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I know I am going to offend people here..... I am an educated white collar worker....but love working on my old Benz, BMW, Porsche, Jaguar....and newer cars. The service performed can be done by anybody who has a little mechanical skill. To pay the kind of money people are talking about here for such simple service that requires very little skill is beyond me. Why people are using the dealership instead of a local good German mechanic who can do it at a fraction of the cost and do just as good job...it again beyond me.
It is sad to see that very few are willing to do any work themselves these days. God bless those who say " my time is too valuable....blablabla".
That said, if I did not enjoy doing the work...I would gladly pay to have it done. But spending the amount of money that most are spending here for that service is not a bargain...it is a rip off.
Shop around you can do much much better than the numbers thrown around here. Better yet....do it yourself or do it with your son or old man, it can be a bonding moment
Good Luck....
Abe
To the extent the work is relatively idiot proof, I agree. I am a long way from a dealer, and really simple things like oil/filter service, winter wheel swaps take me less time than bringing the car to a competent indy. You Tube is a great help.
I would wait till 40K. The only possible downside to leaving plugs in an engine for many years is corrosion and then stripped threads in aluminum cylinder heads upon removal. But the reality is you'd have to wait a very, very long time for this to become a concern. Like several decades. I recently did 40K service on my 2012 991 and the plugs came out like they'd been installed yesterday. The time interval is revenue enhancement for dealerships.
Thanks. That's likely what I'll do. Changing plugs early to save from stripping seems ridiculous. I've heard others who've removed plugs in years old 911's (way past the "time date" for plug changes) say they were oiled up like they were just installed, as well.
Newb here. I saw a couple of people questioning the validity of requiring spark plugs at 4 years instead of a mileage interval. I've spent a ton of time on here, and from what I've read from those in the know, it's more of a preemptive procedure to ensure that the plugs do not seize in there (I guess Porsche doesn't use anti-size for the plugs). Expensive, but if you went the route of sourcing the plugs directly from Bosch (instead of the Porsche re-branded plugs) it's not too bad. Well worth the piece of mind, IMO.
Thanks for post. I am a ways off 40k, but I expected it would be north of $1k. I won't do the belt like you did, so I guess maybe $300 less? The photos were a good idea to show the cleanliness of the filters
I did my 4yr/40k miles maintenance last weekend and did the plugs even though I only had 21k miles. I purchased Bosch plugs through Pelican as opposed to the "Porsche Box" parts. They are EXACTLY the same....the original plugs I removed were stamped "Bosch" just like the ones I ordered. They were $6 each. So for $36 I don't have to ever worry about dealer trying to claim years vs miles does matter during a warranty issue or a picky buyer when/if I sell the car. I consider it cheap "insurance."
I did my 4yr/40k miles maintenance last weekend and did the plugs even though I only had 21k miles. I purchased Bosch plugs through Pelican as opposed to the "Porsche Box" parts. They are EXACTLY the same....the original plugs I removed were stamped "Bosch" just like the ones I ordered. They were $6 each. So for $36 I don't have to ever worry about dealer trying to claim years vs miles does matter during a warranty issue or a picky buyer when/if I sell the car. I consider it cheap "insurance."
Here are the plugs for reference.
Old vs New:
All 6 original "factory" plugs:
Is that normal wear for 21K Miles plugs, or does that signify it was a necessary replacement and that coloration would signify decreased performance?
Plugs looked normal to me. About what I expected at 21K miles (if you compare mine to some pics of folks who changed at 40k miles you'll notice the tips of their plugs look dirtier).
The one thing that did surprise me was how tight they were in there. Definitely took more than 24 ft lbs of pressure to break them loose (it felt like I was breaking loose lug nuts, not spark plugs). I think that's the reason Porsche recommends changing them at 4 years even if miles are low. Over time it becomes harder to break apart threaded things like nuts/bolts or in this case spark plugs. And if you have a stuck plug or, even worse, break one off while trying to remove it you're looking at some major work. Engine would almost definitely would have to be removed to get to the plug and extract the broken/stuck plug with specialty tools.
$36 for 6 plugs and under an hour to change them all (first time doing it will take longer due to the learning curve). To me, it's a no-brainer to change them every 4 years even if you have low miles.
