Cost of replacing rear shocks....not as simple as all the youtube videos show

[camopaint0707]

$750 is way too high. You could do this in a driveway with hand tools in under 4 hours with basic mechanical knowledge. It's not that difficult.

[slayerized6]

yeah i need to buy an impact gun, and the air compressor to run it,...buy all the tools to fit this car,all the parts to repalce the top of this shock,plus the shocks,and find a place to do this work, and then when the cars gone, dead,sold, I have tools that dont fit the next one. And I have tons of room to store it all in my 5 car garage. NOT! All I asked for at the start of this question was how much others paid to get it done. You have $750 to pay for it? Think thats a fair price? Good for you. Send it my way. I'm not proud. and others think it is WAY to high as well. I am looking for other places. So far $450 is the lowest. Still to much for a 60 min. job. The jack stands dont even go where my owners manual says to jack it up by the way!. Sounds like you need to read yours again! So I need to find out where they go, so i dont crush some other part. Make sense???? By the time I buy all this stuff . I might as well spend $750 on these crooked mechs. Geez! Thanks for the helpful input.

They make battery powered impact guns. I have a 18v Ridgid and it works excellent. There is no need for an air gun unless you are a professional mechanic.

Most tools will work on most cars. Every manufacturer is using metric bolts and fasteners nowadays. And either way, tools are an investment. You buy em once, you wont need to buy them again.

And most of the time, owners manuals specify lift points. I just double checked mine, and your right; their not in there. But if you don't know how to properly jack your car, you shouldn't be working on your car anyway unless you want 2500lb of car crushing your chest.

[Daox]

I agree with the others. This is a pretty simple job.

1) Jack up the car. Be careful and make sure it is steady if you just have the OEM tire changing jack... those things are not that safe if you're crawling around the car while its up in the air.
2) Remove the strut. There are 2 bolts on top that you get to from inside the car and one on the bottom.



3) Remove the mount. The only tricky part about this is stopping the strut shaft from turning. They always have some sort of provision to stop it from turning though. The shaft may have flats on it to get a wrench on.
4) Install new mount. Again, tricky part is stopping the shaft from turning.
5) Reinstall the new strut.

[06T200]

FWIW: I bought most of my tools over 35 years ago, to work on cars that are no longer made. I still use those same tools on a daily basis to fix just about everything. Tools are never a waste of money if you have two hands to use them - IMO. They will pay for themselves MANY times over.

[FlaAveo5]

They make battery powered impact guns. I have a 18v Ridgid and it works excellent. There is no need for an air gun unless you are a professional mechanic.

Most tools will work on most cars. Every manufacturer is using metric bolts and fasteners nowadays. And either way, tools are an investment. You buy em once, you wont need to buy them again.

And most of the time, owners manuals specify lift points. I just double checked mine, and your right; their not in there. But if you don't know how to properly jack your car, you shouldn't be working on your car anyway unless you want 2500lb of car crushing your chest.

See.....I knew there was no way to know where to put the jack stands,let alone how to lift the back in the right place to put the stands in the right places. Does ANYONE know where they go. Since everyone here says they have replaced them themselves someone must know this info. The manual only tells where to jack the sides up to replace a flat tire. This is the info. i need to do it myself. I know i can do this change with my hand tools, once i get them all, (the floor jack and stands maybe i can rent for 1 day ,i am looking online now for that). So...where has everyone put their stands and jacked the car up to put them in the back? It would be a great help to know, doing the replacement I think i got down now, but now it is where are the jacking points, and where do the stands go once it is up??. Thanks.

[06T200]

Flaveo, I would think the rear of the car is light enough you should be fine to support the rear at the body pinch welds - in the absence of a more solid location. I have only used the rear beam (have not replaced shocks to be specific) to lift the car. Typically the strongest part of a unibody floorpan is at the pinch welds right under the rocker box/panels.

[FlaAveo5]

Flaveo, I would think the rear of the car is light enough you should be fine to support the rear at the body pinch welds - in the absence of a more solid location. I have only used the rear beam (have not replaced shocks to be specific) to lift the car. Typically the strongest part of a unibody floorpan is at the pinch welds right under the rocker box/panels.

Can the car be lifted on the beam in the back with a floor jack?, and change the shocks that way, leaving a floor jack on the beam? Take the tires off like changing a flat, then lift it off the ground to get to the top of the shock, and to get the wheels off of course. I wont be under the car at anytime, except in the wheelwell. Wont lifting it on that rear beam be 'safe'? More than the pinch welds?

Hell today was the first time i even saw that i have that beam in the back! I thought it had independent suspension!!! I see the springs for the rear suspension in the back, but they are further in on the beam, not on the shock, so taking the shock out, and putting it back in with the new top mount kit, the bushings/plate (the 3 parts i see that come with ever rear mount kit for this car that I see)...and compressing the shock to make it fit back in doesnt seem to be a heavy job, it isnt like a strut. So to get the top in place and just pushing up on the new shock, it will fit to the bottom connection point, and its on, once its tightened of course. Do i need to buy any other bushings or little parts like that?? I looked on RockAuto and it came up with a bunch of different sized rubber bushings for this cars rear shock. But dont they all come with the shock itself alrady?

I know i shouldnt ask this to anyone. BUT i am looking at buying Monroe ES-Spectrum', 5794, shocks and the Monroe top mounting kit. Are Monroes a good fit for the car. Or do you all have another favorite? KYB seems to be the only other one to buy, but you have to buy a 'dust boot' for each one, it doesnt come with the top cover on it, like the OEM has on it, or the Monroes. Thanks.

[06T200]

For safety I would support the car on stands before risking life and limb to a floor jack. But sure lifting via the beam is fine, never been a problem for me.

The new shocks will come with new rubber bushings as they do wear out, and normally fall apart on removal.

[xintersecty]

I bought the KYB shocks and the monroes would be fine. You can put the jack right next to the rear axle mount. You need to let the beam float so you can move the shock up and the beam down for removal.

[slayerized6]

Google where to place the jack stands. It's too confusing to explain subframes, pinch welds, and support pieces. But if you can't get underneath your car and understand where to place jackstands, you shouldnt be working on your car, period.