DIY Fuel Pressure Regulator - saved over $200 in 15 minutes

[Tennis Maniac]

I recently had my truck inspected at the stealership conveniently located next to my office building.

I got a call from them with the classic story... "you need need a $20 ABC part to pass inspection and you should really replace your XYZ for $250 with a $150 high beam fluid flush."

All of this is complete BS of course.  Prior to the inspiration I now get from the MMM forum I would have told them to go ahead with the $20 ABC part and then I would have someone else do the $250 XYZ replacement for $150 and not even think about the $150 fluid flush.  I thought I was pretty savvy.

This week, I decided to argue the $20 ABC part, which turned out to be a license plate light bulb ($1.38 + labor???) which the desk guy somehow made go away completely.  I also decided to take it upon myself to replace the $250 XYZ part, which was a fuel pressure regulator.  I've worked on my truck in the past, but tend to avoid anything with the word "fuel" in it because I don't want to mess with something that could start my truck on fire if done wrong.

The fuel pressure regulator took less time to replace than a light bulb!

Even with the learning curve... never having done this before and taking extra care to do every step the service manual says because I don't want to light myself on fire, it still only took 15 minutes to replace.  The part itself was $50.  It always amazes me how much of a rip off the dealership is.

Savings = $200  ($250 - $50)

I invested the savings in some LED lighting for my house... hopefully this will turn into $10-$15/month in savings.  Giddy-up!

Thanks for the motivation everyone!!

[MustacheMike]

This is good to hear. Do you go to your dealership or a maintenance garage? I believe the garages are cheaper -- they'll still rip you off with inflated prices on parts -- but they're may not necessarily replace things that don't  need replacing (I'm putting a lot of trust in them, I know).

However, car work can be intimidating. I plan to do my next filter change...a mere baby step, I know, but I think I can save anywhere from $60 - $80 for 30 minutes worth of shopping and installation.

[Tennis Maniac]

I usually go to the dealership for inspections ($22 state mandated price) and oil changes (~$30, price needs to be competitive with small oil change shops).  The dealership is really convenient to my office and they usually give me a list of things they think need replacement ("100 point inspection").  You can be sure that the things that DO need to be replaced are on the list... as long as you can sort out the extra crap that you surely don't need.  I have a maintenance shop for non-engine work (suspension, tires, transmission, joints, etc.).  I haven't had to do any major engine work in a long time, so I'm not sure what I would do for that.