How difficult is it to change the spark plugs? The dealer wants almost $500 to do the job.

 

i was going to do it myself until i looked under the hood. doesn't look too bad, but my arms didn't look like they'd fit. there are 16 plugs that are also not cheap. my dealer charged me $250, what kills me is that they recommend this every 30k miles. just like the front & rear axle fluid every 15k. now i know why they can offer a lifetime powertrain warranty - by the time you'll probably need it, you'll have spent more on basic maintenance (to keep the warranty intact) than replacing an engine or trans.....

 

my dealer wants $210.00 to change plugs,which includes the price of the plugs. after seeing $500,00 for the plug change $210,00 looks like a good deal.

 

I replaced the plugs in our Aspen several months ago. I think I was under the hood for about 3-4 hours. I was really taking my time since it was 16 sparkplugs and the whole coilpack thing. And aluminum heads scare me. Once I got into a rythm it went pretty smooth. You do have to remove the airbox the gain access to the rears on the passenger side. It was worth it to me (especially with the estimates shared here and having to do it every 30K miles). Just get a good sparkplug socket and take your time.

 

The dealers are allotted 2.5 hours to remove/replace spark plugs on a Hemi, so it's a safe bet that the job is a PIA. I paid my dealer around $250 to do it, but I'm not happy about the fact that this needs to be done every 30k miles. I'm guessing the quote from your dealer is for a "service" that includes oil change, air filter, and a few other 30k maintenance items. If not, they're out of their minds.

I did the research to find out if plat plugs would be ok, and got conflicting opinions. I stuck with the stock plugs for now.

 

Everything cost more in Maryland/DC area. I will have to wait until the Spring thaw before I attempt to do any work. I was doing the same research about the different plug types out there with the same mixed conclusions. The time it takes to change it makes you kind of leery about installing platinum plugs in case they don't work.