Toyobaru Spark Plug Replacement Cost

"Long Live the Longdoor" (victoryred08)
11/04/2013 at 15:22 • Filed to: Toyobaru, BRZ Spark Plugs

Being the researching (see obsessed) car guy I am, I was thinking a while back about how you'd replace the spark plugs in a BRZ/FR-S given its engine configuration and the size of the vehicle. I decided to follow up with my local Subie and Scion dealerships and the cost to replace the plugs is: $550-600 (CAD)

Keep in mind that this is right from the dealer, and will take 4 hours of work as the process is quite involved (apparently the engine needs to be lifted or specially trained "little people" need to do all the work).

DISCUSSION (26)

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Long Live the Longdoor
11/04/2013 at 15:25

The v8 Monza hath returnith! All hail the king!

HammerheadFistpunch > Long Live the Longdoor
11/04/2013 at 15:26

meh, I did the plugs on an ej255, It can't be much harder than that, plus, whats the service interval? 60k? 100k?

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Long Live the Longdoor
11/04/2013 at 15:26

Well, that's a shocker. Your joking about the little people part... right? I can't quite tell through the internet, lol.

PelicanHazard > Long Live the Longdoor
11/04/2013 at 15:27

As much as I like some Subarus, I can't get behind the boxer engines for this reason. A job as simple as spark plugs, I'd like to do it myself.

Party-vi > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
11/04/2013 at 15:27

Ah but it is still the year of our lord the LT1 4th gen Camaro

Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif > Long Live the Longdoor
11/04/2013 at 15:27

The engine bay is that cramped? For once you are probably happy there isn't a turbo in there to get in the way.

Long Live the Longdoor > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
11/04/2013 at 15:29

Yes it was a joke, though, not that I'd discriminate against "little people" and their usefulness as service technicians.

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > Long Live the Longdoor
11/04/2013 at 15:29

It is bad enough on an AWD subaru, with the engine in front of the front suspension.

On an FT86 car, it may actually be worse, if the clearance is less, considering the engine being lower and further back, and directly between the front suspension pieces.

So, I can believe that the engine might need to be loosened from it's mounts, and jacked up a bit, to get even tight access to change the plugs.

But everything else except plugs, in terms of usual maintenance or normal repairs, are all on the top, front, and underneath the engine... much easier access than most transverse drivetrain vehicles especially... except reaching those plugs.

But usually they use 100,000 mile iridium plugs anymore, though... I wouldn't think an FT86 would need new plugs yet.

Cixelsyd > Long Live the Longdoor
11/04/2013 at 15:29

At least it only needs to be done pretty infrequently. Service interval on them is 60k miles.

Long Live the Longdoor > HammerheadFistpunch
11/04/2013 at 15:30

Scion said it's every 98k kms.

Long Live the Longdoor > PelicanHazard
11/04/2013 at 15:32

Hence my reasoning to find out what it would cost. I too change my own plugs, so the extra ~$450 expense every 5 years is certainly something to keep in mind.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Long Live the Longdoor
11/04/2013 at 15:35

Haha, nothing I see about little people in response to that can be politically correct, so I won't.

Speaking of little people though, I went to a bar when I visited a friend in Phoenix and about half the staff of waitresses and a couple of bartenders were all little people. There was a special lowered bar in one section of the place.

Doge_Supreme drives a BRZ > Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif
11/04/2013 at 15:41

The engine bay is actually pretty open. its just the placement of the engine far back and between the front wheel wells that make it a pain because with DOHC boxers the plugs are directly on the sides. The SOHCs are easier because they put them at an angle.

Decay buys too many beaters > PelicanHazard
11/04/2013 at 15:41

Its one of the trade offs for boxer engines. Almost everything else is really easy to do. For instance, I can swap out headers in 40 minutes on my 86. That includes the time required to jack up the car. The engine s also pretty easy to raise.

Besides plugs are a 60K maintenance item (although it would be nice to be able to check them from time to time)

JustWaitingForAMate > Long Live the Longdoor
11/04/2013 at 15:45

Kinja'd!!!

Oompa Loompa, do-ba-dee-doo,
We're going to fix your Scion for you.

Oompa Loompa, do-ba-dee-dee,
It's going to cost around five-fifty.

What do you get when your spark plugs are clogged?

A tiny Jap car that runs like a dog.

Why do you even drive a car like that?

It has as much appeal as an oil slicked rat.

I don't like the look of it.

Oompa Loompa do-ba-dee-da

The V6 Ford Mustang is a much better car.

You will live in happiness too,
Like all Ford drivers do-ba-dee-doo.
Do-ba-dee-doo.

*Note.

I do actually like the 86, but I had to play on the Mustang rivalry.

Long Live the Longdoor > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
11/04/2013 at 15:47

Interesting, I'd be compelled to order from said little bar if anything just for the ackwardness of ordering a beer from someone who stares at me waist height :S

Chairman Kaga > Long Live the Longdoor
11/04/2013 at 15:48

I changed the plugs on my Saabaru one time. I got hurt.

Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif > Doge_Supreme drives a BRZ
11/04/2013 at 15:53

Ya the Boxer motor is a pain to get at in any car.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Long Live the Longdoor
11/04/2013 at 15:56

lol, my friend and I sat on the little stools at that bar and had like 3 or 4 drinks each while we gabbed with the bartender and waitresses.

Long Live the Longdoor > JustWaitingForAMate
11/04/2013 at 16:00

Yup, I just broke down laughing. You win. Good day sir.

Long Live the Longdoor > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
11/04/2013 at 16:06

Can't say I would have done any differently. Well met.

JustWaitingForAMate > Long Live the Longdoor
11/04/2013 at 16:09

It was the little people comment. Soon as I saw that I had an image of Oompa Loompas dancing around a Scion signing, I had to act.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > PelicanHazard
11/04/2013 at 16:14

It's doable yourself. It just takes 3-4 hours instead of 10 minutes like my old Jeep I6 did.

First you need to take everything off the fenders. Airbox, battery, smog pump? Gone, just take them out now. Then you need the right combo of extensions and sockets to get to the plug. Make sure you take the ratchet off the extension before you back it into the fender and get everything jammed up though. Or rumor has it there is a $300 Subaru tool that they use for taking out the plugs.

The third option is to take out one of the engine mounts and then you can tilt the block side to side and get a little better access. I assume you still need to pull the junk off the fenders regardless of which method you use though.

1millionhp > Long Live the Longdoor
11/04/2013 at 17:59

It's about what you want. You like the BR-Z/FR-S? Buy it and enjoy it. Changed the plugs on my STi, and while not "delightful", wasn't that bad. Of course the engine has much more room on the sides in that chassis. And so I don't repeat what has already been said, I'll say that if you buy a new car, almost any new car, there is going to be some maintenance item whose cost will shock you.

John Norris (AngryDrifter) > Long Live the Longdoor
11/04/2013 at 20:05

So what? They should be good for 100k miles or so. If you do a major engine mod before then you can certainly dive in and change them while you have it taken apart.

Manuél Ferrari > JustWaitingForAMate
11/04/2013 at 20:39

Very nice. Good effort. The laughs you caused made my day better.