01RedCLS

What is a good price from a local Acura stealership on spark plug change? I bought the plugs a year ago and was gonna have a mechanic friend do it but he moved away and I would like to get this done.

I thought I'd ask here first before calling.

TheWeez

Most stealerships charge about $80 an hour and you're looking at an hour of work or less. Then again they'll likely charge you 2 hours of labor. A good private shop will charge much less ($60 or less an hour).

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

Id say do it yourself but the rears are a pain. Im not sure how much they would charge. Call around to a few places.

TheWeez

This is the key. I'd never have work done at a dealership but even the price of parts at the 3 Acura dealerships around me vary quite a bit.

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iTrader: (2)

do it urself... u need only basic tools and it can be done in an hour if u dunno wtf ur doing. I did mine at 10pm in my driveway with a flashlight on my head. Trust me if you do it urself, you'll wonder why the hell you were about to dish out 100 or so bucks for joe shmo to do the same damn thing.

And then u gotta wonder... did they tighten it properly... did they put the bolts back right etc.

I cannot stand wondering what IF.... as I have had MANY MANY bad experiences with auto shops.

oh and if you do the spark plugs when the motor is still warm remember the new plugs will be cold so they are ever so slightly smaller, so when u tighten them it'll feel different than the plugs u took out. That's how it was for me at least

the only thing u'll need that u may not have are 3 different sized extensions and a swivel head thingy (one of the bolts holding on the manifold actuator is a bitch). just take ur time and some deep breaths and ur good

DC3328

iTrader: (22)

FREE! As a diyer I'm obligated to suggest you do it yourself. It is not hard at all

TheWeez

Sounds like you're going to the wrong shops. I've been bringing my cars to my dad's cousins shop (3rd generation family owned, soon to be 4th generation) since I was old enough to drive and they've always done a great job. Dropped my car off there this morning to have my 105k done along with spark plugs, coolant and brake flush, transmission fluid changed, oil change, and shifter bushings installed. I trust their ability to do the job right more then my own. It's just a matter of finding a reputable shop that you can trust.

DC3328

iTrader: (22)

^its a lot easier to hand over the keys when it's family, it's not just business

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iTrader: (2)

u'r bringing ur car to a family shop (ur relatives)... obviously u have nothing to worry about. consider urself lucky you don't have trust issues. many many people do.

I don't trust anyone to work on my car pretty much, aside from the guy who built my tranny and for everything else... aside from a motor build and welding, I can do as good as anyone else. so I'm no dropping money so someone else can work on my car.. I hate that personally, you never know what's done unless u do it urself.

Something as simple as a slightly stripped bolt, get put in place and say fails a year later.. if u did that u'd know it's possible, and u may have fixed it... etc. however if someone else does it, they may not tell you and they may think it's not an issue so u dunno jack. and then down the road a problem may arise.

I'm just saying, there are more variables in the way when u give ur car over to someone else which is what I try to avoid now.

TheWeez

Just because I'm family doesn't mean they do any better work on my car then anyone else's. A good shop is always going to do good work because they know that's what keeps people coming back and gives them that good reputation. There are a lot of people out there that aren't willing to tackle the big repairs on their car or don't have the technical knowledge and are more then willing to pay someone to do it right.

Just because you choose to do the work yourself doesn't mean that everyone else will. Some people have the ability to do the work themselves but choose to pay someone to do it instead. To them it's worth the money to have someone else do it. I know I make more working for the time it'd take to do the repairs then I'd save doing it myself so why not pay someone else to do it and still know the job is done right.

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iTrader: (2)

you make 90-100$ an hour in ur pocket, cause that's what a lot of places charge. I know i don't make that much an hour, and if I did I still would do the work myself cause I know that when i do it there's not gonna be other problems.

and most places will charge u for longer than they actually take, so most ppl get screwed and don't even know it.

it's easy being in ur shoes saying it's not hard to find a good place to do work on ur car... but dude IT IS... it really is. especially for a good price. consider urself lucky

and if I did make 90-100an hour (which is about 120-150K annually in ur pocket, depending on taxes) I'd have a BMW M3... a new one

Nersh7

haha the epic battle of to DIY or not
and no mechanic makes 90-100/hour more like 30-40/hour if your certified

TheWeez

Everyone decides what you spend you're money on. To most, a car is something to get them from point A to point B. They aren't as passionate about their vehicle as some here are and they're more then happy to pay someone to do work on their car that will be just fine 95% of the time.

I'm not saying that people shouldn't work on their cars themselves if they feel comfortable doing it. Just that not everyone is comfortable doing it. Seems many times any time someone on this form asks others for an estimate of the pricing to have someone do some work on their car, the only answer they get is "do it yourself". That doesn't answer their question.

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iTrader: (2)

no i mean the customer is gonna pay 90-100 an hour therefore in order for it to not make economical sense u must make that much or more...

you gotta remember tho Weez... this is a Forum.. where car enthusiasts come to talk about their ride. MOST enthusiasts would like to be as IN TOUCH with their car as they can, and that mean DIY. also most people on the forums are on it to save money and learn.. since most are in their youth still and most don't have that killer job where they don't give a shit about blowing a few extra 100 or 1000 on their ride just to save themselves a lil headache or 2.

