Replacing suspension

[felpz123]

i have a 1994 camry 4cyl and the suspension is horrible, feels really loose and i bottom out on city streets.

could anyone familiar with this give me an estimate on how much it would cost for a shop to restore it?

[JohnGD]

About $300 worth of new struts on four corners, such as Gabriel Ultra from Autozone occasionally on sale. Or firmer Bilsteins if you like.

You may need other rubber parts like spring seats or even mounts. It may cost about $50-60 per corner for labor. Shop and get quotes first. At least Monroe will pay $50 per corner to take one off if you're not satisfied with their product:

http://www.monroe.com/support/warranty.asp

You'll likely need an alignment. Probably about $60-70 on a calibrated Hunter alignment machine.

http://www.hunter.com/PUB/product/AL...TEMS/index.htm

Originally Posted by felpz123

i have a 1994 camry 4cyl and the suspension is horrible, feels really loose and i bottom out on city streets.

could anyone familiar with this give me an estimate on how much it would cost for a shop to restore it?

[JohnGD]

If your car uses the cartridge consider not using it again. Just get complete strut units. Why? Because most if not all aftermarket struts now carry lifetime warranties.

For typical driving, see the Gabriel Ultra G-Force story:
http://www.gabriel.com/gforce1/eng/default.htm

[felpz123]

so about $600 total?

[JohnGD]

That would be if the only things wrong are the struts themselves. Then the rest are pretty much just labor plus the alignment. Call shops to check/negotiate package price.

You can further reduce the parts cost by using cartridges (~$42 each) if your struts are cartridge-replaceable type. You have to physically check because Toyota mix them. This should save you approx $100 in parts. But some of that money will likely go to labor -- check with a shop on what they want.

However, if you have problems with the rubber parts, then those can add up (see below), to the point it might make sense to get rear QuickStruts ~$170 with all new components (fronts aren't available for 94). These are the easiest to replace, but you can only get Monroe SensaTrac with it. Hopefully a shop will pass some profits back to you.

If you're getting soft struts that bottoms and no noises, then maybe the rubber parts are still good.

My 2 cents.

Rear lower spring seat ~$14:
http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=951439
Rear upper spring seat/boot ~$14:
http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=951529
Rear strut mount ~$66:
http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=225597

Front lower spring seat ~$57:
http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=1030992
Front upper mount and seat ~$98

Originally Posted by felpz123

so about $600 total?

[JohnGD]

Also, just checked, rockauto.com lists some SensaTracs with spring seats on discount. Might want to check there too. Just many ways to cut down costs.

For example MONROE Part # 71955 More Info {Sensa-Trac; w/Spring Seat Bearing (See More Info Page for Rebates & Promotions!)} Sale Item Front Right $44.79 Whole-sale closeout!!