Subaru Repair: Maintenance Questions, subaru legacy wagon, locks hinges


Question
Mr. Duggan,

Sorry this setup is long, but I want to make sure you have adequate information for your reply:

I recently took my 1994 Subaru Legacy Wagon (159,600 miles - manual) and my 1999 Outback Limited Wagon (61,000 miles - automatic) in for standard 60,000 scheduled maintenance to a Subaru dealer/repair shop in Virginia.  The 1994 has not followed a rigorous mx schedule, but it has had timing belts, a fuel pump, other belts, and plugs changed over the years and is still in good condition for it's age.  The 1999 has had all scheduled maintenance and is in very good shape.  I change the oil and filters regularly on both vehicles.  

Much to my chagrin, the cost quote for the '94 was $850.  This quote for the '94 included the following $253 worth of parts:
Air Filter ($21)
4 Spark Plugs ($10)
Oil Filter ($7)
Gasket ($2)
Motor Oil (5$)
Gear Oil ($22)
Timing Belt ($76)
V Belt ($18)
A/C Belt ($17)
PT251892 Fuel ... Filter?? ($35)
Ignition Wire Set ($40) - The mechanic called and said that these original wires literally disintegrated when they took off the spark plugs so they replaced them.

In addition to these parts, the 60K mx presumably included the following:
1) Change Oil/Filter
2) Lube suspension, locks, hinges, contact points
3) Inspect Brake system, lines, fluids, connections, parking brake
4) Change brake fluid
5) Inspect steering operation, linkage, fluid levels.  Inspect and adjust chassis and body bolts/nuts.
6) Inspect exhaust system and remove any foreign material trapped by shielding.
7) Ignition & emission performance service: adjust and inspect engine idle, torque fuel injection mounting bolts, inspect vacuum hoses, inspect thermostatically and vacuum advance controlled systems, inspect EGR system operation, inspect spark plug wires, distributor cap/roter. Replace ignition plugs, spark plugs, and air filter.
8) Inspect coolant system hoses, clamps, radiator cap, clean outside of radiator core and condensor.  Drain and refill coolant fluids.
9) Inspect drive line dust boots
10) Inspect/Change camshaft timing belts and auxillary drive belts.
11) Inspect and correct gear oil level
12) Inspect and adjust clutch pedal.
13) Rotate/Align tires (didn't need this since I'd done it two months prior with new tires)
14) Replace fule injection filter, inspect fuel lines, hoses, clamps, tank, and cap.
15) Inspect/align lighting
16) Inspect adjust wipers and jet position
17) Clean casette tape case
18) Differential: Oil change of front and rear drive axles.

While the parts prices seem reasonable and it sounds like a pretty thorough inspection, the $660 worth of labor seems high.  I called one of my local mechanics back home in Wyoming and he said that generally their 60K Subaru maintenance (parts and labor) generally cost no more than $525.  Additionally, the 60K checkup for the 1999 Subaru Outback (they didn't find anything wrong) cost $726 (472 labor, 219 parts, other tax & environmental).

My questions are these: Are these fair market rates for scheduled maintenance? (we live in the Southern Virginia area) If no, how do you suggest we find a more reasonable/fair shop.  I would try to do more of the maintenance by myself, but I'm deployed quite a bit so that's also a consideration.

Thanks very much for your time and expertise.
-Charles Meyer

Answer
At the dealership I work at we offer a D service which basically entails everything that you paid for execpt the timing belt and v belts. The service is 319.95 parts and labor and includes draining of all fluids a major tune up including plugs (no wires) tire rotation/balance no alignment and a full inspection of the vehicle for any faults or defects. the cambelt service is 199.95 including the cambelt. so it does seem as though 850$ is a little on the high side. hope this info helps. feel free to check out our website www.milfordsubaru.com for better info on what the D and E service entails. AS for the prices on parts they seem just about right with our dealership.