need help with replacing struts

[mkso]

My camry solara needs new rear struts (with mounts). My local Midas quoted me half the amount my local Toyota dealer is asking for the exact same work. My question is: a) is it worth paying the premium to the dealer?, b) will Midas do a good job?, c) does Midas use good quality parts? are they same quality as the parts the dealer will use. Please help!! It's a really expensive job. Thanks.

[bigbird]

my uncle ownes 2 of them...and i can tell ya. his are kinda shady.

but its a straight foward install...not complicated and i doubt they would screw it up. they will use bargin aftermarket products most likely. personally id buy all the parts so you know they are good and then take them to midas to be installed.

[mkso]

thanks bigbird. where should i order the parts from? I've the part numbers from the Toyota catalog.

[flyeri]

I got mine from shock warehouse. I did not replace the rear mounts, just the front ones. The rear job was not that hard to do, took about 3 hours.

[Mike Gerber]

There is always a risk when buying the parts yourself and bringing them somewhere to be installed. Is the Midas going to install parts you bring in? If so, will it change the amount they will charge you for labor? (Most shops make a profit on the parts they install.) If one of the parts is defective after the install it's you who will have to pay again to have the part removed and a new one installed. If you bought the parts over the internet, the supplier will most likely want the defective part back before sending you a new one. That means you will have to have someone remove the part to send and in the case of struts, your car becomes undrivable while you send the part back and wait for the new part to arrive. Is a place like Midas going to store your car for you while it is undrivable? Can you be without your car for a period of time? Just a few things to consider.

Mike

[JohnGD]

Most big chain shops will use Monroe. I personally like Gabriel Ultras if I don't get Bilstein Touring, which aren't available for many cars (only the too firm HD or Sports).

Ask them if they use Monroe QuickSturts (<96 only rears available). Because if you need to buy a strut and mount for each corner, the QS should be quite cost competitive and you get all new parts.

For a while on some Monroe products they'll say if you're not satisfied they pay $50 per corner to take the strut off. That's an idea of how much a shop should charge. (More like $60 per corner).

If you do the fronts you'll need an alignment.

Originally Posted by mkso

My camry solara needs new rear struts (with mounts). My local Midas quoted me half the amount my local Toyota dealer is asking for the exact same work. My question is: a) is it worth paying the premium to the dealer?, b) will Midas do a good job?, c) does Midas use good quality parts? are they same quality as the parts the dealer will use. Please help!! It's a really expensive job. Thanks.

[bigbird]

Originally Posted by Mike Gerber

There is always a risk when buying the parts yourself and bringing them somewhere to be installed. Is the Midas going to install parts you bring in? If so, will it change the amount they will charge you for labor? (Most shops make a profit on the parts they install.) If one of the parts is defective after the install it's you who will have to pay again to have the part removed and a new one installed. If you bought the parts over the internet, the supplier will most likely want the defective part back before sending you a new one. That means you will have to have someone remove the part to send and in the case of struts, your car becomes undrivable while you send the part back and wait for the new part to arrive. Is a place like Midas going to store your car for you while it is undrivable? Can you be without your car for a period of time? Just a few things to consider.

Mike

well...if you go to one of my uncle's shops then your likely to have problems with the install before the parts...even if ya brake them before they install them. but some good things to consider, personally...i know i can get the right part and can tell if somthign is wrong with it before install....then again...i would be the one installing them too..

as far as labor cost....you ask what the labor rate is before ANYTHING else. thats how Midas works, as well as most chains. that being said, they can lie and make somthing up about having to do more. theres really not much you can do about it if they do that to ya.