I have new Bilstein 5100s for the front, and I don't have the means to do them myself. How much fair time should I expect the dealership to quote me to change them out? I'm estimating $100/hr

 

While I am experienced with spring, strut and other suspension-related parts swaps I paid a mechanic apprentice who works at a buddy's BMW shop to assist me during the install one Saturday morning. Took us just over three hours, but we didn't know what we were doing. We had a strut compressor, but no clear instructions as to the order of disassembly of the truck's front suspension in order to remove the coil-over-damper assembly... as per an agreement I was going to pay him 100 for two hours of his time. As a thanks and a tip, I gave him another 50 on top of that.

Off the top of my head I'd guess that a dealer service dept might quote you something like two hours labor for the job, give or take. These dampers will transform your truck's handling and to have it done in a competent environment (to use the term loosely) should be worth the extra didge. You will be delighted. Looking forward to hearing of the progress.

 

Do you have a local body or mechanic shop you could take it to? Anything that's not electrical/computer/ecm/etc. related that prob needs to be done at dealership can be taken to a local good ol' boys shop. This stuff isn't rocket science, just a couple nuts and bolts. My shop charges $45/hr and I've never had any issues with there work. Dealerships always seem to tack on "extra" items or have "unexpected" complications arise that end up costing an extra $100 or so. Just food for thought.

 

I made an appt with the dealer. They quoted me $250. Fair enuff as I don't know any reputable mechanics in my area. At least the work will be warrantied. I just changed my rears 10 minutes ago. Took me all of about 30 minutes, and that included removing my wheel well covers. I couldn't find a wrench, and a socket wouldn't fit between them. Im off to drive around and test the rears. Will report back.

 

Front shocks are about a 2 hour job, 3 if you factor in a wheel alignment, which is required after putting a level kit in.

 

My dealership quoted over $800 (labor only) to install 5100's (front only) and do the alignment. I laughed at the guy and walked out laughing without saying anything else to him.

Another local 4x4 shop quoted $300 for the same job.

 

$800????? Holy Crap.

Anyways, I took a nice joyride around the big lake here...lots of curves, filled and unfilled potholes, gravel, asphalt, hills, flats, you name it...the rear seemed more planted. The front wheels feel like they're going to fall off when I hit those bumps. Looking forward to feeling it when I have them changed out next week.

With that said, I just wanted to say that when I pulled the OEM shocks off the rear, they felt like they're made of Tonka plastic or something. Very lightweight...maybe 3-5 lbs each - if they're lucky. They just didn't have a real quality feel to them at all. As many others have stated in all of the many shock threads, it's really sad to have to spend extra money on a $40K-$50K vehicle to make something right that should have been right from the factory. I can't understand why EVERYONE doesn't complain about them. (At least people who live in areas where the roads are not buttery smooth) unless they just don't know any better. The OEM shocks are flat out garbage.

 

Got all my 5100 shocks on as of yesterday. The truck is like a different vehicle. Total cost = nearly $750 including parts and labor. Sucks I had to pay it, but they would only replace with the same shocks for warranty work which would have defeated the purpose.

set of 4 shocks ran me approximately $375 IIRC
I installed rears myself
Ford dealer installed the fronts for $250
$65 realignment
And my first oil change

 

It is, isn't it.

Did you select a different front ride height? Either way, we (ok, *I*) demand pics!

Yeehaw!

 

I chose the 1.73 or whatever it is on the fronts. It was the 2nd to last option. I don't think it made the rake noticeable either way really. What do you want pics of, the side profile? I can do that, but it'll be awhile. I have half a dozen kids at the house swimming today.