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On Mon, 11 Dec 2006 18:53:27 -0800, schuey wrote:
[color=blue]
> I brought my car in to get the rear brakes repaired and ran into
> another problem. My front struts need to be replaced (and not just a
> mechanic saying they need to, they are in terrible shape - the right
> front looks like it is ready to fall off!). Everything needs to be
> replaced...the mounts, coil and entire strut assembly. My mechanic
> quoted $1000 for everything (including the tune up/inspection, oil
> change, and wheel alignment). Is this a good deal or not? I know the
> "struts" themselves are relatively cheap, but is this a fair price to
> replace everything, including labor? Thanks![/color]


Holy Crap!
Struts=$60-65 each at AutoZone
Brakes=$18 for front pads, maybe $20 each for front rotors.
Rear, $15-20 for shoes, $35-60 for drums.
Wheel alignment=$60

Is there a boat parked at your mechanic's garage/house?
Screw boat, this guy must have a yacht!
Also, he is probably going by 'book time', which is usually a worse-case
scenario; broken bolts, rusty parts, etc. If your car is in good shape,
the actual repair can be 1/4 of 'book time'. I always ask, but I know most
of the shops in the area, and they know I know, so they charge me by the
hour.

I'll let you know, but I have one shop replacing my timing belt/water pump
for $65; the belt was $24 and the pump (reman'd) was $38; I have another
shop replacing my struts, $58X4 and $120 for labor. The shop doing the
timing belt wanted $264 for labor for the struts, and the shop doing the
struts wanted $300 for the timing belt!! Go figure!


Going by 'standard' job costs, a timing belt can be $200-300, struts
$400-550, brakes $400-550. I usually use 'generic' parts and usually do
fairly well.

Is he using Genuine Toyota parts? Or does he have a yacht? ;)