Sht like that makes me very happy that I go to a trustworthy local euro shop who hook me up for cheap because they know I'll be back for other BS like the last 20 years. Know me by name SRS

Absolute robbery lol. Can probably swap all 6 spark plugs in my BMW (I-6 not V6 obviously) in 20 mins start to end, and most of that time is spent taking off plastic trim.

Literally only need an alan key, a 10ml socket, and a laser socket (BMWs are a PITA in that a normal socket generally isn't long enough to pull the spark plugs). Probably $30 in tools. Realistically, even if i had to buy the tools i could do the spark plugs for $60 in parts, $30 in tools and half an hour of my time.

I think what most people are missing in this thread with the 'well akshually you have to remove the airbox in a v8 etc' is that the vast majority of NPCs do not in fact, drive v8's lol.

Shop rates are generally the same. If you can't afford the book rate go to a shade tree mechanic with no warranty and see how well that works out for you.

While i would agree with this if you were talking about an engine rebuild, or transmission work, or diff work or something, the thread is about fukin spark plugs bro lmao.

This^

You aren't even required to get down under the vehicle. Just pop the hood and work on it while you stand. You could actually do the job while parked at AutoZone if you wanted.

damn just taught my neighbors how to change spark plugs yesterday lol

Have you worked on a lot of motors?

To list a few things:

-many v-shaped motors - including v6s that are very common in basic commuter cars - have cross-over style inlet plenums to maximise runner length for torque, but in the process have large twin throttle body setups that need to be dismantled to access the rockers and spark plugs

-very few cars nowadays are running a distributor setup, most are coil on plug driven from the main engine harness or a sub-harness. With the new style iridium plugs the service interval might be 100,000kms. If the coil packs are on a sub-harness I would always assume that 100,000kms of engine heat has cooked the connectors to the point they are brittle and fall apart, and toss the sub harness or otherwise factor in soldering in new connectors.

-not even gonna start on changing the plugs in a boxer engine

-all the above is assuming overhead valve trains

none of that justifies a greater than $60/hr labor rate, however so the threads point still remains.

$500/hr is more than contract engineering consultant work....or any other occupation I can think of outside of running a business.

I mean i'm a DIY mechanic and not an expert by any stretch of the imagination and certainly can't do everything on my car and probably know less than you (i've only really worked on my own cars), but i've done a fair bit of work on my own cars over the years (brakes, wheels, services, throttle body, rocker cover, diff seals, diff fluid, trans fluid and filter, wheel bearings etc...), but i also live in the UK where v6 motors are less common i imagine, at least in petrol. Plenty of v6 diesels, but glow plugs are a whole different thing.

I've never really had any of these issues, but to be honest i haven't really owned cheap cars like fords etc. Mostly BMWs, Mercedes, lotuses etc. Never had any issues removing the coils in these cars to access the spark plugs, although removing the plugs can be a bit of an issue if they are quite embedded, although my current car is an I-6 and the access is pretty easy. I change mine every 45k or so, unless there's an issue that requires changing them earlier.

I appreciate what you're saying, and i suspect the average 'commuter car' in USA is very different from the average 4 cylinder euro chitbox where the plugs are easier to change and your concerns are probably more relevant, but i still don't think removing airboxes or throttle bodies justifies a $500 an hour labour bill to swap spark plugs, and OP has repeatedly claimed he was talking specifically about a 4 cylinder Hyundai, which i imagine has extremely easy plug access. Regardless of how difficult it is, or how long it takes, i don't really see how $500 an hour can be justified to change something like plugs.

To be clear as well, i'm not mocking people for not working on their own cars even for something as simple as plugs, it's not for everyone, i'm more laughing at the justification of a $500 an hour labour bill for relatively routine service work.

Lmao!

Good luck finding a shop for less than $100/hr.

Labor Costs: For the sixth consecutive year, Vermont had the lowest average labor cost ($127.15) for check engine-light related repairs. This is not surprising since the most common reason for the check engine light on Vermont vehicles is an affordable fix to tighten or replace a loose or missing gas cap, which reflects on the average repair cost. For the fourth year in a row, drivers in Mississippi paid the most on average for labor ($151.67), where the most common repair was to replace ignition coils and spark plugs.

Yes, it will not happen. Still not justified imo.

And to think - I only paid $19.99 for my OBD2 scanner 7 years ago..... Nothing feels more HNNNNNNNGGGGG than plugging that thing in when there's a check engine light.

THIS^

The point of my thread is: NO, your $100k wagie job does NOT mean you can afford to pay a shop to swap the plugs on your inline-4. You need to be earning almost a million dollars a year after tax in order to justify the labor cost a HYUNDAI dealer is charging to do it.

These tradie jobs are going to be the highest paid people on the planet as idiocracy continues to devolve.

I'm not a tradie and time is money, cuck