Shock absorbers - Labor to replace

[Trade Wind]

Was surprised to get a quote from a small garage for almost $600 labor only to replace all four shocks. Anyone done it or had it done? Does that sound way high?

 

[Michel61]

The labor ONLY on your Passat should be around $216. That includes the alignment.

 

[tdiatlast]

Pricing is always regional, but I think both the above quotes are way off.

Hopefully someone with the exact "book" labor time will post, as a starting point.

 

[Mark SF]

At the front you have to remove the struts, and take them apart to change the shock inserts. This could easily take 2 hours per front. Then assuming one hour each for the rears, you have 6 hours.

How the hell do you get $216 including an alignment?

 

[740GLE]

took me about 4 hours to do the rears on the jetta but I was enjoying time in the garage, not a hard task to do at home at all.

Fronts are def more tricky.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

$600 probably isn't that far off, especially if it includes an alignment.

 

[Michel61]

I figure $45.00 per side for the front struts. And $18.00 per side on the rear. The rear are just regular shocks not struts like the front. Takes 1/2 hr to put the rear shocks on. And about $90.00 to do a 4 way alignment

 

[Mark SF]

I figure $45.00 per side for the front struts. And $18.00 per side on the rear. The rear are just regular shocks not struts like the front. Takes 1/2 hr to put the rear shocks on. And about $90.00 to do a 4 way alignment

While I am willing to believe you can find somoone willing to work on your car for $22.50 an hour, probably called Bubba, the going rate for a good shop is considerably more.

 

[dc2002]

An old rule of thumb i was told was 1 hour per "strut" and 30 min per "shock".

So 3 hours for the shocks/struts = lets just use $100/hr = $300
Plus $90 for an alignmnet

$390 or thereabouts should be a more than reasonable estimate.

 

[whitedog]

An old rule of thumb i was told was 1 hour per "strut" and 30 min per "shock".

So 3 hours for the shocks/struts = lets just use $100/hr = $300
Plus $90 for an alignmnet

$390 or thereabouts should be a more than reasonable estimate.

But remember this is a VW, so the Germans will make it more difficult.

Mitchell calls for 3.1 hours to R&R both front assemblies with another half hour per side to swap the strut for a total of 4.1 Hours.

On the rear it calls for 2.2 hours to R&R both assemblies with another .2 hours per side for "Spring &/or top mount - replace" for a total of 2.6 hours.

That's a total of 6.7 hours at $90/hour = $603.

I'm not saying that this is what should be charged, but this is what Mitchell calls for. And remember that many shops will just use "flat rate" as a guideline. Live in the rust belt and got rust and stuck bolts/nuts? Extra time. Got custom suspension? Extra time.

Me? I would quote 7 hours, then if I'm more than about 20% under, I split the difference.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

I just dropped my car off at my local guru's for a wheel rotation and balance, and asked him about this. He said the shop time for struts and shocks replacement on an NMS is 6.5 hours. He had recently looked it up because he thought it was 4 hours, like the older cars, but he could barely get it done in 4, and he works fast.

So if you use $100/hour as an example labor rate you're at $650, plus alignment.

 

[Trade Wind]

The small shop actually charged me $580 with tax. He said he was surprised to see the hours guide give him over 6 hours. I asked if he would keep track of his time and help me out if it came in a lot less than 6 hours, he said yes.

I originally thought it was high, but the only reference I had was my 99 GMC Sierra 1500. I did those myself and it was about as easy a job as you could hope for, only a few leisurely hours. No struts or integrated springs. I pulled a front and rear wheel off the Passat, and after looking it over (and trying to find a good Youtube procedure, which by the way I could not) I decided I would be in over my head. Sounds like $580 maybe wasn't a bargain but at least was fair.

BTW I went with Bilstein OE. No noticeable change in ride from original VW shocks, still rides awesome. I'm on my 2nd set of Continental Eco Plus rear tires since buying the car with 72,000 miles (what came on the car, then at 76,000 miles I swapped front to back and put used Michelins on the front). Rear tires had faint howling noise when I bought car. I swapped front to back at 76,000 miles, howling went away, but now at 90,000 miles it came back.

