Holy Heck!

Whoa! What

How old are your 5100s?

 

i am useing the rear's but the front's have about 1500 miles, i had them on last week while my coilovers were out getting rebuilt, they are sitting in storage, are you going to use the same coils, maybe send me the shocks and i can have my coils put on your shocks, my guy would not charge me for that, my coils have about 3,000 miles on them. let me know, just trying to help.

 

yep it was a "Tuffy" muffler shop, they do exhaust suspension and other general auto work in a 4 bay shop

 

it would be free if you would wait a few weeks.

 

pretty much, i could have them done the same day i got them. don't know how long it takes ups to get over there, 4 days or so.

 

Toyota did mine for free during the TSB fix

 

I'm not sure- but lents- You said you gotta have them drop the struts, swap the shocks, and then reinstall the struts...All that for 120?? Or JUST the swap for 120 plus MORE for the other work??

Cause if they gotta do it all- That seems like normal hourly labor. If they are JUST doing the swap...You would be getting HOSED BIG TIME.

 

It does not cost anything to rent the spring compressor. I went to Orielly, you pay $40 upfront and they give it back to you whn you are done.

It is super easy trust me. I was a nervous as well to do it. If you use the tool right it is really very safe.

Also ask at the auto parts store for the strut compressor not the spring compressor. It has to be one that compresses on the outside of the spring.

Just get it, you will be so proud of it when you are done.

 

I would try to find one of those small garages around town. The owner/operator kind that is not likely to be in the yellow pages.

You could also go to a small parts shop and ask the parts guy for recommendations to builders who may want the extra pocket money to do the work. Those guys all know each other.

Offer $50 to compress and install over the new shock.

It doesn't need to be a reputable shop...just one with a spring compressor. Hell, you could "borrow a tool" and have someone do it for you. For $50, let them risk injury.

Reputable shops are going to charge hourly rates and that is usually between $75-$150.

 

Most reputable shops have a book that tells them the average time it takes to do a particular job. You want struts changed? Let's see...the books says 3 hours labor. At $100/hour for shop time, that's $300. That's what they quote you. If what you are asking is outside what the book prescribes, they normally quote high, because they don't know exactly what to expect and they want to make sure they don't short themselves, as they have a mechanic to pay. If they are working with customer parts they lose the profit from selling their own parts, so they make that up as well. In order to take your springs and compress them, remove them from the old shock, then install them on the new shock and release them, they have to take a mechanic off another job that is paying full price. A lot of shops won't do it. If it is not a busy shop, there is probably a reason why people don't go there.

I installed my own Bil 5100s in two hours in my driveway, using basic hand tools, supplemented by Autozone spring compressors, at a total cost of....well, what's my two hours worth? I enjoyed it and it saved me enough to buy a mig welder.

As for the rented spring compressors, I have heard about them coming apart, never seen it happen, I'm sure it has happened to someone somewhere at sometime, but I'm also sure it is rare. Autozone lent me a heavy duty set, I used it properly, and had no problem.

 

Thats all there doing for $120 and then plus another $65 for the alignment.

 

I know. But Im not going to make you feel like your rushed and everything else.

You have your own life to worry about (work, the girl, and everything else)

I mean if were still going to do this THATS GREAT! I haven't done it yet..... I've just gotten quotes

 

NTB did that swap from TRDs to 5100s for 50.00 pr.

 

Obviously free is a better price if you were able to do it all yourself- but that seems like a pretty reasonable price for them to do everything. Woulda been 25 or 30 for my to get the struts built only if I didn't know the service manager. So another 100 bucks for the labor to remove, and replace everything isn't horrible.

Does the shop offer a "lifetime" of extended alignment service?? I've got it on my scion...and it's more than paid for itself...

 

Well All I know is this..... My dad is a valued cutomer for CT Automotive (the place i got the quotes from) because we bought 2 sets of Pirellis(BMW), Fixed about 50 screw-in-tire issues free, and we had a bad leak in our H2 tire (BFG AT w/ sidewall kevlar) for free.

We are good friends with them....... They are a family run business and down to earth Christians.

but for the lifetime thing I dont know because shops change their mind if you finally come in.

 

I go to Firestone and have had my scion aligned 5 times in the past year...No questions asked. Your shop sounds a bit smaller...so they may not offer it. It's saved me a bundle tho.

I get the car aligned just before every big road trip...NO cost on the alignment any more and it helps MPGs...

 

Dude just do it yourself, You'll learn to do it, THEN you can do it for other people and charge them. Theres not point in wasting your money, use that money for the beer you're going to buy doing the install with a friend. Thats just my 2 cents. I work at autozone, get that damn strut compressor and learn to do something.

 

I still plan on helping you out but it just may be a few weeks.

 

Paul... Yeah Im going to wait until you can come down here. Because I just went into Franklin's Body and Auto...

The quoted me $230 for labor...... and it will take 3 freaking hours!!!!

 

$120 is crazy! I though to compress the springs and put in the billies will be around $40