Plugs looked normal to me. About what I expected at 21K miles (if you compare mine to some pics of folks who changed at 40k miles you'll notice the tips of their plugs look dirtier).
The one thing that did surprise me was how tight they were in there. Definitely took more than 24 ft lbs of pressure to break them loose (it felt like I was breaking loose lug nuts, not spark plugs). I think that's the reason Porsche recommends changing them at 4 years even if miles are low. Over time it becomes harder to break apart threaded things like nuts/bolts or in this case spark plugs. And if you have a stuck plug or, even worse, break one off while trying to remove it you're looking at some major work. Engine would almost definitely would have to be removed to get to the plug and extract the broken/stuck plug with specialty tools.
$36 for 6 plugs and under an hour to change them all (first time doing it will take longer due to the learning curve). To me, it's a no-brainer to change them every 4 years even if you have low miles.
Awesome, thanks. How much do you think a dealer and/or indie would charge to do labor on said plugs?
Awesome, thanks. How much do you think a dealer and/or indie would charge to do labor on said plugs?
Lexvan said he paid $595 for plug change at the dealer. Highway robbery if you ask me. Plugs aren't the easiest to get to, but if you know how to jack up your car, remove the rear tires, and know how to use a torque wrench you can do them yourself. Good thread here: https://rennlist.com/forums/991/9084...tonight-6.html
I'd guess an Indie would charge an hour labor if he's done it before and is being honest about the time it takes to do it. 2 hours max. I'm confident I could do the plugs in an hour now that I've done it before. So maybe $100-$200 labor plus the $36 for the Bosch plugs?
If you live near NW Florida, swing by my house and I'll do it for free, just have a few interesting topics for conversation while I do it....lol
Lexvan said he paid $595 for plug change at the dealer. Highway robbery if you ask me. Plugs aren't the easiest to get to, but if you know how to jack up your car, remove the rear tires, and know how to use a torque wrench you can do them yourself. Good thread here: https://rennlist.com/forums/991/9084...tonight-6.html
I'd guess an Indie would charge an hour labor if he's done it before and is being honest about the time it takes to do it. 2 hours max. I'm confident I could do the plugs in an hour now that I've done it before. So maybe $100-$200 labor plus the $36 for the Bosch plugs?
If you live near NW Florida, swing by my house and I'll do it for free, just have a few interesting topics for conversation while I do it....lol
Some interested information on labor rates here. Even a search for AAA approved.
Lexvan said he paid $595 for plug change at the dealer. Highway robbery if you ask me. Plugs aren't the easiest to get to, but if you know how to jack up your car, remove the rear tires, and know how to use a torque wrench you can do them yourself. Good thread here: https://rennlist.com/forums/991/9084...tonight-6.html
I'd guess an Indie would charge an hour labor if he's done it before and is being honest about the time it takes to do it. 2 hours max. I'm confident I could do the plugs in an hour now that I've done it before. So maybe $100-$200 labor plus the $36 for the Bosch plugs?
If you live near NW Florida, swing by my house and I'll do it for free, just have a few interesting topics for conversation while I do it....lol
Very nice of you! I am not in Florida, however did lots of kayaking in the wilderness and used to work on my cars, so would enjoy a conversation and some guidance from you while doing it myself at your garage
Lexvan said he paid $595 for plug change at the dealer. Highway robbery if you ask me. Plugs aren't the easiest to get to, but if you know how to jack up your car, remove the rear tires, and know how to use a torque wrench you can do them yourself. Good thread here: https://rennlist.com/forums/991/9084...tonight-6.html
I'd guess an Indie would charge an hour labor if he's done it before and is being honest about the time it takes to do it. 2 hours max. I'm confident I could do the plugs in an hour now that I've done it before. So maybe $100-$200 labor plus the $36 for the Bosch plugs?
If you live near NW Florida, swing by my house and I'll do it for free, just have a few interesting topics for conversation while I do it....lol
Man, great info and VERY nice offer. Wow, I really wish I didnt live on the other side of the country right now! Haha. I actually bought my car from Florida too. Otherwise Id be there with my best conversation hat.
01-15-2018, 07:20 PM
