shock change

[bustarye]

first off i hope all of you are doing well...

Now...

How hard is it really to change the shocks on my 99 QX4? I got as many different instructions as i could over the internet and they made it look easy enough...i've been told that the rear is easy, but its the FRONT that is a b!t*h because of the struts. How difficult of a job is it? My mechanic quoted me 45 bucks per shock for labor. I was thinking about doing the two rear on my own and then sacrificing the $90 for the front if its really that tough.

Thanks for any advice!!....

[bmlawless]

That's the way I've always done it.

[fueler]

he messed up when he quoted you 45 per strut, including front. Its not worth it for that little amount of money. (thats probably the right price for the rears only) I say get the estimate in writing, sign it, and be extremely happy. Its going to take even a seasoned mechanic over three hours to do just the front, the average labor rate is around $70/hr, that comes out to $210 for the fronts Question - is his labor quote if YOU provide the struts or if HE provides the struts? If its him, make sure he doesnt rip you off on the price of the struts to compensate for the low labor cost Make sure he writes the prices on the estimate before you sign. Some mechanics make you sign a blank estimate form which is not really a great idea

[bustarye]

thanks for the replys! My entire family has been going to this mechanic for YEARS and he's always done us right. All he asks is that WE buy all the parts and bring it to him. So i guess i'll just bust out the rears myself and jump on his price! Good lookin' out guys!

[fueler]

wow! Most mechanics HATE it when you bring your own parts (because they have to put a realistic amount of labor and end up making less) Its like bringing your own eggs to a restaurant and asking them to make an omelette!! Its a great deal man, definitely worth $90 for the fronts, ask surfsnowlax it took him 2 days to do the fronts his first time!!

[SnowSurfLax]

Absolutely. $90 is a steal. If I could have found someone to do it for me for $90, I would have in a heartbeat.

When looking at it, it's a relatively simple job. Probably about 20 bolts in total give or take. But, compressing those springs... Holy mother of god!

I can sum up the front struts as so:

"Make sure you have air tools and a professional spring compressor."

[bustarye]

Good to go...im definitely getting the fronts done at the shop...but just for my own peace of mind--- are the rear shocks a cake walk?