Need Advice..Think Mechanic is trying to &*#$ me

[WNYDiscoIIErik]

I did this job myself a few months back. Its a pain in the ass but it is definatly not worth paying someone $600 to do. Getting the new plugs on behind the engine sucks. If you have large hands then youre in for some scratches and bruising. I suggest training a hamster to do that part.

 

[aimeedisco]

Gentlemen,

Thank you for all of your help and comments. I think I am just going to try the job myself & tell my shop sorry not this time fellas. I have done some research and feel with a little help I should be able to replace them with out shelling out the loot.

Thank you,

 

[DenverCurmudgeon]

I don't understand why replacing the wires takes longer than a half hour in the driveway? Is the DII so bizarre?

 

[t77911s]

As stated above, I would definitely pay the extra for Magnecore wires, you don't want to be doing this again anytime soon. I've got approx 90k on mine and doing fine (as far as I can tell!). Just be patient, and take wire at a time, unplug/replug.

Tim

 

[UK 4X4]

Bizare is the word........with secondary air you have to remove a 2ft long stainless tube that crosses above the coil packs.

the coil packs are in the most dificult place imaginable, rear of the engine between the bulhead and the blocks,

even lying on the engine you can only two of the 4 wires in each block

the gap between the engine and bulhead is about two inches and you can just reach the caps with your fingertips......but apply no leverage.

Once you have you hand there...you cant see anything,

There's also the engine wiring loom in the way.

On the 5 F##K rating method this rates a 4...with changing the engine mounts being a three.......

I changed one wire........I'm an engineer....and I'm too embarressed to post how long it took.....

 

[dirty]

Fuck all that. Call WIll Tillery and get the wires for 50.00. Do the job yourself, any idiot can do it.

dwayne dog 'n-bomb droppin' chapman has it right.

 

[superpowerdave]

Do it yourself. I just helped a buddy do his, took about an hour. I do it different though and pull them all, start from scratch. Easier for me that way. Start at the inside bottom coil and work your way up and out. Burn a copy of the coil pack diagram and firing order and have them handy though.

 

[SGaynor]

x2 on what superpowerdave said - pull them all.

Here's how I did mine (with SAI):

http://www.discoweb.org/forums/showthread.php?t=34510&highlight=code+plug+wire+sai

 

[Zebra]

I'm not speaking for all of us but I would guess 80% of us do most the maintnance work ourselves due to the fact you couldnt afford to keep a Rover on the road. Wow did I say that about a vehicle that might hold 1 out of 3 vital fluids. My advice is to spend the money you will save doing it yourself on a good recognized set of wires and replace plugs as well while you are at it. The thought of a good set of wires on worn plugs will only rob you of the feeling of accomplishing this task yourself. Speaking on behalf of the members here you will find enough support here to get you through it.

Good luck Man get greasy and knock some skin off the old knuckles.



George

 

[Rover Puppy]

Jacksonville Land Rover just called me. One of my spark plug wires has gone bad. They want to replace all of them and my warranty does not cover it.

I was quoted $848 to fix it.

$328 for the wires
4 hours labor @ $104 an hour
$104 for the diagnosis

That sounds ridiculous to me. Can that be right??

If I want to just replace the 1 wire instead of all 4, the repair will be $400.



I just used search and found this thread. Per PT, 1.5 hours is Warranty Time on this??

Why in the world do they want to charge me for 4 hours???

I am feeling rather helpless about this at the moment since my truck is 3+ hours away from home.

Any advice?????

 

[KDamericano]

Seems like a bit much, but dealer quotes seldom surprise me anymore. It's really not that difficult of a job. Is there somebody that can help you do it? Also, you could try calling a few independent LR shops in the area and just ask for a quote on replacing all the plug wires.

Also, the "geniuine LR" wires are crazy expensive, and not that great. I'd say go with a set of Magnecores or perhaprs Karlyn. They generaly run about $80-$90 per set, versus $328....

 

[Rover Puppy]

Thanks for your reply.

The Service Manager has not called me back... so, maybe I won't hear until tomorrow?

I'm out in my garage digging and sorting through all the gear I took out of my truck. While I am working, I am day dreaming about telling them to just keep it and mail me a check.

 

[flyfisher11]

Thanks for your reply.

The Service Manager has not called me back... so, maybe I won't hear until tomorrow?

I'm out in my garage digging and sorting through all the gear I took out of my truck. While I am working, I am day dreaming about telling them to just keep it and mail me a check.

Jamie,

With your ability I think you can do this yourself if you try. I have some detailed instructions along with a diagram if you want it I will gladly send it to you. The "book" has you pull the intake to change the wires (that's what the dealers quote is based on), but you can do it without with some effort and uncomfortable contortion-ism.

Cheers,

Mike

 

[Rover Puppy]

Thanks Mike... if it was at home, I might try it.

However, since it is 3 hours away, and won't drive until it's fixed... I don't think that will work. I'd have to pay a flatbed to bring it back & also pay the dealership their $104 diagnosis charge.


I have another question.

Just wondering...

for the past maybe 6 weeks, whenever it gets cold out, my truck does not start like "normal". This only happens when it is cold outside (we are new to cold weather). What happens is that it hesitates as it is cranking up, sometimes I turn the key and it just makes a weird sound. As soon as I turn the key "off", then try to start it again, it will start. Even so, sometimes as it is starting the the starting sound noise continues for a few seconds more than normal after it gets going. It's weird... and of course, it doesn't do that when anyone else is around. Probably as you are, I am very sensitive to engine sounds and I know something is not quite right.

