How long should front coil-over assembly take?

Hey guys,

I want to pick your brain and get your thoughts, please.

Long story short, I've got a pair of front coil-overs (non-adjustable.. just a spring and shock like OE) that are assembled and new. However, I need to swap the two upper shock shaft bushings and retainers with some others that I have in a baggie.

This of course means that the assembly needs to be mounted to a wall-mounted spring compressor, spring compressed, top-hat nut removed, bushings slid off then new ones slid on, nut tightened to spec, spring uncompressed, then assembly removed from compressor.

I'm trying to find someone to do this near me for a reasonable price because I'm not sure if I can even use a rent-able spring compressor due to tight spring coil spacing.

I've gotten two quotes so far and one charged $130 an hour, the other $95 an hour. Dang, I am in the wrong biz.

The real issue is that the guys are feeding me that this will take "an hour to an hour-and-a-half."

$150 for this!?! Are you kidding me?

When I think about how long this would take ME, an untrained home-mechanic, I feel like it would take 15 minutes per assembly, TOPS.

So what do I need to do? Get pushy that it shouldn't take so long? I usually just let my vendor have a chance at winning my biz and don't like to haggle. If they are greedy I move on. But it's starting to seem like they're all greedy around here (good ol' principle agent problem), so should I just offer $60 up front and take it or leave it?

Am I being unrealistic / unreasonable? I get that they need to make a living, and that it can be a risky biz.. but c'mon, this is elementary and I don't think I should pad their bottom line with it lol. If only I had a friend in the biz...

Appreciate your thoughts!

 

I think an hour is the minimum a mechanic will charge you for a job like this. I haven't heard of any that would go by 15 minute increments.

If you want to save the money install your assembled struts like they are, then do the "no spring compressor method" to change out the bushings.

 

Their rate is their rate.

If you can find someone that bills by every 15 minutes more power to you.

 

If you think those rates are high, get a quote from a plumber or electrician.

 

They're running businesses. With that comes expenses you may not be considering. Both labor rates sound in line as far as shop rates go, today. The one thing you might do is 'ask' if either would do it for $100.00 cash. They'll either take it or they wont.

 

Thanks for the replies. Yeah I may have been a little unreasonable at first, stemming from my college-boy mechanic mentality. I get that they have a roof to provide, had to buy the tool, etc. etc. So now I've raised my "fair" rate to $80 lol. But seriously, it's looking like this will cost me at least $100 cash. Ugh. Thanks Wheeler's.

I looked into the "no spring compressor method." Ehhh.. eh. I honestly appreciate the tip. Would have been all over that 5-10 years ago. Today, I think I'll cough up the hundo. Still considering it though... I'm not saying it's "dumb" or anything.. I just especially don't like the part when you are re-installing the shock and have to line up the shaft with the top-mount hole.. I'd be very surprised if someone told me that the shaft always goes right into the hole without needing any help (....), and I don't want to be anywhere near that when it's happening. I guess it depends on the spring though. Maybe I'm thinking about this wrong, but I feel like a tall spring would be more compressed by the time the shock shaft reaches the upper mount, so that's a bit dicey. I guess a shorter or less stiff spring wouldn't be as bad. It all comes down to how compressed the spring is before the shaft is through the hole.. which I have no idea of because I've never tried it.

Eff it. I think I'm just gonna try the scary method. I can't justify paying so much for something that is so easy to do. One day I'll own a mounted spring compressor...

Any tips, @nimby ??

Cheers.

 

When I commented I paid around $1500 just for labor for suspension lift with UCA on a different group many people were commenting that's bad. I think it was around $1300-$1400 I paid. I guess people don't understand different shops have different rates.

 

It is what it is.

If I wanted a nationally top-rated Toyota shop to install my lift, I'd expect to pay luxury prices. Sadly, in today's world, only a "luxury" mechanic can be trusted to (hopefully) do it right. So I still do it myself because I don't have that kinda cash right now, and I wouldn't trust an average mechanic worth squat to install an aftermarket suspension on my 4Runner. Heck, Wheeler's, a reputable off-road shop, didn't even assemble my fronts correctly!

