I am going to order the tockico blues sometime next week, and have a local shop put them in (they didnt hesitate because they couldnt get a hold of any shocks for my car), and I want to know what else I need to consider while their in there...... FYI, my tires wear to the inside on the front, I run about 38psi HOT all around, and it seems to pull a little to the right...... Thanks for the help....
And Fred, it will be getting its transmission flush and filter replacement at the same time :cwm27
What else should be done with shock replacement???
Give Joe a call and have him send you the rubber spring hats and all the bushings/bump stops in there, in addition to the dust covers. If your suspension is original, I think you will be very happy with how the new ride will feel. Uneven wear on the tires probably indicates you need new upper links. The pulling to the right might be tension rod bushings or alignment.
Just a real rough ballpark here, but I think new rubber all around would run about $250-300. Includes dust covers, shock bushings, spring hats, and sway bar end link bushings. The sway bar bushings make a real feelable difference in the corners and on one-sided bumps/dips. Here's a pic of some BAD sway bar end link bushings:http://home.socal.rr.com/robverna/badbush.jpgAnd an old strut bushing:http://home.socal.rr.com/robverna/cap.jpgThrow in some paper gaskets too. Upper links are about $100/each. Tension rod bushings are about $15 each...we're still trying to figure out why the orientation in the manual is different from the orientation on the factory TC rod (recent thread). New TC bushings might require another alignment.
There shouldn't be any extra labor charge at all for the strut stuff. If they try to convince you there is, then go somewhere else. Everything comes off the strut like food off a shish-kabob, and goes back on in the reverse order. It doesn't make a labor difference if they put the old stuff back on or new stuff. Make sure you ask for the old parts back just to ensure they don't accidentally forget that the new parts are sitting on the bench right behind them. The bushings in the strut act like little shock dampers. The new shocks will be stiffer and more responsive. Probably too stiff at first; new rubber will soften the impacts. The dust boots are critical for protecting the new struts from dirt and damage, keeping them functional longer. The paper gaskets go between the shock assmeblies and the body, so there's no metal-to-metal contact between the 2. For the upper links and the TC bushing, I really don't know what they'll charge. I think the upper links are an extra hour max, since they'll already have the car up and the wheels off. At that point, it's just 2 bolts to get the links off. The TC rod needs to be removed (3 bolts) and the bushing pressed in and out. Hopefully not more than an hour for those 2 as well.Rear suspension diagram (similar to Q):http://home.socal.rr.com/robverna/zrs.gif
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elwesso
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Thanks soooo much for your help.... Now, I assume Joe is going to have the best prices, and when I call him, what do I ask for (ie is there a "kit", or do I have to ask for each part individually)
I dont know if the shop Im going to is weird, but at first they wouldnt let me bring in the shocks and have them install..... They let me now because they dont know of anywhere to get them, besides the infiniti dealer....... So they let me.
I dont know if the shop Im going to is weird, but at first they wouldnt let me bring in the shocks and have them install..... They let me now because they dont know of anywhere to get them, besides the infiniti dealer....... So they let me.
That's understandable if they're pretty busy, as explained by Q45tech recently. It is a business, and they expect to make money on both the labor and the parts. By bringing in your own stuff, their income drops relative to their time and fixed costs. Only so many employees and lifts. Of course, if the guys are standing around without any work, they should appreciate any work you bring in. There's no kit that I know of, but I'm sure the prices at Scottsdale will be the best you can find, and I don't think anyone makes aftermarket shock rubber. Tell Joe you need all the rubber components for all 4 shock assemblies, and the gaskets too. Something I found very wierd was that the gaskets for front and back are almost identical, but one (can't remember which) cost about $3, and the other cost around $20!
When you call Joe, be in front of your computer if you can. Then you can log on to their site, and you'll both be looking at the same pictures, like this one:http://www.infinitipartsusa.co...=2218
When you call Joe, be in front of your computer if you can. Then you can log on to their site, and you'll both be looking at the same pictures, like this one:http://www.infinitipartsusa.co...=2218