GFC 500 install quote is outrageous

jd21476

jd21476

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jd21476
So I was jot quite prepared for the quote I just got for a GFC500 install. I have a PA24 with a GNC355 and a G5 HSI already. I would like to add an autopilot and have been looking at the GFC 500. I had my plane in getting some avionics updates done and I figured Id get a quote on a GFC500 install.

Here is my quote from a local SoCal shop.


GFC500 3 Servo Kit: $11295.00
Coil Cord for Yoke: $408.00
G5 - ADI: $2595.00
140 Hr @ 120/hr: $16,800.00
Total: $31,098.00

I was thinking $15-18k….but wow!
Now I know its only a quote but I doubt they are off by more than $10k
 
Just had one installed 3 servos, control head, integration with existing GPS and G5's removal of old wing leveler (was a pain in the arse) - no new G5, total was under 19k. Took 1 guy 2 weeks, I doubt he was working overtime.
 
Try the Dynon Skyview site. I have a Bonanza 35 and I’m going that direction. Should be around $17,000. Plus you get a 7” or 10” screen that can replace all your gauges, add engine monitoring and all sorts of stuff.


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That's about in line, maybe a bit on the high end, of what @NealRomeoGolf and I have seen for our -32's. I signed an agreement to have the shop on my field do mine for 27k. That's the 3 axis gfc500, g5 ai, gad-13, and remove the vacuum system. I believe all Neal's quotes have been higher than that.

Of course now I'll be lucky to have my plane back in the state before osh.
 
jd21476 said:
GFC500 3 Servo Kit: $11295.00
Click to expand...
^that's egregious enough.. but certified equipment and all that

jd21476 said:
140 Hr @ 120/hr: $16,800.00
Click to expand...
^that seems severe, it's going to take this guy nearly a month of work doing nothing but working on your plane from 9am to 5pm to get this done? That 140 seems a little severe




..the EA market gets more and more appealing every day!
 
Your plane is not a 172 like mine, so I am sure there are differences. here's my experience...
Fall of 2018 my plane was in the shop getting a 650, GTX345 GMA345, magnetometer and 2- G5s. At the start of that asked how much and what would it take to also install the GFC?
They said no way, won't even quote it and are too busy to add it on.(busy with ADS-B installs) So after I paid them and flew for a month or so they did send me a quote. It was right at 15K for everything out the door. Remember I already had 2 G5 at that point. I committed and they installed it March the next spring 2019. One guy, Ryan worked on it mostly by himself for 9 work days and it was done. It was only their 3rd GFC 172 install.

They are local to me so I went over there about 4 times in those 9 days to check it out after my work. I would get there at about 4:30 at the end of their days and not so much in there way. They were very friendly and showed me the progress. I took a hundred pictures of my plane apart. They earned that 15K. Everything was included and no extras or surprises. This was March 2019.

The first time my plane was there for the GPS they only had it for 8 work days and the same tech installed it. I also stopped by multiple times to take pictures.
He told he worked on my plane every hour it was there except for 2 hours during that 9 days. That is what I like about them, they get the job done and my plane the heck out of their shop, 4 times so far. No sitting around.
 
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jd21476 said:
Coil Cord for Yoke: $408.00
Click to expand...

Run 22 AWG for the trim system and 24 AWG for all others, through some heat shrink tubing. Wrap the heat shrink tube and wires around a wooden dowel and secure with clamps to coil it. Place the entire assembly into your kitchen oven and bake it to shrink the heat shrink tube. Remove from oven and enjoy your new coiled cord for $5.
 
texasclouds said:
If you can get that labor down, it is a nice autopilot. Make sure you get the auto trim option.
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Lol I’d recommend against auto trim. I got use damper instead and think that is far more valuable depending on the type of plane. In 20 hours of flying with the AP I had to manually adjust the trim 2 times when I was doing a crazy steep climb / ascent. Not a big deal.
 
FWIW my shop included the electric trim, it was not even a option not to have it. I see the AP adjusting the trim frequently, pretty much every time I adjust power if it climbs or descends when the AP is engaged.

