YACT: How much should I expect to pay for new spark plugs and new SP wires? (96 Bravada)

[murphy55d]

Well driving home the other day I noticed my Service Engine Soon light was flashing, and then went to a solid on. So I called up my mechanic and he had me bring it down to him, checked it out, turned out to be a code 4 I believe, which had to do with the plugs and/or wires, he checked it out, and said the plugs and wires needed replacing. Now before I tell you how much he said it may be, I wanted to know what it SHOULD cost. I told a few people at work what he said and they seemed a bit shocked. He is my mom's cousin and has been taking care of our family's cars for years ,so I have no reason to think he is trying to job me. the people at work are sort of know-it-alls though, so I don't know that I take their advice all that seriously. But many of you know whats up in this regard, so i wanted to ask.

I'm car stupid, so I don't really know what prices to expect. I have been told the degree of difficulty and cost in replacing these varies from vehicle to vehicle. Apparently in my vehicle, this area is not as easily accessible as it is in other vehicles. (again this is what I've been told) also that there are 2 sets of wires, ones which go from the plugs to the distributor cap, and another set which go from somewhere TO the plugs. I think both sets of wires need replaced.

It is a 1996 Oldsmobile Bravada BTW.

So what should I expect to pay for parts? Labor costs I am not so concerned with, I know his prices there.

TIA, and sorry for the lack of real information, as I said, I'm not that car smart.

 

[teckmaster]

to buy them and do it yourself, you are looking at 2 - 3 dollars a plug and probably $30 for wires. I'm gonna assume you have a 6 cyl. so your total cost shouldn't be anymore than $50 give or take a couple

 

[radioouman]

I don't know anything about that vehicle, but, I've seen other GM vehicles that require removing components to be able to pull one or more of the plugs. Sometimes an engine mount, sometimes an accessory.

I've also seen mid to late 90s Chrysler vehicles that require a special tool to remove the wire from the plug.

So while parts may not be expensive, the job might be labor intensive and therefore expensive.

 

[murphy55d]

Originally posted by: teckmaster
to buy them and do it yourself, you are looking at 2 - 3 dollars a plug and probably $30 for wires. I'm gonna assume you have a 6 cyl. so your total cost shouldn't be anymore than $50 give or take a couple

Ok, and how long do you think it would take to replace all this? Trying to figure in his labor costs to the parts cost.

He said probably 1-2 hours because of the placement of the plugs and wires in my vehicle. Is that accurate?

 

[0roo0roo]

i did it myself and i'm generally afraid to work on the car. get a chiltons manual and follow the instructions. ~3-5 dollars a plug depending on quality and if its on sale/rebate, they can go really cheap. not messy, and all you need is the plug socket for your wrench. once i rounded up parts for plugs, it took 15 minutes to change

 

[0roo0roo]

and oops yea, depends on vehicle. some makeit hard to acess plugs. my civic only had 4 and they are right there on top.

 

[radioouman]

Originally posted by: murphy55d

Originally posted by: teckmaster
to buy them and do it yourself, you are looking at 2 - 3 dollars a plug and probably $30 for wires. I'm gonna assume you have a 6 cyl. so your total cost shouldn't be anymore than $50 give or take a couple

Ok, and how long do you think it would take to replace all this? Trying to figure in his labor costs to the parts cost.

He said probably 1-2 hours because of the placement of the plugs and wires in my vehicle. Is that accurate?

That seems way too long if the plugs and wires are easy to work with. I would estimate 30 minutes from start to finish for a competent mechanic on a vehicle that is easy to work on. (I'm sure that most shops have a 1 hour minumum though.) But, if the guy has to remove an engine mount and jack up the engine, or remove a component like the alternator, then I could see maybe an hour and a half...

Estimate $65 to $80 per hour for labor, and the dealer would want $5 per plug + $50 for wires, so:
$30 + $50 + an hour and a half of labor ($105) = $185 + tax.

EDIT: I have worked on a 1985 Monte Carlo with a 4.3 (I think...), and if I remember correctly, the plug on the passenger side nearest to the firewall required removing an engine mount.... Not sure how the design has changed since then.

