The real price for a 911 overhaul

[john walker's workshop]

Originally posted by Dan in Pasadena
I'm in metro L.A. and I've only seen prices of about $85 an hour. I know one shop that is still charging $70. I know some charge more but why do you have to go to them when others charges are more reasonable?

it's expensive to stay in business. if you charge less shop labor, you have to charge more for parts to compensate. i believe a low labor rate is a come-on in a lot of cases. i've seen $60 an hour shops charge much more for the same job than a $100 an hour shop. the bottom line and what you get for it matters much more than the hourly rate, so don't get sucked into thinking that less is cheaper.

[Henry Schmidt]

You guys are getting squirrelly again.
This customer was not known to the shop. He just got an email quote from Supertec and the second shop recommended to him by Bruce Anderson.

This estimate is twice the reasonable rate for an SC overhaul.
Most of the parts are priced higher than Porsche dealer retail.
I would think that doubling prices based on the customer rather than the services rendered could only be described as gouging.


BTW: Head studs are listed.

[safe]

Henry: I have been meaning to ask you. How much would an engine like that beautiful 3.2SS you posted a few days ago cost from a rebuild-able 3.0?
I'm guessing 15K?

Not that it really matters unless I hit the jackpot on the horses

[chancecasey]

Yeah, from my limited experience I can tell right away they are taking at least a 50% markup or more on parts instead of the "usual" 20%. Even JW only gets $100/hr if I'm not mistaken. Good catch on the head stud thing - what a bone-head move on their part to miss another $1,000!

This shop sounds a lot like JW's - basically, if you're not prepared to drop the absolute maximum amount of cash it could possibly take to do the job 110% right, they don't want to bother.

Not a terrible business model - you'll get stuck with deadbeats a little less, you can do the work the way you know it should be done, and if you have any sort of ethics, you'll consistently deliver the product under-budget giving each customer who actually buys into this a warm fuzzy feeling. Works for JW - they almost never have less than a 3-week backlog.

Unfortunately there is only room for a handful of shops like this because most normal folks will choke on vomit before agreeing to an estimate like this. Thank God for guys like Henry et al who can do the job right without expecting you to have a net worth of $1M or more.

[fintstone]

Darn Henry...I feel like I stole my engine from you now. You did everything listed including the options at the bottom... plus a lot more. I sure could not have done mine for what you charged me. I guess you could call it charity for the Porsche poor. Thank you!

[afterburn 549]

950.00 for exhaust valves ??!!???!!!???

[kenikh]

Originally posted by afterburn 549
950.00 for exhaust valves ??!!???!!!???

Maybe if it's a '69S or if they are titanium...

[afterburn 549]

Hmmm... and assembled in space so to be more light weight and avoid reciprocating gravity.

[Jay Auskin]

Covering your arse is a good idea. But does covering your arse mean tripling the price of rod bearings?

[Henry Schmidt]

Many people in the world of Porsche have discovered that some Porsche people see high prices as a sign of excellence.
There is a 'perception of quality' that comes with high prices.
This post started with a customer wanting to know if we were skipping something because our prices were so much less.

Don't believe me? How did Andial get away with the prices they charged for years. Better service?
Over the years, I've had four mechanics that worked for Andial and non of them showed me anything special.

Another example might be Ferrari. How do they justify their prices. Cost more to build? Innovative engineering ? Low production number ?
Perception of excellence ?

I will agrees that "you get what you pay for", sometimes it's just a "Perception of quality"

[74threeliter]

Henry if i ever need my SC redone, to which i have been contemplating the 3.2ss your the best candidate for the job. I live in SoCal and i can tell you that even the respectable shops here in SoCal not to mention ones that are just several miles away can quote me some chilling sobering numbers where i think to myself, maybe they just don't want to work on my car? Who knows what their true intention may be but perception is what magicians have been making their money on!!! I sometimes dream of opening up my own shop just to be the "ghandi" of porsche shops. With a view of seeing more porsches on the road than ever before. Because of this I try and do as much work on my car myself (complete suspension, tune-ups, etc) and why because of shops like this. Oh well when the time comes (152K+ miles) your phone will ring.

[gigem75]

" Which is now $1.30 to 1.00 E conversion." posted in 2006, my how things change!

[Aurel]

$600 for headstuds, $650 and $950 for valves...you can get them for a lot cheaper. If it is not a competition motor, there is no need to spend so much on them, imho.
$120/h! Is a lawyer rebuilding that motor?!?

Aurel

[Flyer88]

Just think, MM could do it 5 or 6 times for that kind of money. Wasn't this estimate in Excellence a few months back?