Howling is actually not that big a deal, only hear it on really smooth roads, and it is faint. But I just want to fix root cause before investing in new tires.

So... new shocks, 5,000 mile rotation, and alignments every 6 or 12 months (I paid for lifetime alignment at Tires Plus) is the plan going forward. I'll probably put the front tires on the rear now and wait another 10,000 - 15,000 miles (6-9 months for me) to make sure the problem is fixed before investing in new tires.

Anyone having similar problems as above, I'd love to hear about it!

 

[oilhammer]

Alldata does not show labor time for struts for the NMS for some reason. Mitchell shows 3.1 hr for both fronts, 2.2 hr for both rears, so 5.3hr total, multiply that by the shop's labor rate, and there you go.

So at our shop, the labor alone would be about $530.

 

[oilhammer]

The labor ONLY on your Passat should be around $216. That includes the alignment.

Boy you work CHEAP. Heck, I'd pay you to work on my own cars for that!

 

[ben2mx]

The small shop actually charged me $580 with tax. He said he was surprised to see the hours guide give him over 6 hours. I asked if he would keep track of his time and help me out if it came in a lot less than 6 hours, he said yes.

I originally thought it was high, but the only reference I had was my 99 GMC Sierra 1500. I did those myself and it was about as easy a job as you could hope for, only a few leisurely hours. No struts or integrated springs. I pulled a front and rear wheel off the Passat, and after looking it over (and trying to find a good Youtube procedure, which by the way I could not) I decided I would be in over my head. Sounds like $580 maybe wasn't a bargain but at least was fair.

BTW I went with Bilstein OE. No noticeable change in ride from original VW shocks, still rides awesome. I'm on my 2nd set of Continental Eco Plus rear tires since buying the car with 72,000 miles (what came on the car, then at 76,000 miles I swapped front to back and put used Michelins on the front). Rear tires had faint howling noise when I bought car. I swapped front to back at 76,000 miles, howling went away, but now at 90,000 miles it came back.

Howling is actually not that big a deal, only hear it on really smooth roads, and it is faint. But I just want to fix root cause before investing in new tires.

So... new shocks, 5,000 mile rotation, and alignments every 6 or 12 months (I paid for lifetime alignment at Tires Plus) is the plan going forward. I'll probably put the front tires on the rear now and wait another 10,000 - 15,000 miles (6-9 months for me) to make sure the problem is fixed before investing in new tires.

Anyone having similar problems as above, I'd love to hear about it!

Did you consider getting something more stiffer? What other options was there to choose from? Also, To me it seems like the car would first need front shocks and then eventually the rears, right?

What front suspension parts would be needed to be replaced if I get the "wood deck" sound when I go over a speed bump and brake completely right after it. Like a dried, worn out bushing (but I dont know from where).

 

[gforce1108]

Did you consider getting something more stiffer? What other options was there to choose from? Also, To me it seems like the car would first need front shocks and then eventually the rears, right?
What front suspension parts would be needed to be replaced if I get the "wood deck" sound when I go over a speed bump and brake completely right after it. Like a dried, worn out bushing (but I dont know from where).

There are quite a few options since the NMS is not really much different than a newer Jetta suspension wise - you just may not find a listing for it in a catalog (check the vwvortex). I have a set of Koni Yellows in the box ready to install but Koni did not have an official listing for it.

I always replace the strut mounts when doing struts. I've picked up the newer Audi TT style mounts since they are supposed to hold up better to lowering springs. Also - the sway bar end links are known to cause clunking noises.

 

[oilhammer]

I have replaced quite a few sway bar links on the NMS already. VAG/VoA must have sourced them from the same morons that make them for some GM and ChryCo vehicles.

 

[MichaelB]

I have replaced quite a few sway bar links on the NMS already. VAG/VoA must have sourced them from the same morons that make them for some GM and ChryCo vehicles.

Front or rear or both. I had to replace the rears. Any aftermarket suggestions if they fail again?

 

[oilhammer]

I have only done the fronts, and I used Lemforder brand (they are the same as the A5, A6, and B6 cars).

They were clearly different (better) than the originals. I don't think the NMS got the Lemforder supplied links like other VAG products did, as even the Puebla-built cars do not seem to fail like these do.

