[txn5060]

My 1993 968 Cabriolet Slate Metallic has been my weekend car for the past 10yrs and has never failed me. Still Starts and runs strong. Came in for a checkup to a local SOCAL Porsche dealer to inspect an coolant leak and power steering fluid leak. 2 days of a full inspection report.







Cost breakdown



Replace upper and lower hoses for power steering $775

Replace new radiator and hoses $1367

Replace motor mounts $1999

Rear Main Seal? $1670

Oil Pan re-seal $990

Control arm $1065

4 wheel alignment $299

Front sway bar bushing $294



I'm at crossroads. I might have to depart my beloved 968.

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[ryker]

This is because you brought it to a dealer. They are smoking crack. These prices are are positively shocking. If you're in Los Angeles, call EuroSpec Motoring at 323-931-2650. They have worked on my car a few times, they know 968's, and they are fair.



Strangely, their 4 wheel alignment price is the going rate! This tells me they must not do it correctly. Flash has a good guy for that in Gardena.

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[mbardeen]

It seems like they're charging you double labor on some of this stuff. A geuine porsche oilpan gasket around $160. However to get to it you have to drop the front crossmember. Once you do that, the labor for the motor mounts is basically free. The mounts themselves are around $250 a piece. So they're charging you $830 labor for the oilpan on top of $1500 labor for the motor mounts.



Absurd.

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[tamathumper]

They either have a novice at the service desk, or a pro who doesn't want to work on the car and is pricing accordingly.

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[banditsc]

They also have a lot of stuff on there that probably doesn't need to be done. Just about all the oil pan gasket are weeping these days, is it a problem, not really. Was the car leaving oil the ground or just power steering fluid? The two power steering hoses that leak you can source for well under $100. Has the car been overheating? Not sure why they would replace the radiator unless it was leaking. You need to have a independent shop that is familiar with these car take a look at it.



Where are you located, we can probably recommend a shop.

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[Paul W]

There is a reason they call them "stealers" and not dealers. Make sure the mechanic at the "stealer" is not a monkey lad. So often they are and then mess up your perfectly good car. I can't say I know Porsche dealer mechanics, but can't believe they are much different from any other stealer.



Skip. Find an independent. The total for above is $8460, that's more than half the value of your car. That's insane. I paid $9K for my car. So that's 94% the value of my car!

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[biosurfer1]

a brand new Porsche sourced radiator and hoses is $650, so they are charging ~$800 in labor?!? It took me about 2 hours to do it...Flash has shown it takes him less than 1!

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[banditsc]

Depends on the parts markup. My local stealer has a standard 500% markup on all parts, which I called them out on they said the MSRP is just a suggested price and they can charge whatever they want.

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[ds968]

Absolutely shocking . Never ever take a 968 to a dealer ! Most forum members here can probably suggest at least one if not more knowledgeable, reliable independent shops in proximity to where you are who can service your car for a fair price. For that matter, never take any car to any dealer unless it's still under warranty and it does not cost you one cent. And Ryker has a good point about the alignment, who knows how little they might do on that particular job given the cost ( lol, it may be just visually checking if the tires look straight or tilted ) . Or, maybe they threw that fair pricing in there just to make you think as if the rest is probably par as well..

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[flash]

agreed. when the cars were new, the dealer was the most qualified shop. now, the guys who knew these cars have moved on. dealerships are the LAST place i would take one of these cars. they just don't see enough of them to be good at them. they will also charge you top dollar for the parts. frequently they build their invoices "a la carte" too, and charge you twice for the same thing that would have already been done in one of the other jobs.

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[ryker]

Another point, the "stealer", to use Paul W's accurate moniker, did not recommend probably the most important maintenance item, timing belt and rollers. Maybe you have had this done but your post suggests that you do not have a local mechanic, and you probably would have already donated your car to charity once your "stealer" quoted you $4,000 for this job (should be broadly around $1,000). This must be addressed every four years, regardless of miles driven.



Certainly do not let these guys tear into your car. Dealer mechanics are trained in late model cars, so you are much better off finding a guy who actually works on our cars. By not trying bilk you out of more money with this maintenance item, it further proves the point that they do not know what they are doing.

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[Ryan]

Most shops quote right out of a pricing book that has hours for a given job. The guy never even considers the fact that labor would be less because of another service that is already being done. It is a totally lazy way to do thing and a rip-off.



Most people don't know the difference and their profit is just great. This is a good reason to have a relationship with a INDY shop that you have some trust in and a good reason to come to this site for the knowledge to talk to them intelligently.



"If you don't do your own work, do your homework"



Ryan

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[txn5060]

Thanks guys... I got to be honest....I left you guys (this forum) 10+ yrs ago. I Remember the early stages of the airbox mod...custom door sill..window express ...roll bar...and such. Sorry...wife and 3kids later.

The comradeship and and support of the forum gives me the feeling of being back home.



You are right....the dealership has changed hands and the old techs who knew the 968 has move on.

Right off the bat...sales and tech..."havent seen one of these 968 in quite awhile". Just wanted them to replace some hoses that visibly sneeds attention. I think they were scrambling for the 968 workshop manual.



I will heed to my colleagues advice and look for an independent mechanic...hopefully they are still around.



Could you provide/recommend a mechanic in Orange County. Thanks Tim

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[flash]

hmmm - this site is only 8 years old. no matter. shame on you for leaving. lol



orange county??? california??? you mean you are in my back yard?

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[txn5060]

Werent we members of .net and migrated to 968forums during the fallout battle of the websites....I think R.L. was also in the battle.

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[flash]

yes. that was in 2005 when eric formed this site. he was member number 1. i was member number 2.

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[blau]

The rear main seal should only be replaced if you are doing one other thing: the clutch. The RMS is the last piece you remove before accessing the clutch. Cost of clutch replacement on these cars is a lot easier than a 944, and should cost ~$1200-1500 including parts.



A rebuilt control-arm is ~$250 and shouldn't take more than an hour of DIY labor to replace - a shop could probably do it in 15 minutes on a lift... Of course, you'll need an alignment after that. You can get a rebuilt control arm here: http://www.eagleday.com/suspension.html



Bombfactory (a member on here who lives in Huntington Beach) had great luck with West End Alignment in Gardena after bringing his car to multiple shops who couldn't get the alignment where he wanted it. http://www.yelp.com/biz/west-end-alignment-gardena



The front swaybar bushings are ~$40 for all four. The outers can be replaced in ~2 minutes on a lift. The set of all four can be replaced in about 10 minutes - it's literally 4 bolts and two retainer clips. Pelican parts is a good place to get them.



I can't comment on the seals/hoses as it's not something I've had to deal with myself yet.



If you are willing to travel north of LA, you can check out R2 Racing in Santa Clarita. They are very well versed in the 944S2 and 968 as they race those cars themselves and host a few track days throughout the year: http://www.r2racingshop.com/

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[flash]

p.s. - you have an email

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[txn5060]

Werent we members of .net and migrated to 968forums during the fallout battle of the websites....I think R.L. was also in the battle. damn spellcheck

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[Inkedupfatboy]

I had my entire transaxle taken out and rebuilt for less than that - run fast and far away!

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