Lowering Springs Install Price?

[Acadia18]

I hate videos like this, forcing the lower control arm down like that is a great way to break the endlinks. Takes 30 seconds longer to remove that and take the spring out with ease.

There's no excuse to take a shortcut on changing the rears. It's stupid easy.

 

[AntErrickson]

I know technically springs are different, but it's similar so here it goes. just for reference.
I just priced out coil-over install from a pretty reputable Euro shop in my area and he said it would probably take about 5-6 hours in total, their shop price is $120 p/h, estimated at like $700.
Theres another down the road I used to compare and their shop price is $175 p/h, estimated me at /like $1000.
These prices included the alignment as well

 

[Acadia18]

I know technically springs are different, but it's similar so here it goes. just for reference.
I just priced out coil-over install from a pretty reputable Euro shop in my area and he said it would probably take about 5-6 hours in total, their shop price is $120 p/h, estimated at like $700.
Theres another down the road I used to compare and their shop price is $175 p/h, estimated me at /like $1000.

It took me 5 - 6 hours in my garage, on jack stands, doing it for the first time ever based off watching some YouTube videos. An actual mechanic shop shouldn't take more than 1 - 2 hours at most to get it done.

 

[AntErrickson]

It took me 5 - 6 hours in my garage, on jack stands, doing it for the first time ever based off watching some YouTube videos. An actual mechanic shop shouldn't take more than 1 - 2 hours at most to get it done.

how'd it go? any "difficulties" ? .. (cause they always pop up hah). I was debating doing it myself, but I dont want to eff up my car. I'm pretty mechanically minded.... maybe I'll try the backs first hahah

 

[Cuzoe]

It took me 5 - 6 hours in my garage, on jack stands, doing it for the first time ever based off watching some YouTube videos. An actual mechanic shop shouldn't take more than 1 - 2 hours at most to get it done.

Going with "2 hours at most" is expecting too much I think. Maybe if there are two techs working on it, but that's 4 hours labor. Book time includes the overhead of running a shop (facility, insurance, tool calibration, equipment maintenance, admin, etc.). I'm not saying I think it should be an 8 hour job, but 2 hours at most seems unrealistic. If a shop tells me they're going to do my suspension in 2 hours I'm going to assume they are taking short cuts (hitting things with an impact instead of using torque wrenches comes to mind).

 

[tigeo]

Going with "2 hours at most" is expecting too much I think. Maybe if there are two techs working on it, but that's 4 hours labor. Book time includes the overhead of running a shop (facility, insurance, tool calibration, equipment maintenance, admin, etc.). I'm not saying I think it should be an 8 hour job, but 2 hours at most seems unrealistic. If a shop tells me they're going to do my suspension in 2 hours I'm going to assume they are taking short cuts (hitting things with an impact instead of using torque wrenches comes to mind).

I don't think folks understand how a business works. You charge what the value is - whether that takes you 2 hours or 8. Flat rate. That's how they make money and good for them. Don't like it, DIY. I paid $800 for spring install and alignment at a reputable Euro shop. Seemed fair to me. Call 3 shops in your area and get quotes, this will give you an idea of the going rate for your area.

 

[AntErrickson]

My thoughts exactly, like I WANT to DIY it. and I think I could.. but again i dont want to eff up my car. Some things are better left to the professionals. Beside if they mess it up, its on them, if you do it's on you. You get what you pay for.

 

[Acadia18]

I have no problems with shops being properly compensated for their time. And overhead is built in to a shops hourly rate. It's why the mechanic working on your car may be getting paid $25 an hour, and the shop is charging $125/hr.

Suspension installation and brake jobs are two of the most overcharged jobs in my opinion in terms of cost vs. time/difficulty of work. I have a friend who just had a clutch installed in his car, and paid $600 at a reputable indy shop. Which I'll even say is a great price and on the low end of a fair price. But a clutch job is much more complex and time consuming than installing some shocks/springs or doing a brake job, and there's no reason the latter should cost just as much or be more expensive.