 

[whitedog]

Alldata does not show labor time for struts for the NMS for some reason. Mitchell shows 3.1 hr for both fronts, 2.2 hr for both rears, so 5.3hr total, multiply that by the shop's labor rate, and there you go.
So at our shop, the labor alone would be about $530.

So that's just changing assemblies , correct? To do just the struts would be another hour?

 

[Michel61]

I got a quote from Les Schwab Tire Center. Sorry I couldnt just insert this PDF. I was wrong about the labor for the rear shocks. They want $60.00 per shock and only $42.00 per side for the front struts. They sale KYB. They said if you want a different brand shock the labor would be the same.

Les Schwab Quote

Vehicle Information
Vehicle: Color: Mileage: license:
Qty Product Code Product Description Price/ea FET Amount
2 15768 STRUT ASSEMBLY INSTALL PACKAGE $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 2 147015 335808 EXCEL STRUT $163.30 $0.00 $326.60 2 13542 STRUT ASSM LABOR $42.00 $0.00 $84.00 2 15790 SPEC APP INSTALL PACKAGE (KQ) $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 2 145736 344459 EXCEL SHOCK $98.79 $0.00 $197.58 2 13550 SPECIAL APPLICATIONS LABOR $60.00 $0.00 $120.00
15814 AL7 4-WHEEL ALIGNMENT W/SHIMS $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
123308 4 WHEEL ALIGNMENT -DOMESTIC/IMPORT CARS $83.50 $0.00 $83.50
(SHIMS INCLUDED)
Sales Tax: $68.18
Tire Tax: $0.00
Quotation Total: $879.86
• indicates

 

[tdiatlast]

Michel61: Installing a strut assembly is a whole lot simpler than disassembling the assembly and installing the strut insert. That's where the cost difference is.

 

[MichaelB]

Les Schwab is the Jiffy Lube of car repair centers..........good luck with that! If they can even do a strut and shock install correctly on a VW they figure in their margin in the sale of cheap parts. The labor charge is a come on. Quotation Total: $879.86

Boy you work CHEAP. Heck, I'd pay you to work on my own cars for that!

 

[oilhammer]

We joke in our shop that KYB stands for Keep Your Bilsteins. I would NEVER want KYBs on anything, ever. Lots of Japanese branded cars come with them, and those are ALWAYS the ones that are blown. Like, spewing juice out and completely totally shot, and often before 100k miles of use. Some GM products use them, too, and the same thing happens. Everyone has seen a Cobalt or HHR rolling down the highway with a wheel going bananas bouncing up and down... those are courtesy of KYB. In my youth I worked for a parts wholesaler that carried KYB, and they had a constant flow of warranty send backs. They are great for their performance, but very short lived. There are FAR better products out there. Even the generic Monroe or Gabriel made stuff is better.

As far as the times go, we would be replacing the actual shock absorber inside the assembly, not just R&Ring them. And swapping struts out in a proper professional level wall mounting spring compressor (like our Brannick, for instance), is a quick and easy task. It is more labor intensive to get the assembly out of the car and put it back in. The actual spring compression and swap is probably 10 minutes per unit, and that includes walking across the shop and getting the new ones out of the box.

 

[tdiatlast]

Thanks for the correction, that removing the assembly is tougher than the disassembly of the unit. I learn something new every day!

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

I've had KYB adjustables on two track day cars. They're great, as long as you realize they will last about 10K miles.

 

[whitedog]

For the amount of strut work I do, a nice wall mounted compressor would take way to long to pay for it's self. But isn't that how you pay for it? They say .5 hr to replace the shock absorber, but if it takes you .1 hr, the other .4 hr goes into the tool accrual account.

 

[jjblbi]

Don't forget the torch time cutting off the front sway bar end link when the super torx bit head strips. After 2.5 years in service, ~ 60k miles. Ask me how I know...

 

[Mark SF]

Don't forget the torch time cutting off the front sway bar end link when the super torx bit head strips. After 2.5 years in service, ~ 60k miles. Ask me how I know...

Should have used an impact driver.

 

[oilhammer]

Should have used an impact driver.

That doesn't always work.