Good place to replace a clutch?

So I switched cars with my parents this past weekend and when my dad gave the car back to me, he told me that "I noticed a really bad smell while driving but now it's gone" and "The car seems to be smoother when I always press the clutch down a little bit when I drive"

 

Long story short, my clutch is like this guy's:

 

http://www.legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=113155&highlight=clutch+replacement

 

Do you Mid-Atlantic GTers know of a good place (Shop or qualified individual) to take a Subie for a clutch change? I found an ASE guy in RI doing $350 labor - any chance of finding something similar nearby?

 

Also, would it be cheaper for me to supply my own parts? What do I need to change exactly? Should I be getting just a clutch? Or a full clutch kit (I should not have any pressure plate problems right)?

 

http://www2.partstrain.com/store/?PN=5558&N=0&VN=4294967189+4294964890+4294964576+4294967147&Nr=AND(universal:0)

 

http://www2.partstrain.com/store/?PN=5560&N=0&VN=4294967189+4294964890+4294964576+4294967147&Nr=AND(universal:0)

 

Btw, my Subie is a 2000 lgt

 

Best,

ccbb

For parts, get a kit. All in all, you should replace the friction disc, the pressure plate, and throwout bearing. Preferably, either the flywheel also or get it machined. $350 is a good price as it's a fairly complicated job. You can save cash by avoiding the markup and supplying your own parts.

After going through a LOT of shit to get mine done. Find a nice reputable shop that DOES subaru and legacy clutches a lot so you dont get shit done wrong. Here is a short list of shops I know of then some people have swore are worthy in the area.

 

Agile(abbington area) http://www.agileauto.com Hill and the guys there are really top notch and will be doing my protune when i can afford it

 

DPS(in rockville area) http://www.dpstuning.com/ They guys there are really nice and upfront. Do great work and genuinly care about their customers. They recently did a tranny rebuild on my friends 2.5L wrx swapped 2001RS. And are rebuilding Crazy Kens car.

 

Now i have heard NOTHING but good things about IAG and Andrewtech. I have no personal experiance with either but hear a lot of good things. If you are in Bmore id say try out Agile but they might be pricey. I know DPS does great work at a very nice cost.

Andrewtech is pricey too, but, that's what you pay for absolute top notch service and parts.

i would say great work at the best price would probably be DPS. Give them a call. Tell them Josh with the blue Legacy told you to call. Maybe he'll hook it up. Brought him some business before.

Thanks for the help guys, I will will be calling these guys soon and will update on results.

 

Best,

ccbb

Well, I called DPS so far. They seem like decent guys but the price they quoted was higher than expected - about 700 for OEM and 900 or so for ACT.

 

Judging by the following these guys have, i feel like this is one of those you get what you pay for things - that they back up the cost with good work, but it is expensive. I don't think I'm in the mental state to shell out yet so I kept shopping around.

 

I went to a local place called Central Auto on the intersection of Eastern and Central and the guy quoted $300 for labor and $387 for the part (Most likely ordered from Salvo). He refuses parts he does not buy but when I called Salvo, the amount they quoted was $227. The brand they use is "AMS" (anyone have experience with one of these)?

 

A coworker's mechanic (who has been doing work on my friend's car for the past few years who also did a clutch replacement) says that he will be willing to do it at home for $250 labor. If I buy the Salvo OEM kit, that'll run me ~500. I'm pretty sure that guy does not have a lift.

 

Btw, anyone have experience with the other OE replacement parts like Exedy / Sachs / Daikin?

 

 

More details to follow.

A $160 markup seems a bit high, IMO. I usually see a markup of 30% is so as being acceptable but not 70% or more. As far as other brands, Sachs is a good choice. They supply most European OEM's with clutch components. See if any vendors on here have any deals going on for clutches. Maybe you can find a deal from someone here.