I know lots of you guys are DIY's and lots of guys said I can get parts cheaper in the US (no doubt) and do it myself but no one has actually told me what they paid for a 96k service and whether this is as reasonable as I am going to get for having this service done at a specialty shop. Has no one had this service done and paid for it somewhere?? For parts and labour he is quoting me roughly $2800 including the wires for just the 96k service.

This is a well known shop and as far as I can tell quite respected. So I cant imagine he's just trying to hang me out to dry on one service visit. Maybe I am wrong

 

I have an SC so all I can do is advise on what I think I know. The price seems a little high especially the $1260 labour. There has to be a breakdown on what he is doing for that cost. He could be quoting you using a flat rate system.
Is this your regular mechanic?
Your muffler could have a broken clamp. A friend has a car similar to yours with a Fabspeed muffler and he's broken 2 clamps in 2 years. Fabspeed supplies them free of charge.
I would be looking for a second opinion at another shop.

 

Jack from G Tek has done lots of work for my 1991 964. Starter, Alternator, servo motor, oil cooling fan, air fan, snapped fan belt. I think it works out to less than going to a dealer but expensive.

As far as $2800 for the 96K service goes, it sounds pricey to me.

I bought my 964 with 247K on it 3 years ago (now 302K) and don't go by any schedule. I had my engine and tranny split and all new seals, gaskets, bearings, clutch, heads etc etc done.

That was quite an adventure.

East End Mechanics? , i have heard there's a pretty good wrench on Gerrard just west of Warden on the south side. Is that Spiro? If it is, i've heard he's decent and I would get a quote from them.

 

maybe that is the answer . Most service visits for regular maintanance is done to not void the warranty . After the warranty expires I guess people stick to the schedule less and do more fire fighting than preventative maintanance. At those prices it doesn't surprise me. I imagine not many people have a strict discipline of spending that type of coin when their car is running fine.

 

Alex, but you keep going back to G-tek because you trust his work I presume? Part of that $2800 is $970 for ignition wires which i dont believe is part of a regular 96k service. I will just call DFC and ask them what they charge for this service to get a benchmark.

I cant find East End Mechanics on google and Gerrard doesnt go to Warden. Spiro's is on Kingston Rd just east if Vic Park. One of the mechanics has a 996 that he does all the work on and there are a few guys in the neighbourhood who take their cars there. May be should just stay with my local guys?

 

I have yet to figure Jack out....but Gtek is the only place I bring my 996 to. Have not done any major work(touch wood)but I trust their ability and the care for the car when its in the shop. E.g he charges me $80 to mount my winter wheels...just to mount them, BUT they never once scratched my rims and they always torque them to specs and spot on with the PSI. Its all about peace of mind.

 

$80 is a fair deal. Our street had Tire Butler come down yesterday and do our winter tires. They charged me $60 just to mount the wheels and when I went to drive the Cayenne away, the TPMS went crazy. They didn't even bother to check the PSI! I'll do them myself next year....

 

$1000 for ignition wires in unconscionable, IMO.

 

Price for the ignition wire set at Pelican for a 993 (OEM, made by Beru): USD 484.25. And I am convinced that Sunset Porsche in Portland will sell the OE (also made by Beru) for the same price.
As I said before, you should seriously consider taking the time to order your parts from the US and save yourself some money (up to 50% on the parts!). Then, labor is labor. Bring your parts to a trusted mechanic.

 

Try Mario at HPCARS, the old Heimraths at 1890 Lawrence Ave e. (east of Pharmacy Rd) He can be reached at 416 752-7280.

He has my 2002 Boxster S which should be on the road soon once the headers come in from UPS in the states and has worked on my 1986 951 for 7 years.

He is a friend of mine and I have had no issues with the work done there.

 

Downtown Porsche charges $2100-2300 for a straight 96k service excluding the ignition wires. G-tek has quoted $1540. The wires are basically the same price at both places and are not part of the 96k service. Pelican has the wires for around US$500 so with exchange, duty and shipping the markup would be around 50%.

Just an fyi

 

yup about 50% is what I see on average .. Sunset Porsche had the best deal on my airbox , even cheaper than pelican .. try them ..

 

get the parts over the winter (especially if you travel south during) and then get it done in the spring.
if you are spending a few thousand why not drive an extra 20 mins if it will save you money.
if you are not going to be in the us just ship here
http://canammailbox.tripod.com/
they are in Niagara falls us and charge $5 per package to hold it for you. this is what many of us do to get parts. good luck.

 

+1 for canammailbox!

 

I did some work for Gtek outside of the car world and found their operation to be reputable.