quick question about install costs

[duder13]

Hi. I took my car to my local Indy with the following suspension parts to install, and they quoted me $2500, which surprised me a little. Being someone who's unaware of the time it takes to do this kind of work, I'm not sure what this should cost. Does it seem in line? Thanks!

- Bilstein B12 (and all the new auxiliary parts that go with it, like shock mounts)
- M3 front control arms
- M3 front sway
- rear toe arms
- rear subframe bushings (two-piece Whiteline)
- Dinan camber plates
- brake fluid flush
- alignment

[SayHack]

2500 just for install ?????

that's crazy man. Okay here is a breakdown Shocks + struts + camber plates = 2 hrs max
all the control arms + sways = 1.5 hr
rear subframe bushings = 2 hrs
brake fluid flush = 30 min

total = 6 hrs
add another hr because i know someone will say that my quotes are not realistic lol

total = 7 hrs
7hr x 100 dollars/hr = 700 dollars

alignment = around 100 at most places

total = $800

call it $1000 for argument purposes.

so you can tell this shop to go kick rocks lol

Sidenote: I'm actually doing bilstein coilers , with ///M control arms ...and of course tie rods, sway links and few other minor suspension parts with new rotors and brake pads in about 2 weeks from now.....for me it's a one whole day job, i don't know why you were quoted for for a job that will supposedly take them 2-3 days to do...it's crazy.

[duder13]

Originally Posted by SayHack

2500 just for install ?????

that's crazy man. Okay here is a breakdown Shocks + struts + camber plates = 2 hrs max
all the control arms + sways = 1.5 hr
rear subframe bushings = 2 hrs
brake fluid flush = 30 min

total = 6 hrs
add another hr because i know someone will say that my quotes are not realistic lol

total = 7 hrs
7hr x 100 dollars/hr = 700 dollars

alignment = around 100 at most places

total = $800

call it $1000 for argument purposes.

so you can tell this shop to go kick rocks lol

Sidenote: I'm actually doing bilstein coilers , with ///M control arms ...and of course tie rods, sway links and few other minor suspension parts with new rotors and brake pads in about 2 weeks from now.....for me it's a one whole day job, i don't know why you were quoted for for a job that will supposedly take them 2-3 days to do...it's crazy.

Thanks so much. That was more in line with what I had in mind, so I don't know what the heck the deal is with this Indy.

[rowsdower]

I’d agree. I did all of this except the rear toe arms in my garage, never did suspension work before and I did it on jack stands. This is less than 1 day.

Make sure the shop knows they don’t need to drop the rear subframe to get the Whiteline 2-piece bushings in. That may be part of the confusion. The OE M3 bushings that a lot of guys put in go in from the top and it is supposedly a royal pain in the ass because you have to drop the subframe or get creative with floor jacks.

[MightyMouseTech]

Nobody is going to do shocks/struts at all four corners for 2 hours. More like 4 hours minimum. More than likely 6.

[duder13]

Originally Posted by rowsdower

I’d agree. I did all of this except the rear toe arms in my garage, never did suspension work before and I did it on jack stands. This is less than 1 day.

Make sure the shop knows they don’t need to drop the rear subframe to get the Whiteline 2-piece bushings in. That may be part of the confusion. The OE M3 bushings that a lot of guys put in go in from the top and it is supposedly a royal pain in the ass because you have to drop the subframe or get creative with floor jacks.

Yeah, I actually explained the bushings to him, although getting them out is still tough, I believe.

[duder13]

Originally Posted by MightyMouseTech

Nobody is going to do shocks/struts at all four corners for 2 hours. More like 4 hours minimum. More than likely 6.

Do you think it’s still only a day’s work overall? $2500 seems egregious.

[houtan]

Originally Posted by MightyMouseTech

Nobody is going to do shocks/struts at all four corners for 2 hours. More like 4 hours minimum. More than likely 6.

100% agree.

If they are doing the suspension install correctly, meaning using a torque wrench, tightening the appropriate locations at ride height, etc, there is no way it can be done in two hours. 4-6 is a good estimate.

Op, I would ask the shop for a break down of the estimated hours for each job. That way we can see what they are estimating is reasonable or not.

[SayHack]

Okay I'll admit my 2 hr estimate might not be accurate so I won't argue for anything in a range of 3-4 hrs, but more than 4 hrs at a BMW shop....I don't see that being reasonable, I'm sorry just my 2 cents. I use the forum a lot to ask for suggestions and I respect all members and I don't consider myself an expert at all but I am just saying it is not that hard of a job, especially on a lift. I have tackled e36 M3 full suspension (including bushings) twice in the past on my cars and aside from the bushing part, it is not that time consuming. Again just my 2 cents.

