Front & Rear Bilsteins 5100s - How Much in Service?

I know there isn't a straight-forward to that. But I'm planning to order a set soon and hoping to get at least an IDEA of what you guys would expect to pay for installation.

I've called a couple shops near me - nothing specializing in Tacomas - and it was hard for them to give a close estimate without seeing the truck, shocks, blahblahblah.

 

watch YouTube videos and do it for free yourself. Its not that hard and you don't need very many tools.

 

The biggest advice I would give is buy your front springs/struts already assembled. After that it’s pretty straight forward.

 

Also I’d like to say since neither of us really answered your question it’s safe to say 2-3 hours shop time if you have no intention of doing it yourself. Maybe more if you don’t buy coil springs with your struts to include the time to break down the original strut/spring and swap them over.

 

expect $200 to change fronts and set to your cir clip setting

do the rear your self......OR

mentioned buy the shocks & coils in a pkg and then install them......

your truck an '06 ? you may benefit from newer coils.....

just a thought

 

Did the rears my self, easy to do,didn't even take the rear wheels off. Did cut upper nut of with grinder.
Had shop do fronts, 2 and a half hours to do the job plus alignment.

 

Dealer quoted me 3.5 hours and came up with 480 bucks with a 10% off discount applied. This is just labor, as I will be supplying 5100's for all four corners.

 

Subd

 

$300 install for front shocks + coils, rear shocks, and no AAL. 4 hour install. AAL took the longest.

 

Have a shop install the fronts as the springs will need to be removed. I do 99.9% of my own work and paid to have it done as I'm not screwing with those springs with a cheap-ass compressor. The right tool costs ~$750 and is what shops use because it's safe- and I love tools but can't justify that $. I think I paid $200 for the fronts installed (edit: this was 6-7 yrs ago) and can't remember if that included the alignment as the same guy did everything. You will need to purchase the top bushings for the front shocks separately. Change the rears yourself. If not, probably $50 for them.

You can also remove the fronts as an assembly with the springs and take them to a shop and have them swap them out and then install them on the truck yourself. I debated this but decided it wasn't worth the hassle for the $ saved

 

I’m having mine done by a shop tomorrow and will report back on the cost. In NH and the shop is in VT and charges $75/hr

 

I think my guy figured it'd be two hours labor at $75 an hr, and charged me that, but it took him a little longer, 2.5-3 hrs plus the alignment. So, I think it was $150 plus $50 for the alignment. I occasionally watched him and he worked slowly- he's an older guy who unfortunately recently retired and closed his two man shop. He ran an independent brake, alignment, suspension shop and I used him for 20 yrs for alignments. I'm still on my original rears at 115k miles and should change them soon.

This is what my guy used and is what most shops have to compress the springs.

$905 Branick 7600 Strut Spring Compressor

https://www.amazon.com/Branick-7600...a-571637925348&psc=1&ref=&adgrpid=62497261819

 

For anyone interested, I paid $350 (service only) for new pads & rotors, and all 4 shocks. Seems pretty fair.

I should have definitely done the backs myself, but it's too late now. I have the fronts at 1.75", and nothing in the back (maybe the TSB? I need to figure out how to tell). It's sitting with the tiniest bit of bro lean, and I think if it doesn't settle in the next few weeks I'm going to add half-inch blocks in the rear myself. But, sometimes I look at it and think it's sitting level. It depends which angle I catch it at, where it's parked, how inebriated I am, how hard the wind's blowing, what the humidity is..

 

In NJ, IMO $350 is fair to change all 4 plus pads and rotors.

The recall leaf springs shouldn't alter your ride height- mine didn't. My truck is level with the front raised 1" with 5100s on both the OE and then the recall leafs.

You are going to need an alignment if you haven't already had that taken care of.

 

Pictures!

 

I paid about $400 for labor for all 4 with an AAL

 

Look into doing it yourself with a basic socket set, wrenches, jack, stands and a torque wrench. It was the first thing I did on my Tacoma, while armed with zero mechanical experience, no help and tons of YouTube. This will take your labor costs and turn them into tool shopping budget. The tools will last forever.

 

We got your back on TW if you have any question about the work

 

I've read a few times on here that some people thought they got a small increase after the TSB, I'm really not sure though.

As for alignment, I haven't yet. I did a bunch of reading - mostly on here - before buying anything, and saw everyone saying that you should get an alignment after the shocks. The mechanic I went to told me I didn't need an alignment after only replacing shocks/struts if it seemed to drive fine. Made me a little uncomfortable since it contradicted everything I read on here.

It seems to track pretty true, but does pull just a tiny bit to the left. I plan to get it aligned... but only once I figure out how to fix one other problem I'm having. Don't want to waste the money once and then have to do it again a second time soon after. My front end wobbles when I'm slowing down. I just ruled out pads, rotors, calibers, and shocks/struts after this recent work - thinking it may be the tires out of balance. Don't really know.

Raining out, probably tomorrow!

Man when you make the "labor spend into tool spend" argument it makes it so hard to deny. But, I already paid the shop and had it done. Hoping to start doing my own work on this thing from here on out, though. I'd love to have this truck for many years. Appreciate the motivation!

 

Paid my guy 400 to swap my blown suspension for a stock 3rd gen one when I bought mine. mostly to inspect everything and loosen up the bolts for later when I put an aftermarket kit on.