$ for replacing struts?

[masonm]

1992 Toyota Camry 4 cly

What is a fair and reasonable price to replace:

1) Rear struts only with alignment;

2) Front and rear struts combined with alignment?

Thank you for your answer.

[RningOnFumes]

Nevermind the big box repair shops like pepboys, goodyear tireshops or the like....

An independent Mechanic/shop should cost you no more than 200-250 for the replacement, parts included. The alignment another 100 or so?

[bronzemaxell]

Originally Posted by masonm

1992 Toyota Camry 4 cly

What is a fair and reasonable price to replace:

1) Rear struts only with alignment;

2) Front and rear struts combined with alignment?

Thank you for your answer.

the 92 to 94 camry has strut insert, serviceable strut, non seal strut, whatever they name them, at least mine is,
i just replaced my 94 v6 LE,
i bought the tokico insert from ebay, around $200 to $250, kept the oem springs, bought all new oem 4 strut mounts, $50 each, all oem upper (with strut boots) and oem lower spring insulators, 4 oem strut bumper stoppers, and 4 sway bar endlink.

did all labor by myself, took me 2 days, didn't go for alignment yet, will wait a month for everything settle, den do it.
cost me about $600 to $700 just for parts.
but no more noise over bump, and handle better now.

i deeply regret went with eibach spring for the last 5 years, it totally destroyed the comfort ride, now since i switched back to oem spring, and tokico strut combo, very happy with the ride. not so floaty and not too firm, just a perfect combo.

[masonm]

Originally Posted by RningOnFumes

Nevermind the big box repair shops like pepboys, goodyear tireshops or the like....

An independent Mechanic/shop should cost you no more than 200-250 for the replacement, parts included. The alignment another 100 or so?

I've been quoted $400 from several places for the entire job, alignment included. Do I just need to call more shops or is this as good as it gets in Temecula, CA?

[RningOnFumes]

LOL...are you in temecula, or missouri? Or are you just in Misery (the emotional state)--kidding. I'm in San Bernardino, working in Perris.


The alignment price is what I'm not sure of. Bronzemaxells prices are correct and he brings up good points as well but I was assuming that you just wanted oem replacements and the most common brand shops offer are macphersons and they don't run more than 60 bucks a piece on the top end.

So do call a few more shops and have them break things down for you. The things maxells meantioned are a bit needed considering the age of your car (unless you've already replaced some from back in the day). You'll definitely need new strut mounts, might be able to get away with keeping the stock swaybarlinks.

[masonm]

Too funny. Yes, we moved and I didn't change my user address. Now we live in God's country!! Thanks for the info. I'll call more. many aren't open because of easter.

[cruisn76]

Originally Posted by bronzemaxell

the 92 to 94 camry has strut insert, serviceable strut, non seal strut, whatever they name them, at least mine is,
i just replaced my 94 v6 LE,
i bought the tokico insert from ebay, around $200 to $250, kept the oem springs, bought all new oem 4 strut mounts, $50 each, all oem upper (with strut boots) and oem lower spring insulators, 4 oem strut bumper stoppers, and 4 sway bar endlink.

did all labor by myself, took me 2 days, didn't go for alignment yet, will wait a month for everything settle, den do it.
cost me about $600 to $700 just for parts.
but no more noise over bump, and handle better now.

i deeply regret went with eibach spring for the last 5 years, it totally destroyed the comfort ride, now since i switched back to oem spring, and tokico strut combo, very happy with the ride. not so floaty and not too firm, just a perfect combo.

If you use the eibach and tokico combo it should reduce the floatiness. If you had oem struts and eibach then I can see the floaty problem.

I've got the KYB and H&R and I find it floaty, so I might change to Tokico to even it out

[djb2]

Strut replacement can have surprisingly low labor cost when it's part of a package deal. The problem is that the good deals are with the lowest end struts -- ones you probably wouldn't choose. And any associated parts are charged at full list price. For the rear you will likely need new sway bar links and upper strut mounts -- parts that can be expensive if that's where the shop expects to make all of their money.

You might consider buying a "Quick Strut" pair. These are pre-assembled strut and spring packages, including new strut mounts, boots, and other small parts. They can be significantly less expensive when you need to replace more than only the strut insert. Since the spring is pre-mounted, it's just bolting in the new parts. You don't have to deal with a spring compressor if you do it yourself. And it's fewer things to screw up if you have the shop do it, and they should charge for less labor. Certainly you shouldn't expect to pay book time.

[bronzemaxell]

Originally Posted by cruisn76

If you use the eibach and tokico combo it should reduce the floatiness. If you had oem struts and eibach then I can see the floaty problem.

I've got the KYB and H&R and I find it floaty, so I might change to Tokico to even it out

i used to have eibach and KYB GR2 combo on my 94 V6 LE, the ride was not floaty at all, infact i was bitching about eibach not floaty, very good handling on corner, eibach was too stiff for my taste as daily driver. and when i changed them out, i was suprise to find out all the struts were shot, and my vehicle was being held up my eibach springs only, but i didn't realize it becasue the vehicle wasn't double or tripple bounce like i experience with other blow strut.

[flyeri]

I am not sure about your particular strut as mine is a 1995. But struts will generally run $50-$90 each if you buy them on the internet or one of the name brand auto parts stores. Monroe Sensa-tracs for mine are about $320 for all four. A good alignment is probably $50-$70. So even if the struts are $50 each and an alignment is $50 that is $250 not including the strut labor. It is probably a 2 hour job not including the alignment for someone who does it on a daily basis. So $400 is probably not a bad deal at all taking all that into consideration.

[ghettosled]

hey, you get what you pay for. i just priced struts from autozone a couple of weeks ago. i have a spring compressor, so i didnt bother pricing quick struts. IIRC, it was $52, $68, or $92 depending on the strut. the guy behind the counter said the $52 ones were pretty much junk, $68 have a factory feel and the more expensive really arent worth the money.

[Toyhaul'n]

I'm about to replace the struts on my 98 I4 LE. The car was bought used w/57K miles on it and the RF strut is leaking. Prices on e-bay are $380 for 4 Tokicos (yours might be cheaper since you can do cartridges). KYBs are about $120 cheaper. Strut mounts (highly recommended) are about $200 for my car. A 4-wheel alignment is about $85. I will do the R&R myself. I've already done this on my other 98 Camry. The total will be about $660. You may have to pay someone to do the install, so add that cost. If you use quality parts you may never have to do this job again, unless you keep you Toyota for 400,000 miles like I do.