I took my C4S to the dealer because, the car has some morning start problems. They performed the following things in a process of elimination:

- Change the spark plugs.
- Clean the injectors.
- De-carbon the valves
- Clean the throttle body and butterfly

They did all this because they couldn't find the problem. And still they don't know what caused the problem. They just called me and told me that the car is running fine now but, they will have to charge me for the change of spark plugs ($1000) . My car has 16,000 miles in the odo and it was bought in Oct. 2004. The car has warranty till 2008. They say they should be changed every 30,000 miles or every 3 years. ?????????

I'm going to raise hell. BUT, before I do that........ How often the spark plugs need to be changed ???????

 

thats effed up, 16000 miles and they changed the plugs. 30k sounds about right but Ive also heard 45k and 60k, never heard of the every 3 years, I thought it was only mileage based. Did they tell you which was the culprit?
That really pisses me off... they did all this and cant tell you which one fixed the problem... talk about giving it to you without grease and having to charge you for it.

 

I am really put off !

I am going to fight this at the dealer ! The Porsche service here in the Miami / Ft.Lauderdale area is really bad. We have only two Porsche dealers around. And they try to screw you every time!! This is my second P-car and I am telling you, it is the last one.

 

maybe its time to look for some indies!... there should be some here that will recommend some good ones... thats all it takes to have fun with these cars, sorry for the bad experience

 

I am sorry for the ignorance. What's indies ?

 

indies = independent mechanics, i.e. not at P dealer

 

Porsche specialists.

 

I'm sorry - $1000 to change the plugs? Did they have to drop the engine or something?

 

I thought you change those things at 60K!?!?

 

Head over to renntech, Loren's got a great DIY section. Specific to the spark plugs, they age from mileage AND time. I believe Porsche recommends 4 years for replacement, even if you haven't hit the mileage.

I'm right at that limit, and I've been thinking about doing it myself. The DIY listed looks fairly straightforward, except the furthest forward plug on each side cannot be threaded in by hand. So, you've got to use a piece of tubing, which doesn't give as good a feel. Cross-thread it and you are looking at an expensive repair.

The spark plugs themselves run under $100, I think I priced it out at $70 or so.

For $1000, they better be supplying some KY jelly as lubricant, because you are getting screwed hard.