Stoenr

How does warranty work fit in? Warranty time in the book is less than normal book time. I.E. fronts struts 2.0(1.3) the 1.3 would be the book time if doing the job under warranty.

These places are in business to make money. Thats how the mechanics make the money.
Sure 2 hours for front struts in the book, the tech can do it in 1. Thats money in his pocket.
Its how it works, plain and simple. Its never going to change.
This is when doing it yourself comes in real handy.

I plan on paying a tech about 50 bucks to install my front struts, springs, rear shocks, and align the car. He will stay after work and we will get it done.

Otherwise 3-400 bucks for the install does not seem that far off. Labor rates seem to be in the 80-90/hr range in the O.P. area (Illinois)

hypersurf1

I ran a repair shop for 8 years. 300-400 seems in the ballpark for that job considering they are doing rear springs which can be a bitch. I would figure about 50-60 additional for the alignment.

Stoenr

In Mitchell's labor guide front struts call for 2.0
which would include springs
Rear coil springs calls for .9
Rear shocks .6
so 3.5hr our labor rate is 89.50/hr
313.25 + 69.95 front end alignment
383.20 total

They allow me to charge friends 70/hr
so approx 304.95 with alignment

Price seems fair. But no way would i pay it, lol.

shooter23

If you are doing the rear springs...the additional labour to change the shocks should be about .2

You need to unhook the rear shocks pretty much just to drop teh axle to get the springs out, the only thing leaving the shocks in are two bolts in teh trunk that can be dropped in 10 seconds.

I own a shop, and Mitchell flat rate is how things are going today. Techs are demanding the flat rate, and yes, it doesnt actually take them that long, but techs want it.
Mitchell times are all created using ONLY handtools, no air.

So yes, most techs with good tools are their finger tips should have the whole job pounded off in about 2 hours, plus the alignment, which sometimes is 15 minutes, sometimes an hour.

I wouldnt pay more than 400 bucks for the job, and thats in Canadian dollars haha