Yeah. If anyone has one handy, can you tell me what in God's name is supposed to take 3.8 hours (book) to change the spark plugs?

For the price I've been quoted, I'd love to do it myself. Oh, and how many plugs do I need, anyway? Seems that since it's not a HEMI, 6 would do (one per cylinder), or is my VQ one of those pesky engines that takes 2 plugs/cylinder?

Thanks.

-Rob

Some of these modern vehicles require removing the intake manifold or upper plenum to get to the plugs. And then some cars have individual coil packs for every plug, With at least one to up to four bolts securing it to the valve cover or wherever.

I know it sucks, But as a technician myself, I here these complaints all the time. All I can tell the cust is " I didn't design it, I didn't build it, I didn't sell it to you And I didn't drive it or break it, Now would you like me to fix it".

I know labor times can get up there with modern vehicles. Sorry you're facing this bill, But on the plus side, modern platinum plugs can get up to 100,000 miles out of them. Thats a whole lot better than cars 30yrs ago that had to have a tune up every 15,000 to 25,000 miles and couldn't dream of touching the fuel milage we get nowadays.

Oh, I understand, and I'm not irritated with the shop if it's really going to take 3.8 hours to do it.

Also, I just hit 105K miles, which is the recommended service. I was going to let them ride to 120K.

The reason I ask about the # of plugs was because they guestimated $150 for parts. Even with my Denso iridium plugs, that breaks down to about 11 plugs (based on what I can get them for online). So, do I need 12, or does my dealer pay 2x wholesale for them?

You should only have six plugs if it is a v6, One of the dual spark plug engines for example is, My neighbors ford ranger with a 2.5L four cylinder takes 8 spark plugs but realy only runs on the four main spark plugs, The other four are fired on the off stoke to burn as much of the excess fuel off as possible. I had one boss once that i bet I could unplug the secondary coil pack and the vehcle would still run the same, He wasn't very happy when I proved him wrong.

On the plug pricing, You have to remember shops make money off parts and labor. Many of the shops I have worked in only receive a discount of about 10 To 20 Percent off of what you would pay and in return get to mark those parts up to 2 to 2.5 times what they pay for them. If you had a shop that let you buy your own parts and just charge you labor, That would be great and probably the cheapest repair you could get.

One other note on the parts price is that if, and with a time of 3.8 hours i'm pretty sure the upper intake or plenum has to come off. I myself would want to put new gaskets or if it takes a rubber seal on it instead of smearing a bunch of silicone and hoping it seals up, You don't want a vacuum leak after changing the plugs, So they may have priced in new gaskets for the intake.

Thanks, Stroker. I really appreciate the input.

I have at least two shops around here that don't mind installing my parts. I'll just shop around for the best price on the job and take into consideration what you suggest re: replacing the gasket/seal.

I just did mine on our 05 Altima. I had to remove the upper intake plenum to get to the rear three plugs. But, to remove the plenum, I had to also remove the windshield wipers and the cowling around the wipers and behind the plenum.

It's a big PITA just for plugs.

you can usually google them and get the manual online

Fly me and my Fiance up there, provide the parts, provide the fresh seafood (I really LIKE lobster) and I will do it for you!

Check on your local libraries website. Many have the shop manuals online.

That's exactly why I have a computer in the garage.