Subaru Forester 2017 - Hit my 60,000 miles. They quoted me about $1000 bucks for the full maintenance. Break down:
- Synthetic Oil Change ($10 labor, $67 parts)
- Tire rotation ($25 labor)
- Brake flush ($95 labor, $61 parts)
- Spark plugs (x4), cabin filter, air filter ($480 labor) Parts:
- $40 air filter
- $71 cabin filter
- $134.32 IRIDIUM PLUGs (x4)
All added up with tax comes out to almost exactly $1000.
I’m sick of paying so much, I want to learn to do this myself. I am not a very handy person but I am a good learner and hard worker.
Of the above. Which ones are reasonable for me to do myself? Which ones should I just let them do? Which ones are probably an over-caution which can be put off?
Thanks!
Check out rock auto for your spark plugs, even after shipping I saved about $20 on a set of 4 iridium ones. Most parts are alot cheaper than the part stores and as long as you know what you want and can wait up to a week, you’ll save yourself some money.
I’ve been using the cheap Pittsburgh torque wrenches, I have the 1/2" and 1/4" drive and they do the trick. If I was doing an engine rebuild I’d go for something better but they get the job done and they’re a good price.
You could probably do everything by yourself. Probably the most challenging would be the brake fluid flush.
You can do 1,2,4,5 and 6. Go to YouTube and type in your car for each of these jobs. And you’ll get all of the knowledge you need. You’re welcome
I’ve used YouTube to teach myself how to do many different repairs saving thousands. With some consulting with friends when I first started I’ve been successful with every attempt except one (damn spider gears!).
Besides the financial benefits there’s the satisfaction from accomplishment, gaining a new interest, and buying new tools(toys). Another great perk is my wife finds it hot for me to get dirty and sweaty working on her car.
You can do all of this yourself, easily.
Just PLEASE get a torque wrench (or a pair for various ranges) so you don’t cause yourself more headaches.
Check out ChrisFix on YouTube. Excellent instructional videos on how to do all this and more.
Synthetic Oil Change ($10 labor, $67 parts) - Easy task not sure if subi’s require the oil to be pumped out vs having a drain plug but the hardest part will always be getting the old oil filter off or out.
Tire rotation ($25 labor) - Easy just a pain to do without a lift and also depends on the tires you currently have as some tires are directional and actually matter which side they are on.
Spark plugs are pretty easy to do I would just recommend getting the Hayes or Chilton book for your car to find the proper way to remove all the beauty crap they put on top of modern car engines to get to the plugs not cheap if it breaks. I would also recommend google to make sure it isn’t a common issue for the plugs to seize on the motor where they may break on removal I’ve had it happen a few times on my Audi and my Excursion so it may be easier and cheaper to have done by a mechanic it beats having it towed and paying the dummy fee’s for plug extraction possible tap and a tow.
Air filters are Easy both engine and cabin and are pretty cheap. Cabin is behind the glove box I think in your car.
Brakes I would honestly pay someone to flush it but I hate doing brake work but it’s pretty simple on most car’s never did one on a subi.
Not a Mechanic but haven’t sent my car’s or trucks for normal maintenance in around 2 decades.
The price is outrageous, and yes, all can be done fairly easily. The only thing I suggest having them do is your brakes. If you haven’t done it before, they can seem solid until you release an air pocket that you missed…and suddenly, you have no brakes.
Do your own brake flush for about the same cost but you’ll save on the next one after you own the tools, all of #4 can be done yourself for around $200 total at most probably. Oil change is cheap but you can save on the labor cost. Tire rotation is quick and easy, but if they’re going to do any sort of alignment just take it in
Let the dealer do your spark plugs, and brake flush. Proper gap is important, and flushing out the system can be problematic if you don’t know what you’re doing. Cabin air filter, typically behind glove box, engine air filter, in the engine compartment. A rotation consists of putting your front tires in the rear and vice versa, simple but tasking. Oil changes are easy, Subarus typically have 10,000 bolts and clips to remove though (exaggeration). Make sure you get the proper oil viscosity, fill amount, and oil filter, which can be found on amsoil.com