60,000 mile check-up Washington DC

J

Jim

My Subaru dealership wants $535.00 for a 60,000 mile check-up (on my '01
Forester with 53K miles). Looking over the list of procedures, this seems
over-priced. Does anyone have an independent Subaru mechanic in the
Washington, DC area that they would recommend? Have any of you parceled out
the procedures for any savings (say change of transmission, brake fluids,
fuel filter at Jiffy Lube)?

Thanks,

Lori
 
Jim said:
My Subaru dealership wants $535.00 for a 60,000 mile check-up (on my '01
Forester with 53K miles). Looking over the list of procedures, this seems
over-priced. Does anyone have an independent Subaru mechanic in the
Washington, DC area that they would recommend? Have any of you parceled out
the procedures for any savings (say change of transmission, brake fluids,
fuel filter at Jiffy Lube)?

What does the list include? It's pretty typical, in my experience.
Dealerships are not discount shops.

-John
 
Jim said:
My Subaru dealership wants $535.00 for a 60,000 mile check-up (on my '01
Forester with 53K miles). Looking over the list of procedures, this seems
over-priced. Does anyone have an independent Subaru mechanic in the
Washington, DC area that they would recommend? Have any of you parceled out
the procedures for any savings (say change of transmission, brake fluids,
fuel filter at Jiffy Lube)?

Thanks,

Lori

It is important to understand that repair shops -- whether dealer or
independent -- often offer mileage-based service packages as a marketing
convenience and that these packages are often universal and not specific
to a particular make, model or year. A one size fits all approach.
Some, or even many, of the services may not be needed for your car or
situation. Or a particular package just may not represent good value.
You should compare the offered package against your car's manufacturer's
maintenance recommendations and determine whether it is cheaper or more
beneficial for you to request specific services ala cart.

Ed P
 
If it includes timing belt change its not bad. You really would trust
jiffy lube to work on your trans? Penny wise pound foolish
 
My Subaru dealership wants $535.00 for a 60,000 mile check-up (on my '01
Forester with 53K miles). Looking over the list of procedures, this seems
over-priced.

Compare what they want to do with what's in the manual. If you can't
find an indie, ask the dealership what it would cost to do only the
services listed in the manual.

I liked my Subie, hated the central CT dealer network. Dealership
service departments in general tend to be a bit bloodthirsty, the
Subaru guys took it to a new level. The Wallingford, CT dealership
tried to foist a $500 30k service on my basic, manual shifted, OBW.

I did the 30k list from the manual myself for under $100, with OEM
parts.

Barry
 
Bonehenge said:
Compare what they want to do with what's in the manual. If you can't
find an indie, ask the dealership what it would cost to do only the
services listed in the manual.

I liked my Subie, hated the central CT dealer network. Dealership
service departments in general tend to be a bit bloodthirsty, the
Subaru guys took it to a new level. The Wallingford, CT dealership
tried to foist a $500 30k service on my basic, manual shifted, OBW.

I did the 30k list from the manual myself for under $100, with OEM
parts.

Barry
 
Jim said:
My Subaru dealership wants $535.00 for a 60,000 mile check-up (on my '01
Forester with 53K miles). Looking over the list of procedures, this seems
over-priced. Does anyone have an independent Subaru mechanic in the
Washington, DC area that they would recommend? Have any of you parceled out
the procedures for any savings (say change of transmission, brake fluids,
fuel filter at Jiffy Lube)?

It probably is overpriced. Looking at my 2004 warranty/maintenance
booklet, I see the following:

oil and filter replacement
brake fluid flush (.5 hr?)
fuel filter replacement (.25 hr?)
spark plug replacement (?)
coolant replacement (.25 hr)
air filter replacement
various inspections (brakes, fluids, etc.)

While the manual may say that tranny fluid changes are unnecessary,
I would personally recommend it and I suspect the dealer is adding
this. The spark plugs will take more time with a boxer engine.
$535 doesn't really sound out of line for a dealer. The labor
would probably be around 2.5 hours and the parts will be around
$150 dealer prices. An independent could probably do it for less.

Many of these services are easy to do yourself. The air filter is
ridiculously easy (you probably don't need tools). About the only
thing on the list I wouldn't do myself is the brake fluid flush and
the fuel filter. I'd like to get my own service manual to see
about the plugs. Boxer engines don't have very good access to the
plugs.
 
I change the spark plugs in my Forester in about 45 minutes and
5-10minutes of that is a smoke break. A Subaru mechanic should do it
in 30 minutes but most shops charge a full hour at $70 per hour + 3X
price of spark plugs. The fuel filter is really really easy and again
should take an experienced mechanic about 20 minutes. Remember that
the shop time starts when the person must go get the car and drive it
to the stall and put it on the rack.
 

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