Find a different place, I think whatever software they are using to determine pricing is somehow borked up. Also, I am not super happy with their work. The Subaru dealership is much cheaper if you have a Subaru.
First time I brought in my car, I was having vibrations and wobbles in the front end of my car. It was definitely suspension related, so I brought it in to have a mechanic test drive and inspect the suspension. I work in the same park so it was convenient and I got a 10% discount, I usually try to avoid stealerships when possible and either do work myself or get a smaller independent shop to do the work. I was told there was nothing wrong and paid the $35 diagnostic fee. Issue wasn't fixed, and now my $900 set of tires were now ruined due to uneven wear. So I brought it back to find out there was something wrong. Both lower control arm bushings were completely worn. How the heck did they miss that the first time I brought it in? Needless to say I was very annoyed but paid over $600 for them to be changed. I come to find out Subaru would have done them for $400. I told the Subaru service manager that I had considered replacing the entire control lower control arm by paying $600. He said that would have been a better deal and that the labor to do the bushings is the exact same as replacing the control arm. They have to remove the lower control arm to remove the bushings and reinstall them. The OEM control arm comes with lower ball joint and bushings already installed therefore the labor time should be close to the exact same (2.5 hours). At a rate of $100 an hour that should be $200ish on top of the $600 for parts total of $800. Instead I was quoted over $1100 for that job. I was livid to find this out from Subaru and felt totally ripped off. As they would have replaced the entire lower control arm assembly for about $200 less.
I decided this morning due to scheduling issues with Subaru to see if they could do my Spark plugs and a PCV valve while they were working on the engine. I did the spark plugs myself last time, but I was pressed for time and didn't have the tools so I wanted them done by the shop. I was quoted over $486 for 4 spark plugs and a PCV valve + install. Their software told them 2.5 hours for the plugs and 35 minutes for the PCV valve (parts and labor).
That is insane... First off, the PCV valve, if being done at the same time as the spark plugs is not an additional half hour of labor... it's right on top of the crankcase super easy takes less than 5 minutes to replace unless it takes them 20 minutes to find the right size socket and change out the spark plug socket on the same ratchet they are using for the spark plugs. I've done it myself for less than $20 on this exact car. The Subaru does use a boxer engine, so the spark plugs are a little trickier to get to than say a honda civic, but the new '14+ forester have the spark plugs easily accessible with the proper extension right on the sides of the engine. The spark plugs are iridium which is more expensive but the dealer charges $85 for 4 new ones, the PCV valve is roughly $15 (Give or take a little). I see very little reason why I would be charged as though it's a whole new job rather than doing it while doing the plugs. Most shops wouldn't charge for the labor on such a thing. I left immmediately and went to Subaru right next door. You know what it cost to change 4 spark plugs and a PCV valve WITH parts and labor? $300... which is right on the dot of what I thought it would cost. They only charged me for the PCV valve and not the labor to install it. They simply did it while they changed the plugs which I payed for. They estimated it takes 1.5 hour of labor not 3 hours as Zaks seemed to charge (2.5 for plugs and 35 for PCV valve). It can be done by either removing the battery and air filter to get to the coil packs for each cylinder, takes 15 minutes, or if you have the right extensions and smaller hands it can be done without removing any of those components.
I really honestly don't know how they come up with these prices for such services. It seems that they estimate jobs take them a lot longer than it should take any reasonable mechanic with the proper tools to do.
Heck, I should have listened to my first experience with them and not given a second change. Even in the first experience after they fixed my lower control arms I was informed of a exhaust manifold leak which they discovered while inspecting my car. It turned out not to be the manifiold, but instead my catalytic converter was leaking behind the shield. Rather than spend any time looking up whether I had any options to get it fixed cheaper or if there were other options to check I was told it's roughly an $1800 job. Again, I went over to Subaru and It was done 100% free by Subaru because catalytic converters on PZE cars are warrantied to 150k miles, which they were suprised that Zak's Auto was not aware of or didn't mention it. read more