But I think we can all agree that $1000 for the whole project sound about right at most shops

[rowsdower]

Originally Posted by MightyMouseTech

Nobody is going to do shocks/struts at all four corners for 2 hours. More like 4 hours minimum. More than likely 6.

The question is does it actually take 6 hours to do, or is that what they would charge? Doing this myself in my garage it took about a day to do all of this and I am a complete newbie.

At $100/hr that's 25 hours to do all of this which is absurd. I think $1,000 would be a fair price to do it all. It kind of sounds like this mechanic just doesn't want to do this job.

[rowsdower]

Originally Posted by duder13

Yeah, I actually explained the bushings to him, although getting them out is still tough, I believe.

It's 5-10 minutes per bushing if you have the right tool. If you don't have the right tool, you can build one for less than $50. Here is a DIY thread I made on building the tool.

[Dackelone]

duder13 How much does your Indy charge per hour? Even at $150 per flat rate hour... thats 16+ hours that they calculated.

I agree with MightyMouseTech NO bmw shop will replace all four shocks for 2 or 4 hours. It's more likely a SIX or EIGHT hour, COD job for billing purposes.

Heck, most shops charge you 1.5 to 2 hours to replace (a simple)front brake rotors and pads). So figure six to eight for four shocks.

Ask what ever shop you use... to see the Book times for the suspension install. Also a good alignment is gonna run a few hundred. Say ~$200.

Maybe ask around your area who does good race car prep... you might get lucky with a package quote on installing your new suspension. Some of the guys above are quoting the ACTUAL time to do the job(s)... but shops use FLAT RAT times... so IF it takes a tech 25 minutes to do a simple brake job(pads and rotors) they will get paid (say) two hours labor. But maybe a new tech might need three hours to do that job for the first time. Flat Rate is there to be fair to the techs and to the customer.

Dackel

[duder13]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

duder13

Maybe ask around your area who does good race car prep... you might get lucky with a package quote on installing your new suspension. Some of the guys above are quoting the ACTUAL time to do the job(s)... but shops use FLAT RAT times... so IF it takes a tech 25 minutes to do a simple brake job(pads and rotors) they will get paid (say) two hours labor. But maybe a new tech might need three hours to do that job for the first time. Flat Rate is there to be fair to the techs and to the customer.

Dackel

Thanks. The a la cart quote was actually $3000, and the package quote was $2500. I asked for an itemized list, and I'm going to call around. I had my car there for an oil change, so I was hoping to just get it done, but it sounds like I need to do some hunting.

[swunder]

No shop is 100/hr. 150 minimum in NJ.

[NorthernDancer]

I see a red flag; if you have to pay a garage for an oil change, then garage assumes you know nothing and can't do anything.

[duder13]

Originally Posted by NorthernDancer

I see a red flag; if you have to pay a garage for an oil change, then garage assumes you know nothing and can't do anything.

Maybe, but, when you live in a city without a home garage, oil changes from the local repair garages are pretty common, and I even told him I'd considered renting a garage space to do the suspension work myself, since I'm generally handy. Plus, I did come into the shop with a bunch of parts that I'd obviously researched quite a bit prior.

Either way, it seems like their price is a grand more than it should be, even with the higher hourly rates and hour estimates.

[MightyMouseTech]

Originally Posted by rowsdower

The question is does it actually take 6 hours to do, or is that what they would charge? Doing this myself in my garage it took about a day to do all of this and I am a complete newbie.

At $100/hr that's 25 hours to do all of this which is absurd. I think $1,000 would be a fair price to do it all. It kind of sounds like this mechanic just doesn't want to do this job.

The estimate does seem high, but not the shock/strut install costs. It is quite a bit of work.

[MightyMouseTech]

Originally Posted by duder13

Do you think it’s still only a day’s work overall? $2500 seems egregious.

With the entire list, sounds like a days work or so.

[smeard]

damn I am getting suspension installed too (just lowering springs). My indy has always been wayys cheaper than anyone else, will report how much I paid.

[gjm120]

Originally Posted by MightyMouseTech

With the entire list, sounds like a days work or so.

Or for a disorganised boob (me) 2-3 days work.

[duder13]

Originally Posted by gjm120

Or for a disorganised boob (me) 2-3 days work.

Yeah, that's why $2500 seemed so steep to me. Even at $150 per hour, that's 2 full days work, which is what I figured it'd take someone inexperienced to do the work.

[duder13]

Originally Posted by MightyMouseTech

The estimate does seem high, but not the shock/strut install costs. It is quite a bit of work.

Ok, I got the estimate, which is below. It looks like it's only $115 per hour from the shop, so they're estimating this to be a 20.5 hour job.