What are y’all getting quoted for Spark Plug Refresh?

Got quoted a few months back from Christian Brothers for $842 to change out my plugs.

for ref: ‘19 6-cylinder OR. Just got back from my neighborhood mechanic and he quoted me about $650, all-in.

$309 for labor, $309 for parts (lithium denso) plus tax. He did say it’s not needed yet in his opinion, but good lord, $650 minimum for a two hour job, max?

 

as the miles rack up, this comes up nearly weekly.
I haven't replaced mine yet, but it sounds like it's easily doable at home with some long extensions and swivels.
$309 for labor sounds reasonable,,, $309 for plugs sounds crazy,, but again, I haven't done or shopped it yet.

EDIT: Sparks is showing plugs at $14.07 each
that's say $100 after tax and shipping. I think your guy went to the dealer, paid straight retail, and marked em up even more to make more on the parts end. Sounds like a dirt-pickle.
I get it- nothing is free. My buddy does a ton of work at home, and marks parts up slightly to pay for his time to order and often run to pick them up,,, but he gets a big discount, so he is not charging over MSRP.

https://www.sparksparts.com/oem-parts/toyota-spark-plug-9091901263?c=Zz1lbGVjdHJpY2FsJnM9aWduaXRpb24tc3lzdGVtJmw9MSZuPUFzc2VtYmxpZXMgUGFnZSZhPXRveW90YSZvPXRhY29tYSZ5PTIwMjAmdD10cmQtb2ZmLXJvYWQmZT0zLTVsLXY2LWdhcw==

 

I think spark plugs were about $18 each from the dealer.
The labor likely includes removing the intake to access the plugs. It isn’t really necessary to do so, but I believe the labor manual calls for it.

 

Last time I bought the plugs (FK20HBR8), I found them on sale at $15 per.

And then I had to buy a 3/8 torque wrench and a 16" socket extension.

That put me at about $140 all in, and that's only if one made the argument that the torque wrench was needed.

Oh, and I stuck to the book and did mine at 60k miles.

 

Pre pandemic pricing for me was $300ish (parts and labor) at a dealer. Everything is now much more expensive.

 

he was straight with me and said they mark up about 40% but they go with the Mitchell guide to labor. I’m intrigued about doing it myself, and probably COULD but the screwup sounds potentially expensive

 

40% over MSRP it sounds,,, but he should be receiving a discount,, so really he's charging more,,, or he's just spending other people's money.

 

$275 - $400 parts and labor and depending on how nice the shop feels that day.

 

yeah he looked them up in his computer and quoted it around $35/per I think. Plus the 40% was close to $51. I didn’t ask what if I supplied them myself. Those were $15/20 over the ones I found online. Not including their markup. Shits cray

 

Nah. If you go the full remove-plenum route (I did) it's not bad. You just have to be confident at removing a couple hoses, a couple of electrical connections, and then be able to reach some awkward bolts. ... And also don't drop anything down the middle part, or at least tape it up. Taping for me want necessary, I just planned on working in a way so that no tools or parts crossed that airspace.

 

What the unholy Fuck is that?! Do you really have to take the engine that far apart just to change the plugs?

 

The plugs should be about $100. The last time I changed mine, it took me about an hour. If you have tools just do it yourself. If not, go buy them and do it yourself, ha. You'll save a ton of money. Passenger side is super easy. The driver side can be a pain the first time, just take your time. I also found that going in through the fender liner helps a ton too.

 

No, you don't, ha. I'm guessing they were doing other things during that project.

 

I do have a torque wrench. Sounds like I just need the special socket and watch some videos

 

$51.00 each for the plugs??!!! Dealer charged me $48 for the six OEM Denso plugs, but looking around just now on-line there are dealers listing them on their parts sites for $6-7 each.

Quoted: $380 P&L plus tax for the job. (12/8/23)

 

That's dirty man, you should be selling him parts, even at $35 you could be making your money back $20 a plug.

 

Oh, good. The sorry thing is I wound't have been surprised if you did have to pull the plenum just to change the plugs.

 

Nope…..it’s not necessary, but it DOES make the job a lot easier

 

“Lithium Denso” spark plugs……don’t think those exist. And you are getting WAY over charged for parts.

 

ha, I meant Iridium, not lithium. Maybe I should leave this to the pros!

yeah agreed, either way it’s way more for the plugs than I’ve found online, even for what appear to be top of the line, even WITH their markup