Reasonable shop charge for swapping front coil springs?

Video Guy · **Posted:** Wed Aug 22, 2007 1:32 pm

I just visited the local PFM shop by my work to get an estimate for a front spring swap. They said it would cost about $270 to remove my struts and swap out springs. :shock:

I said I'd keep that in mind, and left. For that much, they should at least include an alignment! My local Pep Boys wants $80/side just to use their strut compressor -- and that's only if I remove the struts myself. PFM and Pep Boys are national chains, so I'm sure a local Mom & Pop operation could do the job for less. What can I expect to pay if I choose to have a professional swap out my springs?

There's a 4 Wheel Parts store in Indianapolis, but that location is almost an hour away from where I live. I'm sure they're steep too. I don't know of any locally owend 4x4 specialty shops.

WoodysKJ · **Posted:** Wed Aug 22, 2007 1:37 pm

Look in the tech section. I remeber a post that tells you how to do it using the weight of you KJ.

Not sure where it is, but i am sure it is there.

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Wed Aug 22, 2007 1:47 pm

Compressing the front springs is nothing to play around with. $80 per side is entirely to high though.

I think I paid around $30 for both sides.

dog_party · **Posted:** Wed Aug 22, 2007 2:10 pm

$80/side is highway ROBBERY!! I BOUGHT a spring compressor for $12! You can "rent" them too. Any local parts store will "rent" you one for a nominal fee (can't remember, $5 or something). Then, when you return it, they give you the money back. Those rental compressing devices are too big for the fat coils of the CRD front springs, but they should probably work on the Gasser front springs. They "rent" the heavier-duty spring-compressor for $5 and sell the cheaper one for $12. Funny.

Anyway, all I needed was Ugg's bench-mount vice clamp and a bucket to stand up on. Here's the instructionStep 1: tighten one side one turn, step 2: tighten the other side a couple turns, step 3: repeat steps 1 and 2 until you think you can't repeat any more, step 4: repeat steps 1 and 2 a few more times.

Comes right apart, no problems.

I don't think I'd do it without a sturdy bench-mount vice clamp, but with the right tools and a few spring compressions under your belt, you could crank out about 3 or 4 replacements in an hour. At $80/side, that shop could conceivabley be making $320/hour. And I'm not even going to comment on the place that wants $270!

Don't pay more than $30/side.

Call around in Indy (yellowpages.com or Google map business search) and find a place that isn't trying to rip you a new one. Make the drive and make a day out of it. Or buy some other cool stuff from the Indy Offroad place that you pick and they might toss the spring replacement in for free while they're putting something else on your truck (like a fuel tank skid or something).

tommudd · **Posted:** Wed Aug 22, 2007 3:12 pm

I paid 35 for both sides to be changed from stock to the OMEs and they charged more due to the time it took them they said, so there are cheaper places out there, find some small Mom and Pop place that has good old boy :lol:

mechanics,

tom

nix · **Posted:** Wed Aug 22, 2007 3:19 pm

I had a local NAPA dealer compress mine and install new springs for $40. I already had my struts assemblies out though.. so they didn't have to remove the struts.

wildrussian · **Posted:** Wed Aug 22, 2007 3:39 pm

I got a quote for mine for $15 a side. The place is not very pretty but I heard they do pretty work.
Also Local 4x4 shop told me they charge $250 for Rustys Suspension lift install. All of it not just the front.
You'll just have move to Tn to get cheaper labor.

tommudd · **Posted:** Wed Aug 22, 2007 4:30 pm

250 for 2.5 / 3 hours work! Wow come on up to Ohio where we do them for beer and chips! :lol:

Or I travel for gas money / hotel and food ! :wink:

Always been cheap and easy, maybe thats the reason for so many exes! :lol:

But check around and see if you can get some help on here.

Tom

ATXKJ · **Posted:** Wed Aug 22, 2007 5:53 pm

I pulled mine apart but broke a couple of the cheap spring compressors trying to put them back together (CRD springs with Daystar spacer)

took spring and struts to a shop (early Sunday morning - no customers - 4 techs standing around) and they put them together for $20

Video Guy · **Posted:** Thu Aug 23, 2007 10:17 am

Guys,

Although I appreciate the info on compressing springs, what I really need is a small shop that can remove the struts, swap out the springs, and then reinstall the struts. I don't have time to put together a pseudo-lift party, otherwise I'd try to recruit some of the LOST Midwest folks. I think $100-$125 is a reasonable labor charge for a place that knows suspensions and is equipped with the right tools. Is my thinking out of line?

T.J.

dog_party · **Posted:** Thu Aug 23, 2007 11:49 am

If the cost is in your budget and you're happy to pay it for the service and the piece of mind that comes from the shop you've picked, then the cost is not, in any way, out of line.

LiLredLibby · **Posted:** Thu Aug 23, 2007 9:40 pm

Video Guy wrote:

Guys,

Although I appreciate the info on compressing springs, what I really need is a small shop that can remove the struts, swap out the springs, and then reinstall the struts. I don't have time to put together a pseudo-lift party, otherwise I'd try to recruit some of the LOST Midwest folks. I think $100-$125 is a reasonable labor charge for a place that knows suspensions and is equipped with the right tools. Is my thinking out of line?

T.J.

The labor rates at the shop I work for(independent shop)are 65.00 per hr. The labor times on struts will be about 1.3 to 1.7 hrs. per side.That equates to about 80.00 to 110.00 per side x2 160.00 to 220.00.Really depends on the type of vehicle,and after installing my lift,I'd say that the struggle rates at the top.Someone may do that job on the side for 100.00 to 125.00,the profit would be all theirs,but with the overhead at even an independent shop has,they would,nt be in buisness long doing it for that. :wink:

But then again....thats just my opinion.

Ron

nix · **Posted:** Thu Aug 23, 2007 9:46 pm

Video Guy wrote:

Guys,

Although I appreciate the info on compressing springs, what I really need is a small shop that can remove the struts, swap out the springs, and then reinstall the struts. I don't have time to put together a pseudo-lift party, otherwise I'd try to recruit some of the LOST Midwest folks. I think $100-$125 is a reasonable labor charge for a place that knows suspensions and is equipped with the right tools. Is my thinking out of line?

T.J.

One shop in the Dallas area quoted me $450 for what you are asking. Another quoted $250.

Video Guy · **Posted:** Fri Aug 24, 2007 1:52 pm

Crap! Sounds like $200-225 on a good day. I don't have that kind of money for "extras" when I need to get a new battery, flush the fuel system, and get a tune-up before winter.

My brother builds Hummers up in South Bend. He installed my lift with me last November. I'm sure he'd do it for free, but the roundtrip drive alone is over 5 hours long.

Hmm. Maybe a front-only lift party (with having struts assembled at a shop) would be the cheapest, quickest option.

Reasonable shop charge for swapping front coil springs?

Who is online