Today, I went to an auto body shop to get my car inspected.
The person who works there told me that I need to get my
car struts replaced, and that will cost me $191.14 for the net
price and $81 for the labor charge. Plus the paper showing the
inspection results shows that I need to get all four of ‘em
replaced which will cost four times more than just changing
one. Including other replacement fees and student discounts,
If I get those replaced as it shows in the paper, I’ll have to pay
$996.73!!! I’m not even driving a mercedes benz or a
lexus, and I’m not even sure if I’ll be able to sell my car for
more than $5,000!!!(2000 Toyota Corolla). Am I getting
ripped off by these people, or is this something that pretty
much every driver goes through at least once in a while in
their life time?
March 23rd, 2011 at 7:42 am
Pay the inspection fee and go get another inspection at a shop recommended in your area. Don’t have the work done at the shop you went to.
March 23rd, 2011 at 7:44 am
I’d say get a second opinion, go to Sears, Firestone, Goodyear, etc., and get their opinion and estimates. Sounds like a rip-off to me. You can also price the cost of the struts from an autoparts store or go online. Online you can try parts america, their website is pretty good.
March 23rd, 2011 at 8:41 am
Take your car to a Firestone or other tire-alignment-suspension shop and get a quote from them,the price from the body shop sounds way too high,shouldn’t be anymore than about $600.00 to r&r front and rear struts,and that would be on the high side.
March 23rd, 2011 at 9:23 am
Sears? Gawd no, don’t go there. Ask the person doing the inspection why the struts need to be replaced. They can’t just tell you they need to be replaced and not explain why. Usually, the only reason for replacing struts is if they are worn out causing excessive travel of the front suspension, noise such as clunking, or if they are leaking externally. Yes, struts have fluid in them, but you can’t just change the fluid. the last reason for replacing a strut is if it were damaged in some way such as being bent and causing the alignment to be off.
Normally, struts are recommended to be replaced in pairs, either both fronts or both rears. Exception to this rule is if there is a problem with both the front and the rears. Most aftermarket places such as Midas, Goodyear, etc., will almost always sell you all four struts and mounts to cover their backside to make sure the complaint is fixed. Yes, even though you are not driving a Benz or BMW, the cost for this type of repair is steep. I recently did a friend’s Grand Prix and the front end shop quoted her over $900. You need to find out exactly why they are telling you the struts need to be replaced. It would also be a good idea to get a second inspection, but don’t mention anything about the first one, see if they tell you the struts are bad also.
March 23rd, 2011 at 10:23 am
While the price he quoted you for the strut itself seems a bit much, the labor seems pretty average.
Prices for your struts run all over, but Monroe’s can run 55 to 140 each at Advance, the median ones are 75…
Try calling a few specialty shops like Midas, and get a few quotes for all four “installed”…I’m sure you can find a good deal…