Copilot

Seriously. My WP replacement cost me $400, including the purchase of a Uview Airlift and new thermostat. Took me about 2 hrs, but I'm slow.

So does that mean the shop charges $350/hr for labor?

911661

i wish i had more reasonable prices in town.

Ahsai

Don't feel bad. DIY will always be cheaper and it's not a fair comparison.
OE pump is $260, thermo $100, coolant $150 and that's $500 parts (all what most shops charge...MSRP). Throw in a few hrs of book labor plus tax, $1100 is not too far.

911661

he also did the serpentine belt so I guess it wasn't that bad

alpine003

Ignore KK, he's always trying to compare diy to shop prices. I'd like to see him get an estimate from a top shop and see where he nets out. Ahsai broke it down the correct way.

911661

I knew if I did a DIY job I would end up being frustrated, and braking parts that were never broken haha

911661

he quoted me for a lot more time than it actually takes, I was aware of that when I got the estimate, but I had already towed the car there and if I declined he was already was going to charge me 105 for diagnosing the problem, so I was stuck.

ltusler

About 2 hours north of Minneapolis. 3 mile 10 turn track. The run from turn 10 to turn 1 is a mile. Much fun!

911661

sounds like fun, I wish I was closer

DTMiller

I just bought a trailer..... Think the Miata could hit 105 so I can join the 150 anagram club?

cobra935o

Its always nice to be able to DIY things, its actually the only way I can afford to own this car, I sure cant afford anyone else's labor rates except my own. When I did my own water pump, it was 176 for the pump, 55 for the thermostat, 80 for the fluids, and 12 dollars for the tow home. It did take me 4 days to get it done, waiting for the parts to come in. One of the things I hate is that I cant just go down to local parts store and get anything for this car.

911661

yeah OEM is best for Porsche's a parts store may not be the best idea if they're cheap parts. How did you manage to find a tow truck so cheap

Copilot

Most car insurance plans these days have a roadside assistance option. Mine costs $6/year extra. I only pay if the distance is more than 20 miles from the nearest shop.

911661

well worth it

silotwo

I paid about $800 for labor and fluids as I provide my own OEM parts. The $$ were to replace the pump, thermostat, serpentine belt, coolant system flush (at my request), OEM coolant. Dealer quote for labor on pump replacement was $650.00, Indy estimate was $700 to $750 - so dealer won. Interesting that the tech told me if I wanted to use distilled water I needed to go pick it up myself. I asked why distilled water and he said that was the Porsche spec because of the combination of metals in the engine. Of course I immediately went out and bought distilled water. I was surprised when the tech said they use tap water unless the customer opts to bring in distilled. In our area, the city water is sooooo bad that water heaters and dishwashers usually die in about five years - but they don't cost $20k to replace so I live with that.

And my one and only top speed of 154 MPH was down south at the crack of dawn on an empty interstate with miles of visibility. One time, knees knocking, brain kicked in and I still can't believe I did such a stupid thing. (It was one heck of a rush though )