$350 for dealer to replace sparkplugs?

Under 1 hour tops for NA engine. Easy as pie.

 

I saw this at Ford and Hyundai service departments in the past... Shockingly enough, it was as a customer.

 

I get a kick out of how these threads tend to sideways. A) not all dealers are crooked. B) there's plenty of private guys that may be cheaper, but could hide behind a cork-screw.
So pick your shop accordingly...or learn to do it yourself.
Cheers, jeff

 

When you do this kind of easy maintenance, it gives you a chance to look around and see how everything looks.

 

I did mine in about 2 hours. Cost me $28 between the 6 plugs and the gapper.

For the 4.0, the driver’s side plugs are kind of a pain but not very tough.

You want a pain? Try doing the front diff on a 4x4. The drain and fill plugs are a poor design and easy to round off. Spark plugs are fairly easy IMO.

 

Dealerships are not all crooked? What state do you live in?
I worked in dealerships in Ohio and Kentucky. They sold Fords, Lincolns, Mercury's, Chevrolet, Buick ,Isuzu, AMC and Jeeps. They were all crooked. Customer service is only a tool used to the dealerships advantage to get more sales from you. Anything they give you is going to come out of your wallet. It was like that in the late 70s when I worked at one that sold AMCs and it was no different 6 months ago when I worked at a Ford dealership part time when I retired. I quit after trying to warn customers about what my employer was pulling with the Focus and Fiesta transmission failures which there is a recall for now.
My uncle who is 90 always takes his 05 Taurus to the Ford Dealership because " Honest Charley "wont rip him off. They burn him for all its worth. They recently told him the frame is shot while they were mounting 4 new tires on a car that they just told him is not safe to drive anymore. They had to get him for one more sale.

 

Wish you lived closer, man. I just changed my spark plugs a month ago and would help you do this to save money. $20 at home vs $200 and having to go to the dealer

 

I'm in Canada.... Not that this matters....however, I've seen good dealers and bad, mine is the former. Not sure why everyone thinks that just because they represent the brand that they're out to screw you. jMO

 

do yourself a favor and find a good privately owned repair shop. They will become your best friend.

 

Absolutely agree!

 

While your changing your sparkplugs you might want to consider changing out the PVC as well. You're right there and this valve is often over looked....as I read above - it gives you a chance to do a once over to see if everything is operating as it should.
Have fun...

 

I bought a locking extension set and a torque wrench from China Freight for this project.

 

The biggest problem with this is not even the charge. The problem is that dealerships generally do not pay certified mechanics to do maintenance work. That means things get stripped, over tightened, under tightened, left out entirely, or worse. I've seen it all. Either pay a real mechanic that you trust, or do it your self

 

I enjoy changing my plugs, it’s fun as hell. The Gearwrench magnetic spark plug socket is a big help for reaching down in the coil hole.

 

I see a few people skipped over post #14

 

This is what I did as well. Bought the plugs myself on Amazon and had my mechanic install them while I was getting some other work done.

 

Only dealership I go to...

 

Even $209 is way more than it costs to do this yourself.

 

IMHO you have to learn how to do some of your own maintenance. I’ve probably saved thousands of dollars over the years just changing my own oil, air filters, etc.

 

If you can/will do it yourself you should definitely do it. But if not, you have to pay for the convenience .