Advice on Mechanic Quote

So Ive dug through my service records on my 99 C2 with now 132k and do not see a bill for the plugs/coil packs ever being replaced. My mechanic whose opinion and work I trust has recommended that I replace these. Based on solely the mileage Im inclined to agree. However the car does run quite well i.e. no codes, no stuttering etc. Perhaps it could be a touch peppier but Ive only driven my 996 and have nothing else to base it off of. Ok, on to my question. His quote seems pretty high for the work. Specifically the cost of parts which I can basically get at half myself. Now I'm all for paying someone for their services especially if they deserve it. But heres the quote he provided me and you all can be the judge(s). Thanks guys. PARTS valve cover washer (6) $12.24 spark plug (6) $81.96 direct ignition coil (6) $437.52 shop supplies $2.50 LABOR SPARK PLUGS - Remove & Replace $360.00 haz mat $2.50 TOTAL $956.13 with tax

Sparkies are an easy DIY job. 1-10 scale 10 being hardest may be a 3. No lift required and minimal tools. Two hours tops for a rookie.

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++ and there are lots of youtube videos to watch that walk you through it if you need help.

Not a terrible price...Does that include the plug tubes too? Are the coils oem? Of course every shop has to mark up parts to about double for their warranty and overhead. Thats how the business works. It doesn't sound like he is over charging at all. I bought oem plugs off amazon and did the job for 35 bucks. Its not hard, you just need a lot of extensions and a full socket set.

I concur with doing this yourself, you get to learn more about your car. That said, if you rather not, see if you can just bring him the parts. But get OEM only as most mechanics will only install customer parts if they are OEM. I do this for my mechanic when I don't feel like working on something.

AutoHausAZ and Warehouse33 all great prices on sparkies and coil packs. Take the time to drop the mufflers and do the fisters and replace hardware. Makes sparkplugs easier too!

While on one hand I believe those who say this is �an easy job.� However I�ve heard elsewhere (on here/other forums) about it being time consuming, involving removing the mufflers, rear bumper and difficulty reaching certain plugs (cylinder 6 I believe?). Firstly I do not have a ton of tools at my disposal. Secondly every job I�ve performed on any of my cars that was anecdotally �easy� via the internet has taking me double the time or causing too much grief. There has always been one critical step left out or glossed over. Im up for doing it myself though. This mechanic and the one prior are not particularly keen on customers bringing them the parts. Which in a business sense is totally understandable. Perhaps I�ll buy the parts, tell the shop I�ll be attempting it myself under the pretense that if I�m not successful they can take over. Safe to say he won�t be jumping for the opportunity. Mostly I was concerned that his number was a touch high. He will be using OEM parts. I omitted the part numbers from the quote. But if the jury here deems it acceptable then at least that�s a boost of confidence that the shop is honest. Tough to find these days!

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By plug tubes are you referring to the coil pack itself? If so then yes, included.

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Already have fisters. Why even have this car without them or something similar? Missing half the fun.

If you do it yourself, or if you have your mechanic do it, be aware that some of the replacement coil packs stick out a little farther and will not allow the heat shields to be reinstalled without spacers and longer bolts. The previous owner of my car had them done at a shop and they just left the heat shields off and did not return them to the PO. I assume they didn't tell him about it. I realized they were missing while inspecting the car and had to buy another set. Look up under the car prior to leaving your mechanics shop and make sure they were reinstalled.

the 1999 have troublesome plastic spark plug tubes. not coil packs....2002 should have went to metal. They are kind of a headache. Any quote should include them on that year. Honestly having friends in that business, mostly any good shops will not allow customers to bring in their own parts. Unless its off the books work. Kinda tacky to do also. That is how shops pay their overhead (which is absurd and most customers can't really comprehend) I take my rear bumper and mufflers off to do plugs. Its a typical service position to get anything done to the engine. Its very easy and worth while to try one time. It is not hard or time consuming to do after you do it once. It just depends how hands on you want to get with the car, or how much your time is worth doing other things.

I�m all for supporting the indie shop, but not by being charged double for parts (like in the OP�s estimate) sourced from the same vendors we shop from. And book rate is book rate. The only variable is the hourly labor rate. Even the hour book rate is no mystery. DIYdata and other sources have the task times for you to do your own estimates in the future. Many of us owners don�t have the time or inclination to get too hands-on, but don�t appreciate being bent over by the Porsche dealers. Some of us are wannabe garage rats and like to talk shop in the shop. Everyone just has to find their own cost vs comfort point and find the right place to get their cars maintained. I�m fortunate to have a great relationship with my mechanic. We go over the parts list together, and I help him with the �leg work� getting the parts ordered. That way I get my parts for my cost by saving him time to make more $ wrenching. He doesn�t have to keep track of my parts. If something additional needs to be ordered, he charges me a tiny markup. I also can call him if I get stuck on something when I�m working on the cars at home. And I get to learn about the other German marques� modes of failure when I go by his shop!

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My Saab mechanic has a sign in his shop that says something like "You wouldn't go to a restaurant with your own ingredients and ask the cook to make your dinner for less. Why would you take your own parts to a shop and ask the same thing?"

My main mechanic doesn�t care if I or anyone BYOP. And he doesn�t charge extra when they have to get them. Excellent Indy and are extremely busy with a loyal following. Shop around if you�re getting bent.

The quoted labor amount is appropriate. The parts are around double of what you could buy them for. While it took me a whole day to do mine the first time, I can do it now in an hour or so. I just remove the mufflers and wheels. If your mufflers haven't been removed in a long time, that part alone could take you a long time. To clarify a statement above, your car has both coils and tubes. The tubes with o-rings are about $6 each if I remember correctly. They are definitely worth replacing.

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The new coils come with longer bolts because of the new design. You can use the old coil bolts to attach the heat shield, as they are longer but the same size and threading as the old heat shield bolts. Btw- I don't believe they actually are heat shields as Porsche refers to them as a Trim Plates. https://www.sunsetporscheparts.com/o...te-99610442502

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Ok so not coil pack but coil + tube, noted. Let me restate the car has 132K on it and has spent a good chunk of time in the Chicago area. Recently I upgraded the droopy looking OEM muffler tips to the slash-tipped tequipment ones and it was not pleasant. That ordeal alone is playing into me not doing this. However... this is my weekend toy car and can be laid up for a bit if I go at it. Told the wife $1K for spark plugs today. Her eyebrows almost touched her hairline... Thanks for the input guys. Much appreciated.