 

[murphy55d]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
i did it myself and i'm generally afraid to work on the car. get a chiltons manual and follow the instructions. ~3-5 dollars a plug depending on quality and if its on sale/rebate, they can go really cheap. not messy, and all you need is the plug socket for your wrench. once i rounded up parts for plugs, it took 15 minutes to change

Well that's fine if your plugs are easily accessible, but apparently, mine are not. And if radioouman is correct in saying that certain GM vehicles require removing other components and such, it isn't going to take 15 minutes.

Regardless, I'm not doing it myself, easily accessible or not.

 

[Pepsi90919]

worn spark plugs setting a check engine light ..?

 

[radioouman]

Originally posted by: Pepsi90919
worn spark plugs setting a check engine light ..?

Probably a misfire.

 

[murphy55d]

Originally posted by: Pepsi90919
worn spark plugs setting a check engine light ..?

He said the wires themselves are going bad, and it would be retarded not to change the plugs while you're already in there. And yes, that will set that sensor off.

 

[murphy55d]

Originally posted by: radioouman

Originally posted by: Pepsi90919
worn spark plugs setting a check engine light ..?

Probably a misfire.

Yeah, that's what it was that actually set the sensor off. I don't know if that's what happens as a result of bad wires or not, but whatever.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: Pepsi90919
worn spark plugs setting a check engine light ..?

Cylinder misfires can throw a code.

 

[radioouman]

Originally posted by: murphy55d

Originally posted by: radioouman

Originally posted by: Pepsi90919
worn spark plugs setting a check engine light ..?

Probably a misfire.

Yeah, that's what it was that actually set the sensor off. I don't know if that's what happens as a result of bad wires or not, but whatever.

Sure does... As wires break down, the resistance gets higher, and eventually the voltage will drop enough that the spark won't jump (the plug won't fire). Adding in the fact that the electrodes burn away and make the gap bigger means that a higher voltage is required to get the spark to jump from one electrode to the other.

So, how much does this mechanic want?

 

[murphy55d]

Originally posted by: radioouman

Originally posted by: murphy55d

Originally posted by: teckmaster
to buy them and do it yourself, you are looking at 2 - 3 dollars a plug and probably $30 for wires. I'm gonna assume you have a 6 cyl. so your total cost shouldn't be anymore than $50 give or take a couple

Ok, and how long do you think it would take to replace all this? Trying to figure in his labor costs to the parts cost.

He said probably 1-2 hours because of the placement of the plugs and wires in my vehicle. Is that accurate?

That seems way too long if the plugs and wires are easy to work with. I would estimate 30 minutes from start to finish for a competent mechanic on a vehicle that is easy to work on. (I'm sure that most shops have a 1 hour minumum though.) But, if the guy has to remove an engine mount and jack up the engine, or remove a component like the alternator, then I could see maybe an hour and a half...

Estimate $65 to $80 per hour for labor, and the dealer would want $5 per plug + $50 for wires, so:
$30 + $50 + an hour and a half of labor ($105) = $185 + tax.

EDIT: I have worked on a 1985 Monte Carlo with a 4.3 (I think...), and if I remember correctly, the plug on the passenger side nearest to the firewall required removing an engine mount.... Not sure how the design has changed since then.

Thanks. My Bravada has a 4.3L V6 in it, so if it's anything like that, it may be the same deal.

Your price quote made me feel much better. He told me it would probably be $120 or so total. I told that to some people at work and they were like "OMG YOUR GETTING THE SCREWJOB I JUST REPLACED MINE FOR $30".

Feel much better now.

 

[radioouman]

Originally posted by: murphy55d

Originally posted by: radioouman

Originally posted by: murphy55d

Originally posted by: teckmaster
to buy them and do it yourself, you are looking at 2 - 3 dollars a plug and probably $30 for wires. I'm gonna assume you have a 6 cyl. so your total cost shouldn't be anymore than $50 give or take a couple

Ok, and how long do you think it would take to replace all this? Trying to figure in his labor costs to the parts cost.