I love my electric trim. Only time I use the wheel now is during T&Gs, rest of the time I use the cheap toggle on my yoke which has held up good so far. My 172 does not have or need a yaw damper. Although I would like to have one, it would seem then a monkey could keep the plane coordinated with it?
IMG_0328.JPG
 
Gulf Coast Avionics gave me a go-away quote at Sun N Fun last year. I went away. I’m sure they’d take the work f you were dumb enough to accept the quote. I’m in the shop now for a G3X and GFC 500 at half the GCA quoted price.

****ing morons have no idea who has money or who is just day dreaming.
 
Wow, if you look around you might find an experimental with one for the same price. Of course the airplane would come with it.
 
Garmin did bump up the price on hardware, I’ve heard. Mine was discounted 10% off MSRP. Your labor hours are too high, and dollars are higher than I’ve ever paid but that is very geographical dependent (and schedule too) but I learned quality has some cost. I saved 3K over the next best quote but had 2 months and probably 6 separate occasions trying to get mine fully working (missing wire/pin, multiple missing config settings on the G5, test flights). I think I still came out ahead but maybe that’s the cheapskate in me talking.
 
masloki said:
Garmin did bump up the price on hardware, I’ve heard. Mine was discounted 10% off MSRP. Your labor hours are too high, and dollars are higher than I’ve ever paid but that is very geographical dependent (and schedule too) but I learned quality has some cost. I saved 3K over the next best quote but had 2 months and probably 6 separate occasions trying to get mine fully working (missing wire/pin, multiple missing config settings on the G5, test flights). I think I still came out ahead but maybe that’s the cheapskate in me talking.
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That was my experience on the g5. Anything I saved by going with the lower quote ended up going to my local shop to fix it.
 
bnt83 said:
Run 22 AWG for the trim system and 24 AWG for all others, through some heat shrink tubing. Wrap the heat shrink tube and wires around a wooden dowel and secure with clamps to coil it. Place the entire assembly into your kitchen oven and bake it to shrink the heat shrink tube. Remove from oven and enjoy your new coiled cord for $5.
Click to expand...
See that large coiled wire under my yoke? I remember them telling me that was hi dollar. The one on the co pilot side is smaller. I forget why it was installed on my plane? I think it was leftover from another job and they put in my plane. They used a lot of shop supplies and I think 15 grand was cheap for how much work they did. Plus it all worked flawlessly for 800 hours so far. Not usually disappointed when you go with the higher bid. Plus I wanted to use a local shop for convenience.
 
Jim K said:
That's about in line, maybe a bit on the high end, of what @NealRomeoGolf and I have seen for our -32's. I signed an agreement to have the shop on my field do mine for 27k. That's the 3 axis gfc500, g5 ai, gad-13, and remove the vacuum system. I believe all Neal's quotes have been higher than that.

Of course now I'll be lucky to have my plane back in the state before osh.
Click to expand...
Mine had extras. GFC500, G5, gad13, vertical compass, remove ADF, remove vacuum and fix a 530 problem with my JPI.

Maybe I should take your slot if you can't keep it.
 
jd21476 said:
So I was jot quite prepared for the quote I just got for a GFC500 install. I have a PA24 with a GNC355 and a G5 HSI already. I would like to add an autopilot and have been looking at the GFC 500. I had my plane in getting some avionics updates done and I figured Id get a quote on a GFC500 install.

Here is my quote from a local SoCal shop.


GFC500 3 Servo Kit: $11295.00
Coil Cord for Yoke: $408.00
G5 - ADI: $2595.00
140 Hr @ 120/hr: $16,800.00
Total: $31,098.00

I was thinking $15-18k….but wow!
Now I know its only a quote but I doubt they are off by more than $10k
Click to expand...

They should at least take you to dinner before doing this. No way is it worth that much. Tell them they have to install a GTN 650Xi for that price.
 
