Did My Mechanic Rip Me Off?

exactly, how much is your time worth.

depending the day/job/etc. i'd rather pay and be done with it most of the time than spend my day working on my truck.

 

going by alldata the front struts are 1.7 hours labor front $158.10
the rear is 0.7 $65.10
in NJ our labor is $93.00 a hour
pl a alignment $79.95

 

so if you payed $250.00 for the labor AND got alignment and the rest
was for parts thats not bad
could have gotin better parts tho
you did ok

 

That's a little pricey for a shop to do, but not a total rip off. Next time, I'd suggest doing some shopping around first...I just replaced mine myself, but got prices from shops to determine if it was worth my time/effort. Here were the prices I got: Goodyear ~$630, Sears ~590, and Midas ~$620.

Note, however, that a shop is going to sell you cheap Monroe or KYB shocks and charge you double for them. I chose to do mine because I could upgrade the shock and still save, not even counting labor. The rear shocks are extremely simple to do (took me 1.5 hours and I've never done it before). The fronts are more difficult, and after I screwed up a tie rod end, I took it to Midas to finish up. Even after paying for a new tie rod end and the labor for midas to finish the install, I still saved ~$200 overall in parts and labor.

If you do it yourself, you'll have to rent a spring compressor for the front struts or take it to a shop to swap the struts (an additional ~$50). Some shops will install shocks that you purchased elsewhere, but they frown on this because they lose out on ripping you off on parts cost. Overall, Yes, you can save money doing it yourself, but you have to weigh the pros vs. cons...you still have to rent or pay for the strut swap, alignment, and any other parts you damage in the process.

 

I do all my own stuff, then for the things I can't do I have a mechanic (and friend) who charges everybody 40-50 per hour. He is also legally blind, but knows everything there is to know about cars.

 

don't you need an alignment after putting new shocks/struts on?

that's $80 right there.

 

You do it's about 60 bucks out here.

 

I paid $60 for shock and strut install on my old Tacoma.

 

Yeah but you slept with the mechanic!

 

LOL $250 for labor??? Shock replacement on almost ANY car with lift and air tools shouldn't take more than ONE hour... JESUS

Another reason why I do all work myself.

 

Well in that case, the next time I rebuild my front end I will bring it to you and give you $50 for that hours work. Okay? - I could see on a car without coilovers but... Moses!

 

No offense to anyone here but its very obvious most of the people here have never touched a vehicle from the northeast...

an hour job turns into 3 hours of f'n around with rusted ass bolt that tend to get "welded" into place. soak it to the bone with pen. oil, get onto it with an impact and its so degraded the bolt head pops off into your hand but still stuck so f'n bad. so then you gotta drill and hammer and thats just for one shock...

$250 for labor for that much rust isnt bad

 

Sure... supply lift & air tools and u have a deal

 

How was this service? Previous services? How do you like your mechanic? He obviously didn't just rec struts/shocks to get the sale, you generally needed them. How have you liked your vehicle since the new struts/shocks?

If you get good service and have a trust with your mechanic, price be damned I say. Don't be so concerned about price, be concerned with having a solid/trustworty mech if using a mech is the way you choose to take care of your vehicle.

Not really all that bad of price, where did you have the service done/What kind of shop? The KYB brand is alright and you got something better than their status quo style struts. Don't forget that along with the front struts, he may have also replaced their mounts.

 

And 'comebacks' on you right? After all anyone that has a successful business knows that the customer is always right, right?

I do all of my work to except for body and alignment (although I have done that too). I probably create more 'comebacks' cause I am one of 'those' guys!!!

 

LOL I do all my work myself besides paint & alignment as well. I guess I just forgot how expensive is labor...lol

I know that over time I have saved thousands of dollars in labor, because I did the stuff myself... It pays off to have a friend with big ass garage, any tool you can think off & big compressor

 

And you are forgetting Beer!!

 

damn looks like i need to up my labor rates haha no seriously id say change ur shop. Im sure the dealer might have had a sympathy and use some lube at least

 

^^^... as he goes and gets another energy drink for $2.75...

 

I agree 100%, most everyone that posted negative remarks have their heads up their asses. I'm a mechanic and although I don't own the shop the cost of doing business in the automotive repair field is very high.

Everyone is bashing you about paying $700, that's a fair price. Yes maybe you could have done it yourself by borrowing a spring compressor but what happens if the spring slips and takes out the side of your truck or even worse, you. Or what happens if you make a mistake and the struts make noise and you have to do it all over again? $700 bucks doesn't seem so bad any more right?