rebuild front struts???

[trevorg]

I took my '89 535i to the shop for new exhaust and susp. work. They told me that the front struts on my car could be rebuilt for about $70 a piece in parts. This was a shock to me as everything I'd checked on in the past on my own never said anything regarding rebuilding the struts. Am I blind or is my mechanic mistaken?

[Mr Project]

I would think they are talking about replacing the inserts.

[Robin-535im]

It depends on what parts... Thrust arms can be that cheap, maybe they use the word "struts" to refer to the whole front end?

I'd guess that 80% of the members here have mostly- to completely-new suspensions (struts, bushings, mounts, springs, sways) because it makes the car so tremendously better on the road. It looks like you've been given the excuse you need to dive in and make that 535 handle better than new!

[632 Regal]

70 dollars a piece labor....new struts are extra. I'll bet you heard him wrong or he wants you to assume you can have them done for only 140 bux.

[trevorg]

The whole front end suspension job is going to be $450. He's going to replace the inserts in the struts, bushings, labor, no sway bars or anything, alignment, rotate / balance the wheels, tax, etc. You're right though - he's not replacing the whole strut - just the inserts, I guess I was the one to use the word "rebuild." Basically I just want the car to give a good ride, close to how it came from the factory. I had planned on doing much of the work on the car myself but it's been sitting in my garage since Sept and I kinda wanted to start driving it soooo I'm going to spend some money on labor I guess.

[liquidtiger720]

70 dollars a piece labor....new struts are extra. I'll bet you heard him wrong or he wants you to assume you can have them done for only 140 bux.

70 a piece is quite a bit. I believe shops do it around here for 50 a peice for installing new shox.springs, etc.

[632 Regal]

the first time I replaced my springs which is similar to replacing the struts I had so much fun that I would have gladly paid 140 for someone to do it for me. It is time consuming and kinda challanging without any experience and there is always the variable of breaking **** in the process that could cost way more than that quoted price so all in all it's really not that bad in my eyes. Kinda like the simple job of replacing brake pads where when on assembly I somehow stripped some strange 1/2 size metric bolt...not an available tap especially with out a ride. I now ONLY remove the calipers by the main "large" thread bolts and leave the others as a reminder. Brakes and other work is still easy this way but a lesson learned.

70 a piece is quite a bit. I believe shops do it around here for 50 a peice for installing new shox.springs, etc.

[liquidtiger720]

True, it all depends really. If I didnt have a mechanic helping me, I wouldnt do much of anything on my own car...I would be too scared (i am even scared to change the oil sometimes!!).
~ I wonder how much it would cost for a shop to install a whole shock/spring kit. Upper/lower control arms, sway bar links, tie rod ends, centerlink, and various misc. parts. I paid 250 to have my differntial seals replaced...and the parts alone cost a whopping $25. So price is always dependant on the job/person =)

[632 Regal]

it totally matters where you go, job loads, cost per hour, the want to make something vs learning curve etc... having someone knowledgeable is a great asset, keeps you out of the swamp at times. Thats why it's good to network with people in your local hood with the same cars and want to spend a couple days thrashing on each others cars. Amazing what can be done with help vs being alone, 2/3 more can be done with one helper imagine 2 other people wanting to do a work day?