my estimate from budget brake and muffler for suspension

[mistake]

I found a lot of their part numbers at rock auto and they are charging triple rock auto prices.

1. Replace rear calipers and pads $729

(I already replaced calipers and rotors in an attempt to fix
uneven braking. They told me there is trick to spring loaded calipers
and i prolly installed them wrong. It was same wheel, so unlikely)

2.Replace struts and shocks $1137

3. Replace both front lower control arms and sway
bar bushings $844


I told him Id have to do it if it was too expensive but he showed no mercy apparently. they are charging $89
per hour plus inflated part prices.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[ES_Revenge]

I found a lot of their part numbers at rock auto and they are charging triple rock auto prices.
Well remember Rock Auto prices are just for parts, labour is not included. Did your prices include labour or no?


1. Replace rear calipers and pads $729

(I already replaced calipers and rotors in an attempt to fix
uneven braking. They told me there is trick to spring loaded calipers
and i prolly installed them wrong. It was same wheel, so unlikely)
Might be excessive for that job but if you did this repair yourself and you didn't know what you were doing or did something wrong, it's probably better you get someone that does know how to do it, fix it this time. These are brakes afterall--a big safety item.


2.Replace struts and shocks $1137

3. Replace both front lower control arms and sway
bar bushings $844
What kind of car is this?


I told him Id have to do it if it was too expensive but he showed no mercy apparently. they are charging $89
per hour plus inflated part prices.
Well I woudn't get into the "I'd have to do it" just yet, particularly given you may have done something wrong with the brakes the first time! If the mechanic knows you're likely to mess up again why is he going to give you a different price--he knows you're going to be coming back after doing something else wrong, lol.

Remember that replacing these parts, you're also not always going to run into a text-book replacement either. There's always going to be something you didn't plan for, some tool you don't have, something that is rusted to crap and won't budge, etc. With the mechanic you never have to deal with that frustration or complication.

Also good luck with the bushings, lol. Most cars if you don't have the compression tools to install the bushings you're going to be real frustrated ( :mad: ) trying to get the new bushings installed in the arms--you may have to take the arms and bushings somewhere for them to put them in. Sway bar endlinks are easy enough but you'll want to have a helper for sure as one will probably have to pry the stabiliser bar while the other installs the endlink/bushings.

That said, I would say shop around and see if you can get better rates. Personally with these components even if I had someone doing the work for me (which I wouldn't, lol) I would still pick out what parts I wanted--you don't want them throwing any old struts, rotors, pads, etc. on there right? Perhaps you can get a shop to install your own parts and that way you will at least save on part prices.

Finally you will have to add an alignment to that total, as replacing struts and other suspension components will require an alignment afterwards--something you definitely can't do [properly] on your own.

[Pete_Coach]

I found a lot of their part numbers at rock auto and they are charging triple rock auto prices.

1. Replace rear calipers and pads $729

(I already replaced calipers and rotors in an attempt to fix
uneven braking. They told me there is trick to spring loaded calipers
and i prolly installed them wrong. It was same wheel, so unlikely)


2.Replace struts and shocks $1137


3. Replace both front lower control arms and sway
bar bushings $844



I told him Id have to do it if it was too expensive but he showed no mercy apparently. they are charging $89
per hour plus inflated part prices.




1. Even if you made a mistake, the cost of replacing these should not be that high

2. You have one or the other. Normally, struts in front, shocks in rear. Quoted price much too high regardless. Replacing all 4 is unusual for a daily driver passenger car. (depending on age and mileage)

3. As this can be done simultaneously when replacing the front struts, it seems very high regardless.

Like most things, get a second (or even third opinion. How did they come to the conclusion you needed all this work? What are your symptoms? Are you sure somebody did not do a good upselling job on you?

[mistake]

I'm pretty sure this is typical of what mechanics charge. I guess they would make it cheaper if i did the struts and ball joints at the same time. In a competitive market place, it surprises me that they can command this much for these services. I mean, Im surprised by their profit margins. I have been measuring my camber and toe lately and I'm surprised that I come within a mm after several repeats. Thanks for the input, guys. Appreciated.

[ES_Revenge]

3. As this can be done simultaneously when replacing the front struts, it seems very high regardless.
The stabiliser bar endlinks are easy enough perhaps, but the control arm bushings and the inner stabiliser bushings? You don't have to remove the control arms on most cars to remove the strut, so to take out the control arm that's additional work. Most of the stuff will be disassembled already, sure, but it is a bit more work.

One thing I wasn't sure about was on #3 did the OP mean the control arm bushings were being replaced or the entire arms? The only reason to replace the arms would be if they were bent or damaged. New control arms are usually expensive (which might explain the high price) but they often come with the soft parts pre-installed (bushings, ball joint, etc.).

That said not all of that has to be done, however depending on mileage and last replacement (if ever), it could be a good idea if you plan on keeping the car for the long term.

