at the under plenum crossroads, advice needed

[masshead87]

OK, can't put this off any longer. I need the under plenum job, as well as valve cover gaskets, rear lower control arms, and at the very least one new brake rotor.

Cant do it myself, not only due to lack of suitable space for such a job but also my experience is just not up to par. I live in Worcester county MA where most of the G50's succumbed to rust and neglect years ago and I've had three different shops tell me they didn't want to risk touching the engine at all. The one tech who is willing to do the work wants a 25% fee in addition to the cost of the plenum kit from IOS in order to warranty his work, amounting to $1156.30 plus shipping. That's not too bad of a gouge in my opinion but that doesn't begin to get into labor costs, never mind the other stuff.

Car just hit 100k two weeks ago. Still looks beautiful overall. It was a blast to drive until KS bank 1 popped at around 94K and while it still has plenty of get up and go for my driving habits, the rear alignment is getting to be a bummer and it does stink of burnt oil (outside) after more than an hour at highway speeds. Since the plenum has to come off anyway to get the gaskets done right, I know its smarter to have the whole kit and kaboodle done in one shot. I'm not the type of car owner to just let his ride self destruct over time, but my cut off when it comes to repairs is ~70% of book value, and from the sounds of things this procedure will be just about getting there.

Advice appreciated, no matter how snarky. I'm sick of dragging my heels on it and need to know the most intelligent course of action to take at this juncture.

[qship96]

plenum DOES NOT have to come off to reseal valve covers. are there any coolant leaks from rotton plenum hoses? If not, maybe consider just doing the valve cover gaskets now? If you are OK with the present power level,probably not worth doing the plenum if there are no leaky hoses. Valve cover reseal should run about 5-7 hours labor, minimal cost for gasket set, certainly replace spark plugs while doing gaskets as there should be zero extra labor charges to do so.

[Infinitiguy19]

Give me say 2 weeks and I will come up there and help you. But you need to have a place to work for about a day. But ~$250 to do the plenum job alone? Does he know what he is getting into?

[maxnix]

Best bet would be to take your car to

Keith Vanmeter Auto Repair
(856) 415-2022
395 Wenonah Ave
Mantua, NJ 08051

[masshead87]

plenum DOES NOT have to come off to reseal valve covers. are there any coolant leaks from rotton plenum hoses? If not, maybe consider just doing the valve cover gaskets now? If you are OK with the present power level,probably not worth doing the plenum if there are no leaky hoses. Valve cover reseal should run about 5-7 hours labor, minimal cost for gasket set, certainly replace spark plugs while doing gaskets as there should be zero extra labor charges to do so.

Yes, theres coolant loss so I gotta get it all done. But thanks for reminding me re: plugs, I'll add that to the shopping list.

Give me say 2 weeks and I will come up there and help you. But you need to have a place to work for about a day. But ~$250 to do the plenum job alone? Does he know what he is getting into?

PM'd you. If I can work a space out, that'd be awesome. Just know that you're dealing with someone who is just a few hairs about novice at car repairs. But what I meant was he wanted the 25% markup on the kit in addition to labor.

Best bet would be to take your car to

Keith Vanmeter Auto Repair
(856) 415-2022
395 Wenonah Ave
Mantua, NJ 08051

5 and a half hour drive, unless the guy's got a bed for me to sleep on and/or he is way way cheap on labor I'll need some more persuading. I fear that that long of a jaunt may hurt the car even worse.

[Infinitiguy19]

Give me say 2 weeks and I will come up there and help you. But you need to have a place to work for about a day. But ~$250 to do the plenum job alone? Does he know what he is getting into?

PM'd you. If I can work a space out, that'd be awesome. Just know that you're dealing with someone who is just a few hairs about novice at car repairs. But what I meant was he wanted the 25% markup on the kit in addition to labor.

I know many mechanics don't like owners to bring them parts because they loose money. But ask him if you can buy the parts yourself and have him install them.

I will be honest in that I have never actually put together the plenum but if your hoses don't break as they come off then we good. Just make sure that the garage is heated. If you get the parts I will do it for the cost of fuel and a pizza if you can help me out in what ever way you can.