Subaru Repair: Knock sensor replacement, sensor replacement, knock sensor

Question
I own a 2000 subaru 2.5 rs impreza and the check engine light comes on and off. The dealer says the knock sensor needs replaced. I am wondering what a fair price for this service would be. After researching the part cost I find the part to cost around 80.00. The dealer wants 160.00 to perform this service which takes around 1/2 hour to do. Is this reasonable? Or am I being taken advantage of? How difficult is this task?

Answer
Hello David,
 
  That part is very easy to change. It is located below the throttle body, near the tranny. It bolts to the block. It is very important not to overtighten the new sensor. The torque spec is 16ft lbs. The labor should be about an hour. 1/2 hour diagnose time, and 1/2 repair labor. Remember that technicians are paid by flate rate. This means if the shop manual says 1 hr, thats what the tech gets, even if it only takes him 10 min. On the flip side if something goes wrong and it takes him 2 hours, then he still only gets paid 1 hr. I hope this helps.

                                       Thanks,
                                         Frank