 

[Ezekiel81923]

I think something often overlooked is any kind of warranty or guarantee the shop might provide.

The quote I received for $1,890 was from a place that offers a 5yr/50,000 mile on parts and labor. Whether or not the parts themselves come with their own warranty or not. I'm sure that factors heavily into the price.

 

[Chogokin]

I have no problems with shops being properly compensated for their time. And overhead is built in to a shops hourly rate. It's why the mechanic working on your car may be getting paid $25 an hour, and the shop is charging $125/hr.

Suspension installation and brake jobs are two of the most overcharged jobs in my opinion in terms of cost vs. time/difficulty of work. I have a friend who just had a clutch installed in his car, and paid $600 at a reputable indy shop. Which I'll even say is a great price and on the low end of a fair price. But a clutch job is much more complex and time consuming than installing some shocks/springs or doing a brake job, and there's no reason the latter should cost just as much or be more expensive.

This^^

Doing the suspension in a Mk7 or any other VW isn't really rocket science. It's just incredibly tedious...especially if you've never done it. Most of the work is in the front. I've seen so many videos of people struggling with the front struts for hours. The rears are like a 30 min job. I remember paying a Honda shop $120 to do some springs on my Civic. I think some shops charge what they charge is because people are just willing to pay it. If you're willing to pay a high price for your own piece of mind and a warranty...then more power to you.

You can always find a guy that can do suspension swaps in their driveway and do a good of a job as a big shop that charges you triple the price. There are a lot of Mk7's running around here. There are a number of guys that will swap your springs for 200 to 300. These guys have turned out enough Mk7's to where they can get you in and out faster...and do just of a competent of a job than a shop that does a Mk7 here and there.

 

[txricancarguy]

Crazy to hear. Suspension jobs are so easy I feel bad charging 300

I don't think it's crazy at all. I did two the other day. Over time techniques are developed that make things quicker for us. I did a GTI in about 2 hours and I explained to the guy that there are just things we learn to do quicker... I will spend less than a minute to install a rear control arm bolt that will take a first timer 15 minutes to figure out.

 

[txricancarguy]

I hate videos like this, forcing the lower control arm down like that is a great way to break the endlinks. Takes 30 seconds longer to remove that and take the spring out with ease.

Not sure I agree with you here. I undo the control arm from knuckle as well as the shock.

If the car is in the air and both sides are unbolted, the sway bar is acting on the opposite side of the suspension system and therefore there is little to no tension on the end link.

 

[GTIfan99]

I lowered my car 1". All safety systems work as before.

 

[Raguvian]

My thoughts exactly, like I WANT to DIY it. and I think I could.. but again i dont want to eff up my car. Some things are better left to the professionals. Beside if they mess it up, its on them, if you do it's on you. You get what you pay for.

Do your research and know what to expect going into it and you won't fuck it up. Shops fuck stuff up all the time since they're under a time crunch to get things in and out, they just hope you don't find out or it doesn't cause problems down the road.

 

[Cuzoe]

Shops that have specific expertise in a given task (be it the shop or just a tech that is particularly good at one task) are able to charge a lower flat rate. That's a competitive advantage for them. That doesn't mean other shops are overcharging. Like @txricancarguy said, his experience makes him very efficient. In aircraft maintenance and there are jobs that I've done countless times and they take me 2-3 hours where the OEM book time is 8 hours. All of my techs are capable but it's not at all unreasonable for it take one of them 6-8 hours to complete the task. That job gets quoted at 8 hours and if I'm able to do it we make a (really) good margin. If I'm out sick that day or tied up on something else we still get it done and make our regular profit.

It's always worth getting a few quotes in hopes that you find a shop that has the expertise that makes them comfortable with charging a lower flat rate. The dealer's quoted hours (not price, because labor rates vary) is good to use as a baseline. Also worth mentioning that a shop doesn't always want a job (at a specific time, or at all) so they may over quote because it's not worth it to them to take a suspension install over something else they could be doing.