New rear struts

[swunder]

Dealer said rear struts are leaking and need to be replaced ($1200). Car is a 2013 135is with 56k miles. I can't do my own work so its gonna cost me!

Questions --

Is 56k miles a reasonable time frame for these to be done?

How long does a job like this take?

Should I run aftermarket? Can I do that with OEM's in front?

I'm thinking $1200 might get me Koni's all installed all around at a non-dealer shop (looks like $900 for a Koni kit at tirerack). Would that be a viable route? I am fine with OEM ride quality/height and kinda want to keep the car stock though.

Thanks!

[gjm120]

Your mileage is in the range where replacement is somewhere between would be nice and really necessary.

You are right, that's outrageous for the rears only. Rear shocks should be 2-3 hours for an experienced shop, Koni rears are about less than $200 / each.

The $900 kit you saw probably includes new springs.

[Tuxedo]

rear shocks typical about now for your age and miles, the bottom seal cracks and slow leaks ride stays good but tire wear starts to show, creates noise and chop.

If its riding and driving solid just replace rear shocks w/oem or Koni- for now springs will be good till 90k. find a friend of a friend who's a diesl mechanic just looking to find a reason to drink beers and tinker with your car for $125.

if there's a setup you've been dreaming of replace all around.

[chris_flies]

$1200 is a little ridiculous for what the job is; two nuts and some fiddling-about (maybe an hour). It wouldn't be a hard, or complicated thing to DIY if you felt like experimenting...

As for what shocks to do instead, Koni FSD's ( a.k.a. Special Active) would be a great street-able shock for stock ride height. People like the way Koni's ride over sharp bumps vs Bilstein's (two comparable options), they have a lot more cushion in those conditions, but don't have quite as good body control in large weight transfers (turning left then quickly turning right, heaves in the road, etc.). I'd bet on the Bilstein's if you want to install and forget about them for a long, long time. Still, when you do aftermarket shocks, you'll probably want to do both front and back at the same time so you don't have mis-matched handling characteristics.