Intro and good shop for lift and alarm in Seattle?

What's up guys. I just wanted to say hey in the Northwest section. I joined awhile back but never checked in over here. I just got a new 2012 4x4 Double Cab last month and been doing every mod I could in the mean time.

I wanted to ask if anyone knows a decent shop in the Seattle area that does good work and won't rip me off for a lift install. I ordered the Skyjacker lift from 4 Wheel Parts because I had some credit there. Also what to expect to pay for the install. I'm fairly mechanically inclined but haven't ever done a lift and don't have the area to do it myself.

Also I ordered a advanced keys system and need to get that put in. Here is a link on the system : http://www.advancedkeys.com/ Pretty cool! So i'm looking for a decent shop to install that preferably in the North Seattle area.

Anyways, I included some pictures of my progress so far. If you ever do meet ups or anything i'd love to come!

 

Welcome to the NW group. Your truck looks great. I'm looking to do a small lift in the next 6 months so any advice is helpful.

 

I was quoted around 4750 for 6" lift and 18" wheel and tire package (35x12.50) by 4WP in the Tacoma area...seems to be about the going rate up in the Northwest. Also depends on what you want to go with, that was for the Fabtech 6" basic lift.

 

Yeah, I went into the Lynnwood location and they tried to sell me on the 3" Pro Comp lift. I told them i'd think about it. Then I read on here it is really an awful product. Springs are way too stiff I read decent things about the Skyjacker 3" which they offer too so I decided on that. It has 4 shocks and add a leaf for $450. Seems pretty decent. Only thing is 4WP quoted me at about $1000 in labor for the install on the Pro Comp, which I imagine would be about the same for the Skyjacker. To me that seems absurdly expensive. Am I wrong?

 

Oh yeah and thanks Chris. Nice truck man! Love the Pyrite Mica. It'd look super sharp with a bit of lift. Hopefully we can get some good info.

 

Installing the lift really isnt that hard at all. Jack and jack stands with a moderately stocked toolbox and a case of beverage is all you need. Can be done in a day in your driveway.

 

I hate to be the guy to ruin the party, but there's a few things:

-4WP has a long history of screwing people. There's a few shops here and there that aren't like that, but 9 times out of 10, you can expect them to sell you the wrong part, not do the job they were supposed to, not understand how to do it right, or totally ass up your vehicle. You get blamed or they find a way to cover their end without having to owe you. I would do my research and make sure they sold you the right gear, then research if the gear is good.

-I'm not familiar with the skyjacker. However, I don't see many of us offroad guys using it, or even seeing it as a popular option for the on-roaders. Consider that what works offroad is going to be overkill for what the road throws at you, so you won't have a problem with failure there. For onroad, I would go with what the majority of people are running. Depending on your usage, I recommend Bilstein with Eibachs (such as the Toytec kits) as an on-road kit, Old Man Emu (OME) as an economical off-road kit (also works on-road), or ICON/King/Sway-A-Way/Camburg as a extreme offroad/"I've got a serious grip of cash" option.

-For 6" lifts, keep in mind that it doesn't add much clearance vs. 3" for offroading because it requires a drop bracket, plus it raises center of gravity. On the other hand, gdry06 on here has one and he wheels like a mean mofo.

-Moe is pretty much right, though if you are like me, having someone who knows what they are doing on a major project is worth more than any tool in my garage. I would recommend asking for assistance and we can possibly put together a day where we come help out with it for the cost of some food

-If you have the ability, Auburn Car Repair & Offroad is a good shop. It's a small shop, so you need to schedule time with them. John's prices are very fair and he knows what he's doing - he was part of an FJ Cruiser offroad race team

-I ordered my alarm system and had it installed by Car Toys. I had it installed by someone who was recommended to me by the community. I got goaded into it and went for it, got convinced to spend over $1k. I've been back through things and i'm not impressed with how it got done - I could tell these guys were very mindful that they got paid by the hour, and did what they could to shave off time in getting it slapped in quick. I don't have a better place to go to that I know of, so I've tried doing all other electrical and audio stuff myself. I would see if anyone in the electronics section of the forum has any leads.

 

Nah I appreciate the feedback.