TheWeez

You're going to a dealership if you're paying that much. Many smaller shops charge a much more reasonable $60 or so an hour.

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iTrader: (2)

Besides how are people supposed to tell you what it's gonna cost when all over the place u can find good deals and bad deals... for example.. people have spent up to 4000USD to get their tranny's fixed.... I spent 1900 and got the same thing..

if i asked how much it would cost, people would have said probably 2500-3000 is respectable.. catch my drift? it's a completely subjective answer if ur asking for something like that.

And there are a lot of shops in toronto and mississauga that charge 80/hr... obv 90-100 is a lil high... but hell i have seen 110-120/hour.

usually a 50-60/hr shop is a lil tiny place that has no warranty and only give u their word (which is nothing) that nothing will go wrong.

you guys in the US have a saturated market which lowers those prices.... lucky bastards LOL.

but over here in canada, people get raped... over and over.

and 100/hr aint SO bad... that's what my hot tub company charges for me to come to ur house for 1hr and fix a problem... parts are extra.. etc

TheWeez

Very true that the prices are always going to vary. One dealership here charged me $18 for a new key and programming. The other wanted $25. Other members here says their dealerships want up to $70. Really just have to call and ask since prices vary so much.

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iTrader: (2)

i know man it's wack. people charge more just because they can these days. no one cares about doing the right thing anymore, they just wanna make their money, go home and have a nice day.

2Fast4you

iTrader: (1)

i just did it yesterday it was very easy the key is to just have the right tools

01RedCLS

I've never done this before and I've previously read that the rears are a pain. So what specific sockets/tools would I need and is it as simple as removing the old, putting in the new? Or are there steps in between removal of the old and installation of the new plugs??

I thought this involved more than a simple swap in/out...correct me if I'm wrong.

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

A spark plug socket (the type with the rubber holder in it), a socket wrench, some extensions, a universal joint, hex keys for the coil packs, and a flat head screwdriver for the front engine cover.

You may also need a 10mm socket, or regular wrench is what I used, to remove the IMRC motor from the rear of the engine to access the rear plugs.

TheWeez

A lot of the spark plug sockets now have a plastic insert that locks onto the plug or a magnet that holds them in. They work just as well.

Use some canned air or a air compressor to blow out any debris in the spark plug wells before removing them. Only do one plug at a time and make sure to keep anything from falling into the open holes when you remove the plugs.

At least have a 3in, 6in, and 9in extension. Also should have a torque wrench to properly torque the plugs. If you don't have a torque wrench, tighten them util they're no longer loose by hand, then turn them 1/4 of a turn with the ratchet. Don't over-tighten them or you risk stripping the heads.

Throw some anti-seize on the threads (just a small drop then wipe it around the threads and insure you don't have any excess on them or get it anywhere else). Clean the rubber seals on the coil packs with slightly damp cloth to get any the dirt off of them and then wipe them dry with a dry cloth. A small bead of dielectric grease on the rubber seal of the coil pack before reinstalling them is good too.

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

Not fun! Good info.

TheWeez

Yeah that's really bad news if it happens. Best just getting a torque wrench and not risking it. It can be hard to get an accurate reading and turn the rear plugs unless you have enough extensions and make sure that the universal joint has enough room to turn and not bind.

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

Yea, I usually use the finger tight + 1/4 turn method you mentioned.

wakipaki

My dealership wanted $270 to replace my spark plugs. haven't gotten around to doing it yet...but based on this thread, seems like they really wanted to rape me w/pricing.

TheWeez

Just got my plugs changed this week along with my 105k servicing. Labor for the plugs was $71.98 (before my discount but the $71.98 is what they'd charge anyone).

madmuzik09

Do It yourself its easy and not worth $270 its too easy the back one to the far left is the hardest one but still is a easy job.

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iTrader: (2)

just put a sleeping bag over the motor when ur working on the rear plugs so u can lay your stomach on the motor and not feel like ur in the SLAM.

then u won't get frustrated when ur trying to put the bolts back for the manifold actuator. w/o anything on the motor it gets kinda awkward and uncomfortable pretty soon.

russianDude

thats a good price, mine wanted $480 plus tax. Its crazy, OEM plugs are only 80-90 buks, and it takes 1 hour to do. So even with Acura $100 per hour I dont see how they can come up with $480.

Rapture

For some reason when I did mine, the rear right one was the hardest, not the left.

and yeah it's good to do it yourself. It took awhile for me to do it, but I'd rather spend a long time doing it myself than paying a guy money to get it done in less time. Kinda like what progession said, if someone else does it you always have that "what if?" kind of idea going through your head.

as a matter of fact, the plugs that were in there were pretty tight. without consulting my service manual, I believe the torque for the plugs is like 18 ft/lbs

dave586270

iTrader: (3)

It really isn't too difficult. Takes some wiggling to get one of the rear ones out because of the Strut Bar. But with some patience and some simple tools, you can save some money like most have been saying. At a good shop, it will probably cost ya close to $150. Almost an hour of labor if not more depending on what flat rate they go by, and around $5 a plug. Or you could spend $30 plugs + a Spark plug puller set, save a few bucks and feel pretty good when your done.