He said probably 1-2 hours because of the placement of the plugs and wires in my vehicle. Is that accurate?

That seems way too long if the plugs and wires are easy to work with. I would estimate 30 minutes from start to finish for a competent mechanic on a vehicle that is easy to work on. (I'm sure that most shops have a 1 hour minumum though.) But, if the guy has to remove an engine mount and jack up the engine, or remove a component like the alternator, then I could see maybe an hour and a half...

Estimate $65 to $80 per hour for labor, and the dealer would want $5 per plug + $50 for wires, so:
$30 + $50 + an hour and a half of labor ($105) = $185 + tax.

EDIT: I have worked on a 1985 Monte Carlo with a 4.3 (I think...), and if I remember correctly, the plug on the passenger side nearest to the firewall required removing an engine mount.... Not sure how the design has changed since then.

Thanks. My Bravada has a 4.3L V6 in it, so if it's anything like that, it may be the same deal.

Your price quote made me feel much better. He told me it would probably be $120 or so total. I told that to some people at work and they were like "OMG YOUR GETTING THE SCREWJOB I JUST REPLACED MINE FOR $30".

Feel much better now.

Well, like everyone has said, you can save money by doing the job yourself, but I don't think that $120 is completely unreasonable for a mechanic... The dealer will charge $5 per plug where autozone would charge less than $2 per plug. WIres would be $50 at the dealer and $30 at autozone... etc. If there is other stuff that he has to remove, it is probably well worth the money to let him do it, especially if has to take a mount loose.

 

[murphy55d]

Originally posted by: radioouman

Originally posted by: murphy55d

Originally posted by: radioouman

Originally posted by: murphy55d

Originally posted by: teckmaster
to buy them and do it yourself, you are looking at 2 - 3 dollars a plug and probably $30 for wires. I'm gonna assume you have a 6 cyl. so your total cost shouldn't be anymore than $50 give or take a couple

Ok, and how long do you think it would take to replace all this? Trying to figure in his labor costs to the parts cost.

He said probably 1-2 hours because of the placement of the plugs and wires in my vehicle. Is that accurate?

That seems way too long if the plugs and wires are easy to work with. I would estimate 30 minutes from start to finish for a competent mechanic on a vehicle that is easy to work on. (I'm sure that most shops have a 1 hour minumum though.) But, if the guy has to remove an engine mount and jack up the engine, or remove a component like the alternator, then I could see maybe an hour and a half...

Estimate $65 to $80 per hour for labor, and the dealer would want $5 per plug + $50 for wires, so:
$30 + $50 + an hour and a half of labor ($105) = $185 + tax.

EDIT: I have worked on a 1985 Monte Carlo with a 4.3 (I think...), and if I remember correctly, the plug on the passenger side nearest to the firewall required removing an engine mount.... Not sure how the design has changed since then.

Thanks. My Bravada has a 4.3L V6 in it, so if it's anything like that, it may be the same deal.

Your price quote made me feel much better. He told me it would probably be $120 or so total. I told that to some people at work and they were like "OMG YOUR GETTING THE SCREWJOB I JUST REPLACED MINE FOR $30".

Feel much better now.

Well, like everyone has said, you can save money by doing the job yourself, but I don't think that $120 is completely unreasonable for a mechanic... The dealer will charge $5 per plug where autozone would charge less than $2 per plug. WIres would be $50 at the dealer and $30 at autozone... etc. If there is other stuff that he has to remove, it is probably well worth the money to let him do it, especially if has to take a mount loose.

Yeah, I don't doubt it's cheaper to do it myself, but I'm not going to mess around with that, ESPECIALLY if he has to remove anything.

either way, thanks for clearing everything up. I really appreciate it.

 

[StageLeft]

$500 is crazy, but $120 doesn't sound crazy at all Those people did not pay a mechanic $30 to change their plugs unless they're using one cylinder lawn mower engines in their cars.

 

[murphy55d]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
$500 is crazy, but $120 doesn't sound crazy at all Those people did not pay a mechanic $30 to change their plugs unless they're using one cylinder lawn mower engines in their cars.

Like I said, know-it-alls.