Yeah, 4WP seems like a total joke so far. I ordered that Skyjacker kit a couple weeks ago. They can't seem to get it together. Said it's not in any of the warehouses and they keep trying to push the Pro Comp 3" on me. Which I know is ridiculously stiff. I actually read some good reviews on the Skyjacker on here, but there are very few people running it. On Monday if they still haven't been able to order it i'm going to switch to adjustable 5100s for the front, and 5100s for the rear. Then i'm going to order OME 885s and an add a leaf elsewhere.

Yeah, i've always done my own work for the most part. It's just my house has a pretty sloped drive that is basically dirt at this point. Haha. So I figured if I could get someone to install them for a decent price i'd rather go that way.

If anyone wants to help, and has some space to work i'd rather do that. I'll buy the loads of food! Hahaha. Maybe i'll make a post when I get everything together.

Cool, if that doesn't work out i'll give John a call. Auburn is only like 30-40 minutes from me.

Damn man, 1k. What the heck did you get? I actually found a really cool guy in Ballard. He has a shop that was opened pretty recently. Ballard Custom Audio. I've got an appointment for the install on Tuesday. He seems like a really nice guy that knows his stuff. Great reviews on Yelp. I'll let everyone know how it goes.

 

If you haven't ordered something yet. Downsouth Motorsports is haveing a Black Friday sale.

 

Thanks for the tip man. I was able to pick up the Skyjacker kit. I just got it installed today. I was able to talk a shop nearby Chuck's Auto in Maple Leaf into the install. They charged me $300. However they didn't install the add a leaf on the rear and said he'd recommend I get blocks instead, and was worried the add a leaf would separate from the other leafs, make noise and be dangerous. He said he would still install it if I wanted but it would be 2.5 hours labor. He charged 3 hours for the shocks and struts install. Seems kind of outrageous. I told him I have read quite often that it takes about 30 minutes per side if you know what you are doing in your driveway. He tried to explain that wasn't the case.

Anyway, now i'm kind of stuck since I have most of the kit installed and the back isn't lifted. It looks pretty silly. I'm confused at what to do now. No other shops seem to be willing to do it. Les Schwab said they will order a new set of add a leafs and install them for $150. The shop I did everything else would do my parts but charge me $250. 4 Wheel Parts will install the add a leaf for $130 since I ordered it from them. Not sure my best option here!

The alarm install went great at Ballard Custom Audio. I'll do a video of it sometime. It is amazing, walk up unlocks, turn the knob it starts, get out walk away and it locks automatically!

 

Blocks are actually more dangerous. There is nothing wrong with the AAL provided you have proper sized u bolts and use a new center pin for the leafs. They do make some noise sometimes after time (squeak), but you can either get pads or use a bit of a bike inner tube between the leafs.
Try talking in the NW WA meet thread to find help. I don't have a free day until into December

 

Right on, i'll post in there too! I have the longer u bolts and center pin for the AAL. I called back 4 Wheel Parts to see about just doing it for $130 because i'm impatient and got a different guy he said kits don't come with AAL, they all come with blocks now. That he installs all the kits for dealerships so he knows what he is talking about and he could fit my AAL but he would have to chop up my existing pack and take it apart to install it, so it'd be $220 instead and it'd ride like shit. Good lord! Tired of all these idiotic places!

 

chop up...? What the heck is going on? Read here and you can probably do it. One thing to note is that you need to tighten the u-bolts in a 'star' pattern to get even tightness.

My dealer doesn't know a damn thing. I drive from Olympia to a small shop in Auburn whenever I want something done. Sucks, but that's the price of good help.


they tend to sell blocks because it's cheaper than doing a proper spring pack.

 

That is what I was wondering. Hahaha. Yeah, i'm going to recruit a buddy and get this taken care of. Starting to realize how difficult finding a decent shop that will do the entire job is. At least it's mostly done. It's just frustrating as hell being mostly done and feeling stuck.

Went back to the original shop this morning since they didn't tighten the top mount bolts on my drivers side.. at all. Mechanic laughed and said oh yeah thats why it says in the manual check the bolts after 100 miles. I tossed out the idea of getting blocks instead and how much labor they'd charge me for that. Told me 2.5 hours as well. Screwww that.

 

FYI this is also a good reference, plus has all those good torque specs and such

http://www.customtacos.com/tech/files/05FSM/repair.html

 

Awesome. Thanks man!