Someone in the neighborhood is out of work due to current events and is a mechanic. He is offering to do my front bilsteins for 50/hr and said it will probably be about 3 hours. Does this seem decent? I watched the install video, my only concern is they talk about proper alignment when building the new shock. How important is this? I’m not really understanding what this means. Other than that, it seems he’s done similar installs before. I also plan on shadowing him to learn a bit.

 

$150 to remove old and install new front struts...sounds like a pretty good price to me.
Just make sure you trust him and he knows what he's doing...theres no warranty on "someone in the neighbourhood".

 

If he's done this before, it should be a win-win for both of you.

 

Thats definitely a concern, but I don’t trust a local place either. What’s the big thing to look out for?

 

Make sure you account for an alignment. That will probably be needed after the install.

 

There isn't much except make sure everything is tightened back up.

 

Your neighbor won't be able to do an alignment in your neighborhood. You will likely need to take it somewhere after he installs the Bilsteins, especially if you are leveling the front end. Even if you are sticking with the factory height, you will be taking apart all of the front suspension parts, so it would be good to get the alignment checked afterwards.
$150 for the install is a real good price. It involves disassembling the front strut assembly and using a spring compressor in order to swap the struts. Not overly difficult, but time consuming due to all the items you need to remove for the swap.

 

This. Make sure you schedule an alignment as soon as possible after the install.

 

That’s the plan, will I need another if I change to bigger tires in the future?

 

My dealer quoted me $600 for the install. Fronts only!