Hey guys
I got a quote of $825 to get my front laser shocks replaced and it seems a tad high.
If the parts are $200 a side then it means the labour price is about the same.
Is 2 hours per side fair for professionals or are they taking me for a ride?
Cheers
Should be about 30-45 mins for each one. Hour each seems high but not quite rip-off.
Did they give you a breakdown quote? Are you comparing $200 parts with eBay or from them?
Yeah I'd have to get it itemized before judging. 200 a side would be closer to 2 hours labor per side. But it may have extras like an alignment in there too I guess
Not a mechanic, it doesn't seem awful. Get a second quote and go with the cheapest.
You are also paying for their "expertise" and the tools they have to use.
Not the answer your looking for, but i'd spend the money and get a newer car.
Safety features alone since 2000's have increased dramatically
Its something I wrestle with, but reliable older cars that are cheap to run and only require 3rd party insurance do have some benefits :)
$800 for new shocks or $5k for a newer car. If it’s got at least two airbags and ABS then more ‘dramatically better’ safety features will cost a lot more than $5k too. Not a tough decision for many.
My comment was more about frame design changes since 20 years ago.
(impact absorption, rather than solid frame cars that transmit the impact through your body)
While I’m sure the impact qualities of cars are incrementally improving I reckon you’d need to go back to the 80s to find a car that didn’t have crumple zones and some form of rigid passenger shell. Back when bumpers were steel.
The best safety systems are about crash avoidance, and the best crash avoidance technology we have is the squishy bit in the skull that controls an alert driver.
My GF owns a 2000 Mazda 323 (same caras a laser) and it's a great, well built car for the era. Very safe, very reliable, fun to drive.
hi ford laser guy (i remember you posting another thread before?)
shocks aren't that bad to do yourself if you've got an impact wrench, there's some coil compressors at supercheapauto you need around $40, and the usual impact sockets from any socket set, car jack/stands etc (can use your spare tyre jack and some bricks).
plenty of youtube videos. for such an old car (i have one too), i really wouldn't waste $800 on labour. you're absolutely being taken for a ride but that may be the norm for the state you live in.
i paid around $150 on ebay for a similar old car and they were the branded ones (KYB?)
if you're male and 34 years old i really have to assume you can do this. unless you're a beta male, in which case, yeah….too bad.
The $825 included parts, but yeah given the parts would be c.$300 it's a tad high.
And yes I'll seek out my mechanical mates. I can do basic maintenance but I probably wouldn't extend that to critical systems on my own lol
You're not a REAL man unless blah blah blah
You're not a REAL man unless….
you can admit your shortcomings and recognise that it might be better to hand over to an expert.
(I realise it’s probably tongue in cheek, but toxic masculinity and all)
I would highly recommend against doing DIY youtube mechanics for the first time on shocks/springs.
You still have to take it somewhere to be aligned etc after, and the potential for springs to cause significant damage if compressors aren't used correctly is high (or even if they are used correctly). I hate using them after years of doing so.
Also tightening strut tops/bolts/control arms with a $20 socket set is unlikely to get you anywhere near enough torque as is needed, posing risks down the track.
Edit: In response to OP I would say the labour is on the longer side. An hour per strut should be ample time to do it.
alignment has nothing to do with shocks for a car this old. and yes springs can kill you but the same goes for any mechanic really. if the compressors fail then SCA would be up for a lawsuit, chances are they at least have this level of QC. buying brand new ones probably isn't going to be an issue.
think there's a proper machine for quality mechanics and suspension places.
it wouldn't be ozbargain if he didn't want to save some money. just throwing it out there that it's really not that hard if already got most of the expensive stuff (ie. impact wrench (was also why i said impact sockets)) can easily take it for a dedicated alignment afterwards if needed (which probably wasn't quoted either)
now excuse me while i boycott gilette ;)
Hour a corner is the general charge.
$3-400 for parts, $100 for a wheel alignment and 3 hours sounds reasonable.
i think its expensive for an old car . OP will you be using the car for another 3-4 years? Why dont you check ebay for parts ? they are much cheaper and you can get 2 for like 130
Yeah mate, I'm leaning towards buying the parts online so just trying to figure out what to pay in labour. $100-150 a side seems fair so far
The shocks may be $200 a side, but how much are the strut top bearings? They aren't always cheap.
Only a really shit mechanic would reuse completely f-ed old bushes.
If I had to guess a breakdown, I would say, $400 for struts, $100 for bearings, $80 for a wheel alignment, and $220/labour, which is about 2 hours work. Sounds about right.
Should be a complete strut for that price. Repco sell them assembled with spring, bump stop and strut top. No stuffing around with spring compressors.
I suppose it would depend on the brand used.
Man, on a car like that, 3 bolts on the top and probably 2 at the bottom and they come out
Just thought a cheaper option might be to put a couple of high quality new tyres on the front?
no if your shocks are rooted then you will eventually have a lowrider that you don't want (i've driven like this). it's very bad. unless your shocks still have some life in them and you just want to sell?
I don't think they're rooted in the safety sense. Just that they're the originals so probably out of gas so you just feel every little bump in the road.
bumps are felt with this car, it doesn't have the best suspension. but if it feels bouncy, or if you go around the corner pushing down on each corner and it feels 'soft' then it might be time to change them.
oh well, mechanics will charge you probably 2 hours for 1.0005 hrs work + they make a commission on parts etc.
because….
"mechanics are like prostitutes, they earn all their money laying on their back"
(old dad joke)
How will that help?
sell the problem to someone else ;)
As someone who once owned his own workshop, I would charge between 1 and a half to 2 hours to replace the pair on this type of vehicle as it's fairly straightforward. Wheel alignment recommended but not necessarily. From memory lasers had the camber adjustment on the strut to hub mounting bolts however I am thinking that may have been the early lasers ie mid 80s 90s.
Thanks mate, so around $300 labour for the front shocks would be pretty reasonable?
Still a bit high. Maybe with wheel alignment at that price. Depending where you live as labour rates differ state to state and regions average labour rates $80 to $120 an hour plus $60 to $80 for a front wheel alignment. Do the maths.
Check part numbers in this ad. NOS Gabriel shocks for $10 each. Postage might sting a bit.
https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/invermay/brakes-suspension/s…
My GF has a 2000 Mazda 323 (same as the laser).
I did the rear struts last year.
A pair of quality Gabriel rear struts were $250 off ebay from superspares.
It took 3 hours to change them working off jack stands and not having done that model car before (30 years ago I did suspension & brakes for a living but I'm way out of practice) and being too lazy to get out the air tools. A good mech with a hoist and air tools will take a maximum 45 mins per side plus a wheel alignment.
Budget on having to replace the bump stop (about $30/pair) and maybe the top mounts ($80).
If they need 4 hours then they either don't know what they are doing or they don't want the job.
These should fit
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/2-Front-Gabriel-Ultra-Strut-Shoc…
Thanks Brad ;)
What state do you live in?
Maybe someone can refer you to a mechanic that has reasonable prices.
It does seem like a bit much, maybe get quotes from other places too ?