how much should r and oil filter housing gasket cost ? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

mitchp · #1 02-07-2011, 02:04 PM

What is a reasonable price for a shop to r&r the oil filter housing gasket on a 1985 300 d run ?

andrewjtx · #2 02-07-2011, 02:53 PM

I'd do it myself, personally. A shop that doesn't know how to do the particular job could charge you upwards of 4-8 hours of labor. Shop labor is generally $90/hr here in Austin. So you could be looking at $360 on the low end...

Diesel911 · #3 02-07-2011, 03:25 PM

There is also the question of who will be more careful not to get anything inside when cleaning the mating surfaces. I think the owner will be more careful than as shop would be.

Ni! · #4 02-07-2011, 03:53 PM

Takes only an hour to do just the gasket, IF the oil cooler line fittings don't strip coming off. If they do, then its a 4 hour job.

josha37 · #5 02-07-2011, 04:25 PM

I love how everyone on here bashes shops. If you prefer to work on your car great but bashing every shop in existance just for the sake of doing it is kinda lame.

andrewjtx · #6 02-07-2011, 05:12 PM

Just about every auto enthusiast website I've been on is the same way. Nothing new here. We like working on our cars. We don't like paying large amounts of money for others to do what we feel we can.

Do we sometimes get in over our head? Sure. But we can't call ourselves back in a calm voice and say, "Mr. Johnson, we got into the xyz and it's going to cost you $300 more than we thought. . Are you OK with that?"

No, we curse like a sailor and vent on here as well. Then we ask one of the board pillars (you know who you are) et al for help and we go back and fix it some more.

Someone could just as easily say they love when people come on the board and bash us for bashing repair shops...

josha37 · #7 02-07-2011, 05:42 PM

..Like i said if you feel like you can fix it more power to you, we help people all the time at the shop i work at i just take offense when people say all shops are scammers, get a estimate and shop around it is very easy to see who is scamming and who is not. Shops are required to stick to their estimates so if they change that on you it is your fault for letting them.

btw book time is 2.3 hours.. period... if they charge more than that they are not familiar with your car so go somewhere else.

Stevo · #8 02-07-2011, 05:46 PM

You need someone thats done it a few times before, makes a real big difference in how long its gona take.

you dont need him learning on your car.

Junkman · #9 02-07-2011, 05:51 PM

You don't get scammed unless you don't get the work to be done AND the price before authorizing. If the price is higher than I'm willing to pay, I'll let the shop know what price is acceptable. Sometimes I get my price. Sometimes I find another shop. Sometimes I do it myself. Sometimes the task stays on my project list.

josha37 · #10 02-07-2011, 05:55 PM

layback40 · #11 02-07-2011, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by josha37

Hey Josha,
There are several members on here who work in indi shops/ own them, even a few from dealers.
No one is saying that all shops are bad.
A bit like a woman, when you find a good one, hang onto them & treat them right!

josha37 · #12 02-07-2011, 07:50 PM

its ok to just call me josh... A member came on and asked how much it should be and the conversation immediatly went to do it yourself because shops arent trust worthly. I was just throwing in a bit of defense..

Diesel911 · #13 02-07-2011, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by josha37

I love how everyone on here bashes shops. If you prefer to work on your car great but bashing every shop in existance just for the sake of doing it is kinda lame.

Well the forum is mostly populated by persons who are DIY types.

If you had to lump all of the good or bad shop stories together and give them all an average rating (1-10 scale 10 being perfect) for honesty, competence and service. What do you think it would be.

Part of the preference is DIY it and maybe pay for your own mistakes or go to a shop and maybe pay (most likely a lot more) for someone elses mistakes.

josha37 · #14 02-07-2011, 10:30 PM

Why would you pay for someone elses mistake? that is what warranties are for. If they mess up it is their responsibility to take care of it, if you picked the wrong shop that is your own problem. I have nothing against diy but there is no reason to say all shops are dishonest and un-skilled. Have you ever heard a positive story about anything? it is always the negative you hear if a shop does a good job it is taken for granted and never shared but when a shop messes up all of a sudden its a huge deal, try saying thanks everyonce and a while and stop blaming everyone for the mistakes of a few. i know allot of dishonest shops but i know more honest shops.

Brad123D · #15 02-07-2011, 10:58 PM

This is one of those jobs where sloppy work can destroy the engine. If dirt, or debris from the gasket gets into the oil intake hole it can clog one or more of the oil squirters and burn up a piston. I recently replaced this gasket successfully, but it is not the easiest job due to the close confines of that area. A breeze compared to some of the crazy tight spaces in many of the newer cars engine compartments.