Cost to change spark plugs in a 2001 GT

I don't know if anyone recalls this, but I complained about an intermittent
throttle/timing issue a few months back. Last week, the "intermittent" problem
became "all the damn time." I'd start her up, and she'd die. I'd get her to
run for a bit, but I'd get to a stop sign, and she'd die. Turns out I just
needed the throttle body cleaned (or so the mechanic said, but it kinda sorta
makes sense to my non-wrench turning mind).

Anyway, my 2001 GT has 86.7K miles, and the mechanic wanted to change the
plugs, and I said go ahead. I'm surprised they lasted that long. Anyway, I
didn't pay attention to the bill when I was checking out, but when I got home I
saw a dollar figure next to the plugs and the labor for the plugs and thought
"no freakin' way." So my big question here is this:

What is a reasonable price for a mechanic to replace the spark plugs in a 2001
GT?

I googled the group before posting but didn't see an answer.

Next part. I had the serpentine belt replaced last September by a Ford dealer
in Tuscaloosa when it started to come apart on a trip. I just had it replaced
again because it was showing unusual wear in one spot. The belt looked brand
new except for a six-inch long strip (about 1/16 inch wide) that came out of
the side of the belt. This brings me to my second question:

What might cause that?

I told the mechanic about the September replacement and asked him to inspect
the belt path, but he said it looked okay and everything appeared to be in
alignment.



- Max -
=======
My vision would turn your world upside down,
tear asunder your allusions and send the
sanctuary of your own ignorance crashing
down around you. - Huey Freeman

"Max C. Webster III" > wrote:


> I don't know if anyone recalls this, but I complained about an intermittent
> throttle/timing


Ugh, make that a throttle/idling issue. Ged knows why I typed "timing."

"Max C. Webster III" > wrote:

> I don't know if anyone recalls this, but I complained about an
> intermittent throttle/timing issue a few months back. Last week, the
> "intermittent" problem became "all the damn time." I'd start her up,
> and she'd die. I'd get her to run for a bit, but I'd get to a stop
> sign, and she'd die. Turns out I just needed the throttle body
> cleaned (or so the mechanic said, but it kinda sorta makes sense to my
> non-wrench turning mind).
>

Great googly-moogly, Max!

The sister group to this site is: alt.autos.ford
reading on there, a little, would have had you telling the Mechanic what
was wrong.



> Anyway, my 2001 GT has 86.7K miles, and the mechanic wanted to change
> the plugs, and I said go ahead. I'm surprised they lasted that long.
> Anyway, I didn't pay attention to the bill when I was checking out,
> but when I got home I saw a dollar figure next to the plugs and the
> labor for the plugs and thought "no freakin' way." So my big question
> here is this:
>
> What is a reasonable price for a mechanic to replace the spark plugs
> in a 2001 GT?
>

Three times what you'd think it should be.

> I googled the group before posting but didn't see an answer.
>
> Next part. I had the serpentine belt replaced last September by a
> Ford dealer in Tuscaloosa when it started to come apart on a trip. I
> just had it replaced again because it was showing unusual wear in one
> spot. The belt looked brand new except for a six-inch long strip
> (about 1/16 inch wide) that came out of the side of the belt. This
> brings me to my second question:
>
> What might cause that?
>
> I told the mechanic about the September replacement and asked him to
> inspect the belt path, but he said it looked okay and everything
> appeared to be in alignment.
>

Either a faulty mfg'd belt... or poor installation procedure - forcing
belt on.

--
Yeh, I'm a Krusty old Geezer, putting up with my 'smartass' is the price
you pay..DEAL with it!

"Backyard Mechanic" > done said:

> "Max C. Webster III" > wrote:
>
>> I don't know if anyone recalls this, but I complained about an
>> intermittent throttle/timing issue a few months back. Last week, the
>> "intermittent" problem became "all the damn time." I'd start her up,
>> and she'd die. I'd get her to run for a bit, but I'd get to a stop
>> sign, and she'd die. Turns out I just needed the throttle body
>> cleaned (or so the mechanic said, but it kinda sorta makes sense to my
>> non-wrench turning mind).
>
> Great googly-moogly, Max!
>
> The sister group to this site is: alt.autos.ford
> reading on there, a little, would have had you telling the Mechanic what
> was wrong.


When I did describe the issue, he knew exactly what the problem was, and a
little googling at AAF seems to confirm that.

One has to remember, BM, that I'm a bean counter/systems analyst, not a wrench
turner. I may be able to conceptualize the problem with a car, but I
frequently don't know the correct words for the problem or exactly how the
problem exists. I just knew I had a throttle/idle issue and suspected it just
need an adjustment. It didn't occur to me that it might be sludge gumming up
the works.

When the problem first started, it was only an issue at starting. Once the car
was started, the problem went away.


>> What is a reasonable price for a mechanic to replace the spark plugs
>> in a 2001 GT?
>
> Three times what you'd think it should be.


Hmmm, is there some special issue with replacing spark plugs in the 2001 GT?

If I'm reading the handwritten invoice correctly (and they didn't put things on
the wrong line), then a set up eight plugs was $98 ($12.25/plug) and labor was
$70 (two hours). That seems excessive to me, but may be accurate.



- Max -
=======
My vision would turn your world upside down,
tear asunder your allusions and send the
sanctuary of your own ignorance crashing
down around you. - Huey Freeman

Max C. Webster III wrote:
> Hmmm, is there some special issue with replacing spark plugs in the 2001 GT?
> If I'm reading the handwritten invoice correctly (and they didn't put things on
> the wrong line), then a set up eight plugs was $98 ($12.25/plug) and labor was
> $70 (two hours). That seems excessive to me, but may be accurate.
> - Max -

The plugs are about what a dealership will charge, maybe just a tad
more. But the labor was $70 for two hours? So if my public education
doesn't fail me now....lessee here.....
$35 an hour??!! You got by CHEAP!

If it's anything like the Grand Marquis I used to own, two hours would
be rather quick. The problem on that car was that the two rear
passenger side plugs had little to no clearance between the firewall
and all the other junk they put on that side of the engine(A/C hoses,
heater core hoses, etc). I always did it myself, but it wasn't
uncommon for me to take a long time to get those last two changed. I
bought several wrenches in an attempt to make the job easier, but it
didn't make much of a difference. There were problems getting to them
from both the top and the bottom of the engine. I wondered if the
dealer removed the engine to change the plugs on that car...

The other factor may be the design of the plugs themselves. I've seen
some that were unusual with multiple gaps that cost a bit more, but
lasted a bit longer than the standard plugs.

drsmith wrote:
> The other factor may be the design of the plugs themselves. I've seen
> some that were unusual with multiple gaps that cost a bit more, but
> lasted a bit longer than the standard plugs.

If done at a Ford dealer probably not a multiple gap, but possibly a
double platinum.
That, too, could explain the cost.