Let's see:

Check gap - 1min
Pull old plug - 5 min
Install new plug - 4 min

Total 10 min/plug avg. X 8 plugs = 80 min. Labor rate in my parts $50-70/hr,
so $60 bucks for labor sounds reasonable to me.

I doubt you will be able to do the job yourself in under an hour on an I6
let alone the V8 if you haven't done it in 40 years. And that is without
losing 20 minutes trying to find the damn spark plug wrench that should be
right there in the tool box that your neighbor "borrowed" 2 years ago,
dropping any wrenches or plugs into god-awful places where the sun never
shines such as skid pans or those "metal sleeves" you mention, no beer/butt
breaks, no time lost trying to locate the aft plugs or removing shrouds and
chunks of engine that don't even look familiar because they weren't around
40 years ago, and no breaks to stop for bleeding/first aid. I can't even
change a fuse any more without 2 days of back pain!
--
Dana
Port Kent, NY

2002 Saturn LW300
93 Jeep YJ
90 Jeep XJ Ltd.
---------------
95 Grand Cherokee Ltd.
91 Grand Wagoneer Ltd.
82 Cherokee 4dr
76 Cherokee 2dr

"Dick" <LeadWinger> wrote in message
...
> It has probably been 40 years since I have changed plugs on one of my
> vehicles. Primarily because when I was working I never kept a car
> long enough for it to need new plugs. My '93 JGC V-8 has 90,000
> miles, and it is time for new ones. I thought I would just do it
> myself so I bought a set of plugs. Then I had second thoughts and
> checked with a couple of independent shops, and they both wanted $60
> just for the labor! The Jeep dealer wanted even more! Am I missing
> something here?
>
> I know on my '67 GTO you had to put it on a hoist, remove the front
> wheels, and go in through the wheel wells. The JGC looks pretty easy.
> Maybe the air cleaner tube needs to come off, but other than that, I
> can't see why it would cost $60 to remove and install 8 spark plugs.
>
> I see that there are little metal sleeves around each plug, and the
> plastic cap has a ridge that kind of covers the sleeve. Is it OK to
> pull on the ridge to remove the plug wires? Or do you need a special
> puller? Can you just leave the metal sleeve in place and take the
> plug out through it? Thanks.
>
> Dick