I have figured I am on my way to needing a new starter... but, warranty won't cover it until it totally quits.

Do you think that maybe this weird starting issue could be related to the plug wires going bad?

Also, when they change the spark plug wires, do they change the spark plugs too??

Thanks again.

 

[superpowerdave]

They're probably charging four hours because they want to pull the intake plenum off so they can do it a little easier. Very common. They also get to hit you with a new gasket for the plenum if they do it that way, so it's win win for the dealership.

Another note on these trucks, most of us try and replace anything broken/wearing out with something better than the stock part. HT leads stock are known to suck really bad, especially if you want to run a better spark plug. Anything the dealer puts in will be 6mm HT leads (I'm pretty sure they're 6) so if you jump for nice spark plugs, if that's your thing, you'll only be getting partial benefit from them.

 

[Rover Puppy]

...Another note on these trucks, most of us try and replace anything broken/wearing out with something better than the stock part. HT leads stock are known to suck really bad, especially if you want to run a better spark plug. Anything the dealer puts in will be 6mm HT leads (I'm pretty sure they're 6) so if you jump for nice spark plugs, if that's your thing, you'll only be getting partial benefit from them.

That sounds like good information... but, I didn't understand any of it.

Can you repeat that in easy to understand terminology?

Thanks so much .

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Also, when they change the spark plug wires, do they change the spark plugs too??

No, they probably aren't going to change the plugs for that price. If you want them to, they'll probably charge you full shop rate for that, even though half of the job of changing the plugs (removing the wires) was already done when they changed the wires...

This is how shops make obscene amounts of money. It's like when they charge people extra to rotate your tires when they're doing a brake job. I think the practice should be criminal. :banghead:

I haven't paid a mechanic in 9 years. Except for tires, can't mount my own tires.

Can you repeat that in easy to understand terminology?

The stock wires aren't the best quality. They're probably better than some no-name crap, but not as good as Magnecore's. Since 75% of the cost of the job is labour, it makes sense to use the best parts you can so that you don't have to do it all again next year...

 

[03springer]

Just go to www.apexperformance.net to get the Magnecor wires. Got mine there and they had the best prices I could find.

 

[Rover Puppy]

My truck almost got fixed:

Jacksonville Land Rover is very nice.

The dogs and I left to drive over yesterday morning in a rented Volkswagen Jetta. Nice car, really hugged the interstate, and handled well at high speeds.

We arrived at about 2:30. They were just finishing up my truck and I decided to wait so they could wash it.

Paid $906.00 for my new plugs and we headed home at approximately 4:30.

45 minutes out of Jacksonville, here comes the flashing Check Engine Light and my truck is shaking like crazy. Called the service manager and made it safely to an exit.

VERY LONG story short, tow truck driver arrives to our location at apprx 7pm, Enterprise Rent A Car never showed up. (this guy deserves a medal... his boss was pissed that he stayed with us so long waiting for the rental car people... I didn't even have to ask him to... I just told him that I did not feel comfortable giving up our "shelter" in the even that the rental people never showed up... which turned out be the case) After waiting several hours, tow truck driver loads my truck on the flatbed, puts Flash in the huge cab back seat, and Angel sits between us. Land Rover Roadside Assistance said there was nothing they could do for us... that we had to wait until the morning when the dealership opened again. By that time, I was so tired that I would have slept in my truck all night at the dealership. 9pm Enterprise finally calls when we were almost back to Jacksonville. Truck driver thinks they are idiots. We meet them at a truck stop. We transfer my electronics and the dogs to this miniature Land Rover Discovery 2. Dogs and I depart for Tallahassee. Truck driver continues to JAX with my truck. Who knows were the rental car people went? Dogs & I arrive home exhausted in the early AM.

I was so tired I turned off my phones when we went to sleep at 3am. Talked to the dealership this morning. One of the spark plug wires came loose and fried itself on the manifold (whatever that is). They don't know if it was a defective wire or if it just came lose because it melted.

They will fix it Monday and BRING IT HOME to me and drive their little Discovery back to the dealership... that way it will have an extended highway trip to test it out... without me having to do it.

The good part of this story is that yesterday... during all of that... Flash showed himself to be growing into the "work dog" that Blue was. I guess only those of you who knew my precious Blue and met him would understand that... but, for me, yesterday, it meant alot. Flash is just over a year old and he showed himself as a grown up dog staying responsible during all our changes and "side trips" yesterday. It was quite heartwarming. You should have seen the way he stood in the back of that truck drivers cab with his feet planted firmly on the huge center console, scoping out the road and what was going on. All of the transitions, 4 different vehicles, 18 hours, didn't phase him a bit. That was cool. The way he was acting, I felt like Blue was present.

So here is the ironic part... which is so ridiculous that it is not even funny. If necessary, during a disaster response, I could live out of my truck for months. Rapid Response 24/7. I break down and guess what is in mu truck? Nothing. Not even that cute little Land Rover green fleece blanket. No dog food. Nothing. How's that for a case of "what you are prepared for never happens"?

 

[ArmyRover]

That sucks brother I hope they get you and your truck squared away.