Indy price for rear differential seal

[ZHPESQ]

How much should I pay my Indy for replacing rear diff seal?

He quoted me $300 but I thought that was a little high.

Thoughts?

[LivesNearCostco]

Do you know how many hours and what the hourly rate is? That could be 3 hours at $100 or 2.5 hours at $120. Dealer probably charge you 3 hours at $150, or $450.

I think my previous indie did it for $180 a few years ago but honestly at the time I thought he was giving me a price break. Having recently removed and reinstalled the diff, I can appreciate the job takes some work. Using a lift, I think I could do it in 4 hours (not counting RTV cure time) and an experienced mechanic who has done it a few times before could do it in 2. IIRC here are the steps required:


Drain diff (make sure can remove fill plug first)
Drop or lower exhaust
Remove rear swaybar or at least detach brackets
Remove rear diff bolt and remove diff cover
Clean off old gasket and sealing surfaces of diff and cover.
Apply proper RTV (not sure which one is best) and bolt on cover.
Replace rear diff bolt, reattach rear swaybar
Reinstall or raise upexhaust.
Let RTV cure
Refill diff


Edit: added step to refill diff. I suspect you can refill the diff right after you've reinstalled the exhaust and swaybar, the question is how long should you wait before driving the car, which will heat up the diff. Check the cure times on whatever RTV you're using.

[TheFinanceGuy]

How much should I pay my Indy for replacing rear diff seal?

He quoted me $300 but I thought that was a little high.

Thoughts?

Wheres the shop? I see you are in MA. I've always found my indie to be honest and fair with pricing.