 981. Unlucky I guess.... Used it as an opportunity to put a Wavetrac LSD in it. Motor mount is also uncommon but this car also has more miles than normal so maybe this mileage is somewhat normal to have a mount go. Funny enough the dynamic trans mounts are fine, it's the regular old rubber/metal front engine mount that went...

Cyclman

Brake fluid and belt are fairly simple DIY, plugs a lift really helps. Go to an Indy at least.

ledbette

+1 on finding an Indy. Check your local PCA web site or periodical for sponsors. They will know Porsche's and they generally will all have a good reputation. If you aren't a PCA member, time to join up. Well worth the money and I enjoy the gatherings. If you do choose to go dealer, most dealers will give you a PCA discount.

Also, +1 on DIY. If you're halfway-capable with a wrench, these things are pretty easy to work on. Don't let the mid-engine scare you.

Ffre92

my Indy charged same for brake fluid, 280 for drive belt, 260 for plugs.

txbdan

That's way too high on the drive belt. In the past month I've gotten two quotes for it, they were $240 and $260. Independent, but very reputable shops in the Boston area.

Jim981CS

Good call on getting the Wavetrac LSD when they had the diff apart. There are a lot of economies in doing multiple repairs/upgrades at the same time especially on a Porsche when you have to remove much of the interior to access the engine. I proactively installed the FF1 engine mount insert to avoid an engine mount failure while improving handling. While I had the engine mount was out I went ahead and replaced the serpentine belt and the radiator hoses also had to be disconnected for the engine mount, so when I drained the radiator I went ahead and used new Porsche coolant to avoid a future flush. While the car was already on jack stands and the under body panels off it gave me easier access to the hard to access front drivers side spark plug, so I changed the plugs and coils at the same time. And while the tires were already off I went ahead and flushed and bleed the brakes.

Over fifty years ago I worked my way through college working on cars doing major and minor repair work in my own garage. I always suggested combining current and proactive upcoming repairs to save my customers money in the long run. I developed a loyal customer base by charging for total time spent on combined repairs and not flat rate for the individual repairs. I don’t know how Indy’s and dealership charge because I still do ALL of my own work but I would ask if they would give a discount if you combine repairs, or maybe they already do.
Jim

ICNU

Find an Indy shop as others have posted. I do all the services you have listed on my own, but do have some experience with my own Indy quotes and the more normal time/cost this stuff takes from doing it myself.

The drive belt is an over the counter belt from any auto parts store for about $35 and the labor to change it is 1 hour if you know what you are doing, 1.5 at the most.

The brake bleed price you show is about what my Indy charges, so not terrible. I do it myself with a Motive power bleeder which pays for itself over time, but the fluid itself cost me about $55 each time, again with about an hour labor as I have a lift and get the wheels removed quickly.

The spark plug change is way too high. My Indy charges $250 for that as the OEM Bosh plugs are again an over the counter part that I pay $30 for all 6, so the rest is just labor. Some dealerships charge $25 EACH for plugs, so a lot of the prices they are quoting you are just crazy jacked up prices on the parts that they are known for. Porsche Doesn't make plugs or belts, but they will charge you a fortune for them because they come in a special Porsche box instead of the OEM Bosch or Continental box that mine come in from Autozone or Amazon

Sajan

How many hours of labor did your indy charge for drive belt and spark plugs?
Mine was 1 hour for belt, 3 hours for plugs, and 1 hour for brake fluid flush. I provided the parts. Thought the plugs hours were a little high but 4 hours total for belt + plugs didn't seem unreasonable.