Opinions on dealership labor prices

I had a Lca bushing go out and been needing to replace my rack and pinion. So I figured I'd just do all the bushings and ball joints while its apart. Got some of my parts and the rest are still on the way. USPS sux by the way! Anyway I've called the nearest dealership and got a quote on the labor price to get it all installed. Rack, lca bushings and ball joints and upper ball joints. They want $2,100 dollars for labor. I thought it was too high of course. Is this about normal dealership price or what? I did get a quote from a local shop also and it's in the 750-1000 dollar range. They have a reputation for doing good work but sometimes take a long time due to being busy and shorthanded.

 

I was considering upgrading my suspension and one of the "local" dealerships wanted $1,000.

 

What does upgrading include?

 

Lord knows, I'm not defending the dealership(s) but you have to remember that they make a profit on the parts they sell as well as install so their bottom line is profit on parts and labor. Owner supplied parts cuts the profit so it has to be made up somewhere. There's even a local shop near me that advertises two labor rates, one if they supply the parts and the second (higher) labor rate if the consumer supplies the parts. I don't know what your dealer charges per hour but I'll bet the $2100 accounts for labor and profit on the parts if they'd had sold them to you.

 

Yea I really didn't think of that but I bet ur 100% right on that.

 

FYI, if your referring to dealer as in a Toyota dealer, they will not install any parts not purchased through them. They will not install parts supplied by the customer even though it’s factory Toyota and purchased elsewhere. On the other hand, family run shop will install your supplied parts, but will not honor any warranty regardless of what happen. At least it’s true in my area.

 

Actually I did buy the parts from the dealership. I just didn't buy from the local one. I guess now that I probably should have. But the prices at the one near me were quite a bit higher.

 

I guess it must be different in your area. Because I told the dealership I purchased oem parts and they took my information and called me back a couple hours later with the quote. And yes it's a Toyota dealership.

 

Replacing the OEM suspension with the TRD Pro Fox 2.5 shocks.

 

I’ll do it for $500.

 

Labor costs for car/truck mechanics in my area i.e. Colorado's Western Slope are about $120 an hour while at the local Toyota dealer they are double that.

 

That's cheap.

 

Thanks, but I'm no longer considering the upgrade.

 

FYI, dealer shop rate will vary based on location. Can’t expect a price in CA to be the same as one from NM or elsewhere.

Plus, a dealer will charge book time and not a flat rate like a mom and pop repair shop.

 

Being a business owner I can tell you that there are expenses that are just unreal, the largest by far is payroll taxes followed by insurance, insurance doubled 2 years ago and went up by another 20% for 2025. The guys doing the work are not getting rich like I was back in the day, the door rate was $66 flat rate hour, I was getting $28 flat rate hour plus a 3% IRA match. Ferrari techs dont grow on trees. The modern tech at a dealership is usually on a salary plus a small commission. The cars built in the last 10 to 12 years are so complicated that the average tech is overwhelmed, training is marginal and very rarley does managament "have your back". I am surprised that there are any techs left in the industry.

 

I think $2100 is a bit steep, but not really unheard of from a Toyota dealer. Local shops (not dealers) in my area typically charge around $150/hr for labor rates, and dealers are usually significantly higher than that.

I'd suggest getting a friend's help and doing the work yourself. Even if you need to buy several hundred dollars in tools, you will still end up way ahead over paying someone to do it.

 

^^^ is an option too. Been wrenching for 40 years and I thought I had every tool known to man to work on things, no, my current project, non Toyota, I have spent in excess of $300 on tools, nothing special either, having said that, when did Torx fasteners replace regular 'ol bolts and nuts.

 

As an update... for my rental property insurance just got a notice from State Farm that there will be 40% increase in premium in CA in 2026. Not too many shop owners own the property they work out of, that money has to come from somewhere.

 

That is insane.

 

Understood, the true insanity is the governor, Newsom, wants to be the next US Presidnet and bring that style of thinking to the country.