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Cost for total suspension

18 years ago

I am in the process of changing the entire suspension on my 93 plymouth sundance(it's in good shape) Putting in cargo coils in the back, new shocks, new strut shocks, boots etc. What am I looking at? Less than $1000.00? I was just going to use regular after market stuff.

thanx

Jim in snowy Ontario, Canada

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Comments (5)

paparoseman
18 years ago
I would say you are looking at somewhere around $1200.00. I have a Mercedes Benz 300E and the quote for all four shocks installed plus an alinement is $980.00.

You may find a lower price, perhaps your regular mechanic can do it cheaper than a tire shop. You can also look into buying the struts, shocks and boots from an online parts warehouse and have the mechanic install them.

I know that the quoted price for the shocks at the tire shop was nearly double what high end shocks would be bought online.
john_g
18 years ago
Actually on a car like the an old Sundance, this is likely under $1000.

The key points are:

Find someone good, pay him correctly to do the job right. Fair is always a two way street, and one thing can not be said enough. "paroseman" the quote "You can also look into buying the struts, shocks and boots from an online parts warehouse and have the mechanic install them." That is actually a poor practice. The better shops and techs will actually turn a person away at the door if they attempt to do that. Again "Fair" is always a two way street, and trying to make the shop operate under priced, which means the loss of the GP from the parts sale isn't fair. Shop labor rates are designed to expect an inclusive parts gross profit per hour. Without the parts profit the labor rate is way too low for the business to thrive. If you want to carry parts in the shops labor rate would actually need to be 2-3 times higher!
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jasper60103
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Yeah, I agree. You're better off letting your mechanic sell you the part. When my honda needed shocks, I was tempted to buy them online (much cheaper), but when I called around. Some shops didn't even want the job while others wanted to charge big$$ for the job and no warranty.

I buy the part myself if its a DIY job. Otherwise, I just take the car to my mechanic.
paddle
Original Author
18 years ago
Ended up costing $780. That included front/back cargo coils, new shocks, alignment, and the shock covers? and labour. I was happy with the work done, car feels great and can hold a good load!
thanx
jim
john_g
18 years ago
Yes Shock covers. They help keep road splash off of the shock shaft seals and prolong their life. I'm glad you got this done and are pleased with the result.

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