Tan said:
They should at least take you to dinner before doing this. No way is it worth that much. Tell them they have to install a GTN 650Xi for that price.
Click to expand...

funny, I did get a 650xi, GTX 345, 2-G5s and 3axisGFC500 for only 10k more than his quote for the GFC500
 
CT583 said:
funny, I did get a 650xi, GTX 345, 2-G5s and 3axisGFC500 for only 10k more than his quote for the GFC500
Click to expand...

I got dual G5s, Gad 13 , gtn 650xi, gma 350c audio panel , JPI 830 with FF and gfc 500 with trim for 47k. Piper Pa28R-180
 
jd21476 said:
So I was jot quite prepared for the quote I just got for a GFC500 install. I have a PA24 with a GNC355 and a G5 HSI already. I would like to add an autopilot and have been looking at the GFC 500. I had my plane in getting some avionics updates done and I figured Id get a quote on a GFC500 install.

Here is my quote from a local SoCal shop.


GFC500 3 Servo Kit: $11295.00
Coil Cord for Yoke: $408.00
G5 - ADI: $2595.00
140 Hr @ 120/hr: $16,800.00
Total: $31,098.00

I was thinking $15-18k….but wow!
Now I know its only a quote but I doubt they are off by more than $10k
Click to expand...
Have you tried Ramona Avionics they re did my complete panel with a two Dynon displays for a bit more. His cost was more reasonable than others in our area.
 
I just looked it up, as I am intending to get a gfc500 as well. Found a place in one search that advertises $15,000 installed. But, that is probably a two servo unit.
 
I got a quote back in October for GFC 500 2 servo install. They quoted me $13,600. It would be higher if you don't have at least a G5 attitude installed. I have the G5's already.
 
John Pringle said:
Have you tried Ramona Avionics they re did my complete panel with a two Dynon displays for a bit more. His cost was more reasonable than others in our area.
Click to expand...
$16k should be attainable and a reasonable number per a current quote here
 
Gary Ward said:
See that large coiled wire under my yoke? I remember them telling me that was hi dollar. The one on the co pilot side is smaller. I forget why it was installed on my plane? I think it was leftover from another job and they put in my plane. They used a lot of shop supplies and I think 15 grand was cheap for how much work they did. Plus it all worked flawlessly for 800 hours so far. Not usually disappointed when you go with the higher bid. Plus I wanted to use a local shop for convenience.
Click to expand...

I have made several coiled cords using polyolefin heat shrink tubing and standard aircraft "hook up wire" (MIL-W-22759/16) from a messily 3 wires to 14 wires with great results.
 
You’ll want the trim servo when doing the GFC500 install.
a guy at my field thought he was saving some money by not doing it and the price to install almost doubled that single servo since they have to pull it all apart again.
 
From a shop in SoCal, that is probably a reasonable estimate.
 
2x 275 3 servo gfc500 182P $35K.
Remove all vacuum and gyros. On time.
Totally worth it.
 
manac said:
2x 275 3 servo gfc500 182P $35K.
Remove all vacuum and gyros. On time.
Totally worth it.
Click to expand...
Which shop? And when were the start/stop dates (i.e. want to know whether it was in the middle of the 2020 ADS-B deadline crush or in the middle of the COVID19 pandemic or in the middle of the supply chain crush).
 
I paid total $23k in 2020/2021 for 2 G5s, GFC 500 (3 servos), and new pilot and co-pilot panels. Because of finances, I had to do it in stages. The G5s and panels were done first ($12k). Followed in 2021 with the GFC 500 for $11k. If I recall correctly the panels were approx $1k. The shop I used is in Jacksonville, FL
 
422Phil said:
I paid total $23k in 2020/2021 for 2 G5s, GFC 500 (3 servos), and new pilot and co-pilot panels. Because of finances, I had to do it in stages. The G5s and panels were done first ($12k). Followed in 2021 with the GFC 500 for $11k. If I recall correctly the panels were approx $1k. The shop I used is in Jacksonville, FL
Click to expand...


Bragg or N. Fla Aviation?
 
Remember, you can have different prices for the same equipment, because they’re installed in different types of planes. In the website I referred to above, it has different prices based on plane type, some planes are just easier to work on. I’m guessing 172 installs will always be cheaper.
 
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