Cost to replace water pump + thermostat
#31
Burning Brakes
![Default](https://rennlist.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
Water pump caution- Porsche or Pierburg only! Ask me how I know this- Sunday afternoon (emergency repair) O'Reillys pump lasted 27 days. Another replacement brand lasted 5 months. Pierburg has been on there over 2 years now.
My wonderful indie is a bargain basement 85$ an hour. I would have no idea what Porsche of Nashville charges.
My wonderful indie is a bargain basement 85$ an hour. I would have no idea what Porsche of Nashville charges.
I put a pierberg on mine, which had the same brown colored plastic impeller just like the one that came off, the old one was in good shape so I kept it as a spare
#32
Rennlist Member
![Default](https://rennlist.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
Chris (MA), they both started clacking and wobbling as the first indicator. No way to not know something was wrong. It was instant and immediate.
The pump that was on the car when I originally got it just started with a small coolant drip that grew- never made any noise, just started seeping.
The pump that was on the car when I originally got it just started with a small coolant drip that grew- never made any noise, just started seeping.
#33
Rennlist Member
![Default](https://rennlist.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
Reviving an old thread. Paid $450 labor for indy to install LN’s water pump bundle including LT thermostat etc. I purchased the bundle directly from LN and paid just labor and for the coolant. Posted labor rate is $135/hr. No complaints here. My indy also lets me purchase my own oil (DT-40) and charges just labor.
#34
Racer
![Default](https://rennlist.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
I got to know a certified Porsche tech. I decided to tackle swapping out the ignition. I asked him how long it took him for the same job. He said about and hour. Armed with a ton of reading and a bunch of videos I figured 2 hours 3 tops....lol
9 hours later and with the help,of my cousin I got it done...lol
a water pump.....for me, diy.....I better take vacation time...lol
9 hours later and with the help,of my cousin I got it done...lol
a water pump.....for me, diy.....I better take vacation time...lol
#35
Rennlist Member
![Default](https://rennlist.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
$95/hour is extremely cheap. The average rate for an indy in Colorado is $138. We are at $135 at our store and are low compared to competitors. Most that are german specialists are around $150, local OPC is $205/hour.
#36
Rennlist Member
![Default](https://rennlist.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
And as far as labor guides as discussed the book time is 3.4 hours for the water pump and 2.3 for the cat. If they did the usual rounding off of numbers then 6.5 is high but well within reality, although I would certainly offer some labor overlap to my customer as the cats are very easily accessed while doing the water pump. I would say 5.0 hours would be a fair number. No shop will ever charge based on work time as there would be no incentive for a technician to be productive.
#37
Three Wheelin'
![Default](https://rennlist.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
I got to know a certified Porsche tech. I decided to tackle swapping out the ignition. I asked him how long it took him for the same job. He said about and hour. Armed with a ton of reading and a bunch of videos I figured 2 hours 3 tops....lol
9 hours later and with the help,of my cousin I got it done...lol
a water pump.....for me, diy.....I better take vacation time...lol
9 hours later and with the help,of my cousin I got it done...lol
a water pump.....for me, diy.....I better take vacation time...lol
The following users liked this post:
158Sierra (10-05-2021)
#38
![Default](https://rennlist.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
I figure for my not exactly well stocked garage, 9 hours includes finding the right combination of sockets and extenders to do the job and maybe one or two trips to store to get it, whining and cursing at whatever fastener I dropped, lost or broke, possibly a trip or two to fridge for another IPA... and so on. If I got it done correctly and didn't expand the scope of the job because of something else I broke along the way, the extra time is ok.
#39
![Default](https://rennlist.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
I've only had my 996 for about three years, and haven't yet taken it to a repair shop - I've only added about 3,500 miles to it. My water pump gave out a week ago - I misdiagnosed the problem, thinking it was the alternator, and kept driving it; the pump gave out 200 yards from home, ripping the belt to shreds. I was lucky; the grooved-thing that the belt goes around broke off, and not the impellor. I would guess I'm up to at least three or four hours, so far, to replace it, but that's spread over a couple of days. I have a minimal set of tools, and might've cut the time a bit with a proper set, however; there is one bolt of the seven that I found very difficult to remove, and now nearly impossible to reinstall. It's tucked into a very small crevice; the wrench won't fit in the space, and I don't have a ratchet small enough to fit either. I'll likely have to buy one tomorrow. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to torque it properly; does a torque wrench that small even exist? I guess it has to. BTW, I also had difficulty aligning the gasket, and getting the bolts to "take", while reinstalling the pump. Last thing; I didn't see any "How-to" videos or guides that suggested removing the rear bumper, when I was doing my research, but wow, looking at that picture, it sure would have solved my bolt-space problem! Thanks -
#40
Rennlist Member
![Default](https://rennlist.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
I've only had my 996 for about three years, and haven't yet taken it to a repair shop - I've only added about 3,500 miles to it. My water pump gave out a week ago - I misdiagnosed the problem, thinking it was the alternator, and kept driving it; the pump gave out 200 yards from home, ripping the belt to shreds. I was lucky; the grooved-thing that the belt goes around broke off, and not the impellor. I would guess I'm up to at least three or four hours, so far, to replace it, but that's spread over a couple of days. I have a minimal set of tools, and might've cut the time a bit with a proper set, however; there is one bolt of the seven that I found very difficult to remove, and now nearly impossible to reinstall. It's tucked into a very small crevice; the wrench won't fit in the space, and I don't have a ratchet small enough to fit either. I'll likely have to buy one tomorrow. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to torque it properly; does a torque wrench that small even exist? I guess it has to. BTW, I also had difficulty aligning the gasket, and getting the bolts to "take", while reinstalling the pump. Last thing; I didn't see any "How-to" videos or guides that suggested removing the rear bumper, when I was doing my research, but wow, looking at that picture, it sure would have solved my bolt-space problem! Thanks -
#41
Rennlist Member
![Default](https://rennlist.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
get yourself 1/4 drive 10mm socket and the proper size extension and also 1/4 in drive torque wrench, when trying to install the pump and gasket, get to 2 same size bolts same lenght of water pump bolts and cut the heads off and use them as a guide for install of gasket and pump. makes the job so much easier, no need to remove the bumper.
The following users liked this post:
158Sierra (10-05-2021)
#42
Rennlist Member
#43
Burning Brakes
#44
Three Wheelin'
![Default](https://rennlist.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
Where average rent for a shop runs well into tens of thousands of dollars, and an average 3 bedroom house costs over $1,000,000, you expect the hourly charge to be $150 or more.
I was standing in line of the In-Out burger joint, and the help wanted sign says "starting wage $19.00" That is for a high school junior with zero experience flipping burger. For an automotive technician, with 10 years of experience working on Porsches, owning his own tools, you would expect him / her to make 3 or 4 times that. And then double that amount to have some profit after overheads. That will bring it to $150 easy. At the Palo Alto Porsche dealer, the hourly charge is $245.
I was standing in line of the In-Out burger joint, and the help wanted sign says "starting wage $19.00" That is for a high school junior with zero experience flipping burger. For an automotive technician, with 10 years of experience working on Porsches, owning his own tools, you would expect him / her to make 3 or 4 times that. And then double that amount to have some profit after overheads. That will bring it to $150 easy. At the Palo Alto Porsche dealer, the hourly charge is $245.
#45
Rennlist Member
![Default](https://rennlist.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
Porsche dealers here in Chicagoland are charging over $200/hr, except the 996 is considered vintage, and they charge 996 owners $150/hr.