Once you establish you'll do it correctly, every time, you can charge whatever you want. Eventually I'll hopefully have deep pockets and can go that route.

Sheesh, $1500 is a lot, though. ~$1000 seems more reasonable. Again, though.. if they stay busy, why wouldn't they?

The mechanics in my area must be busy right now. Good for them. Just not a good time for me to need assistance with something small like this. Oh well.

lol though. I was thinking to myself.. "If it takes them 1.5 hours just to assemble the fronts, how freaking long would it take them to install the entire lift?!" I just can't imagine shelling out $700+ to some random mechanic for a lift install then seeing the various incorrect results lmao. I see it all the time online.. misaligned spring seats, etc. etc. I'd lose it. You think you're gonna get your money back if you find an error?? Ha! Even though, to my brain, that discovered error establishes the mechanic's inability to deliver what was promised.. other people don't look at it that way somehow. As my mechanic, you get one chance. One. And you can blame your lazy and/or incompetent colleagues for that. So I'd want my money back and to go somewhere else. Time to risk it on another shop! Or do it myself, which is exactly what I do.

 

That is bad no matter what shop you go to.

 

I don't remember the top shock mount (threaded bolt) having any issue lining up with the top plate hole. I think it went fairly smoothly. It was a few years ago. I'll have to go back and look at the method online to jog my memory when I have a chance. I'll keep you posted.

What I can say is that yes, it does sound a little sketch at first. Once you're in there, you realize that it's not sketchy at all. Full droop of the IFS definitely relieves all the pressure off the coil.

Is this the method you watched? This is the one I followed:

https://youtu.be/5E6u7dC7EHg

https://youtu.be/jo0FJSi-KYs

 

Saw this when looking at alternate versions of spring compressors:

I wonder if anyone on here has ever tried one of these...it seems to have a lot of positive reviews, which a lot mention that this is much easier to use than the two separate screw-type spring compressors...

And...a YT video of how it's used, starting at about 3:30

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lX7U47F8S9I

 

It seems like a lot to me as well, but labor rates are different everywhere you go.

Still, I'd love to see anyone install a complete lift with UCA's in a parking lot in 2 hours. Mine took longer than that with a 2-post lift and 2 guys. The guy is probably full of shit.

 

Oops, I just checked the labor cost. I was wrong. its $1000 (750 suspension + 250 uca). Rest is the labor for A-arm skid + shock guards + lower link skids + diff skid.

 

It is said, memory is the first thing to go.


kidding

 

I've watched a few vids at this point, @nimby . It all looks pretty straight forward so I'm not very concerned. I'll just be careful, and go into it patiently, as I try to with car mods these days. They always seem to require more time than I anticipate, lol, and require an extra trip to the store for some various tool or bolt. Assuming it goes smoothly, I'll be very happy to have not pissed away another $150 toward what was supposed to be an easy and "cheap" lift kit.

Cheers.

 

That doesn't actually seem bad.

Haha!!

 

@koukimonster as I've gotten older I don't allow time to be my enemy. Instead I allow the clock to run as long as it needs to, as long as the end result is what was wanted. fwiw

 

Yeah trying to get there, too. Hard when your boss disagrees.

Haha but really.. for me it's more that I'm still installing parts out of my mom's garage.. so one starts to get annoyed at 8 PM on a Sunday evening.. lol. It'll all be different when I have my own.

 

It is pretty straightforward, I've done it many times. It's pretty easy to keep it slow and controlled. It is possible that you might have to do a little aligning of the shaft when reinstalling, but it shouldn't feel as sketchy as it sounds once you're actually doing it.

And it's all way less sketchy then using the typical clamping or bolt/hook type compressors.

 

Positive I will never use another spring compressor after watching those videos no way.
Thanks for posting the videos.

 

It's so easy to do without the spring compressor, I honestly don't know why people use them on our trucks......the exception being adjustable coilovers.