Many cars have gone a long enough time/distance and never had any suspension components replaced that they need all four absorbers (struts, shocks, whatever) replaced at once. A strut or shock doesn't have to be totally gone or leaked to replace it. Last time I replaced mine I did all four and I'll be replacing all four again this year sometime. Of course the OP doesn't have to replace all or any of them--I've been in/felt tons of cars with shocks so worn it's not funny yet they keep driving around on them anyway, lol.


I'm pretty sure this is typical of what mechanics charge. I guess they would make it cheaper if i did the struts and ball joints at the same time. In a competitive market place, it surprises me that they can command this much for these services. I mean, Im surprised by their profit margins. I have been measuring my camber and toe lately and I'm surprised that I come within a mm after several repeats.
Again it would be helpful if we knew what kind of car it was because these services can vary from car to car based on complexity and parts. I'm not sure how the ball joints would then make strut replacement cheaper though. That's only adding parts and labour (sometimes ball joints are riveted and have to be drilled out and the replacements bolted in). If you get the control arms out and the ball joints are worn or iffy, then it's a might-as-well; but otherwise I don't get how more parts will make things cheaper.

Doing all this work, you're essentially rebuilding your entire suspension and the question remains, does all of that need to be done? Don't change control arm bushings unless they're actually popped out or otherwise torn/damaged; definitely don't change the entire arms unless they are damaged. Don't change the stabiliser bushings unless it's really required either. If the endlinks have to be removed when doing the control arm work, you will probably want to replace those (they often get rusted to crap anyway and have to be broken/cut off). However if they don't need to be removed and they are okay, no need to replace those either. If those things are actually not damaged, you're better off putting your money into new strut mounts/strut mount bearings than those parts.

Though it may surprise you, you will find that prices for the same work can vary widely. Again sometimes it's to do with the parts they use and/or the markup on the parts, as well as their labour rate. Provided they use the "book labour rate" for that service, it will be the same labour time everywhere and you just have to worry about the hourly rate. Also look out for specials at various places--those can save you some money.

Mechanics "can command" whatever they want really and a lot of people will just fork it out. They can recommend replacing things that don't need replacement; repairing things that don't need repairing; etc. The joke on Seinfeld about mechanics telling you that you "need a new Johnson rod" is not far from the truth, and unfortunately many people don't have a clue and just go along with it. Not all are like this though which is why you can find vastly different estimates from one place to another.

As for your alignment specifications, how are you checking that? Just by going with the specs they print out? Thing is with alignment you can have it checked and not aligned but since they have to put the packs on anyway, it usually isn't much more to get the car aligned. "Within a mm" doesn't mean much either because every car has a +/- tolerance that's accepted for that vehicle. A few mm on one car can be within tolerance, on another it might be out of spec. and require alignment. But if you're always within spec, why bother getting alignments done at all? Just leave it until there's a steering or tyre wear issue (or when you get suspension work done).

[mistake]

I told the guy upfront that I would do the work myself if it got very expensive so he didnt have much motive to oversell. My car is 1991 240sx
with almost 300,000 kms.

The quote was for just the ball joints. Im buying two complete quality control arms for a total of $115 from pdm in burnaby. they have a special. normally, id buy from rock auto, etc and they charge $55 each for control arm(includes ball joint and bushings preinstalled) or $35 each for ball joint.

The struts are about $50 each so i will probably replace. I might get a second opinion on some issues or get the bcaa inspection guy to go over whole car. thanks for the help.

I'd just buy a newer car if I didnt do this work myself. It is kind of a hobby.

re alignment, I go by the factory service manual specs. I just use a string and tape measure and level to measure toe and cam. I seem
to at least be consistent with the results.

[Pete_Coach]

I told the guy upfront that I would do the work myself if it got very expensive so he didnt have much motive to oversell. My car is 1991 240sx
with almost 300,000 kms.

The quote was for just the ball joints. Im buying two complete quality control arms for a total of $115 from pdm in burnaby. they have a special. normally, id buy from rock auto, etc and they charge $55 each for control arm(includes ball joint and bushings preinstalled) or $35 each for ball joint.

The struts are about $50 each so i will probably replace. I might get a second opinion on some issues or get the bcaa inspection guy to go over whole car. thanks for the help.

I'd just buy a newer car if I didnt do this work myself. It is kind of a hobby.

re alignment, I go by the factory service manual specs. I just use a string and tape measure and level to measure toe and cam. I seem
to at least be consistent with the results.
Short of beating the snot out of the front end, changing out the control arms, bushings, rod ends is easier done whilst removing and replacing the front struts. You have access and clearances to do the job properly.
http://www.devster.net/roni/web/m30_files/image025.jpg
If you wish to do this, just do it safely. Struts can be tricky and can hurt you if done improperly. Here in Ottawa we just had an incident of a car dropping off jacks and pinning a guy.
As for an alignment, well, the old string and tape or counting threads is good enough to get you to an alignment shop. Please do pay the shop and get a good 4 wheel alignment. It will make a world of difference in handling.