2021 Shocks Install Labor Hours?

[Redd4099]

Dropped my 2021 XLT off this morning to have Bilstein 4600 installed front/rear. Called the shop 8 hours later to find out if truck was ready, and the mechanic told me he was almost done and that it was a 6 hour job. He told me the fronts are a bear and you pretty much need to disassemble the front end to get them done. Can anyone relate to this? I had no idea and wondering if he’s being honest. This is an independent garage that was recommended. I purposely avoided the dealer for this job because of cost. Might have made a mistake.

Sponsored

 

[Abraham5G]

My local mechanic charged me $450 plus tax to install new owner-furnished Ford Performance Bilstein 6112/5160 on all four corners a couple of weeks ago on my F-150. Alignment not included.

 

[HammaMan]

Dropped my 2021 XLT off this morning to have Bilstein 4600 installed front/rear. Called the shop 8 hours later to find out if truck was ready, and the mechanic told me he was almost done and that it was a 6 hour job. He told me the fronts are a bear and you pretty much need to disassemble the front end to get them done. Can anyone relate to this? I had no idea and wondering if he’s being honest. This is an independent garage that was recommended. I purposely avoided the dealer for this job because of cost. Might have made a mistake.

I installed my front pucks in about 90 minutes using jack / jack stands and it's the same process to install struts (as the easiest method of install is to swap them sides). If the rear took 30 minutes I'd be surprised.

 

[dadrew]

Local guy I use charged me $350 for install on fronts. The Bilstein 6112’s and it was three hours. He also did front and rear diff change

 

[CND Supercrew]

I would guess if they have to reuse your coils, it would take more time

 

[dbtgt]

Dropped my 2021 XLT off this morning to have Bilstein 4600 installed front/rear. Called the shop 8 hours later to find out if truck was ready, and the mechanic told me he was almost done and that it was a 6 hour job. He told me the fronts are a bear and you pretty much need to disassemble the front end to get them done. Can anyone relate to this? I had no idea and wondering if he’s being honest. This is an independent garage that was recommended. I purposely avoided the dealer for this job because of cost. Might have made a mistake.

I was charged 6 hours on my 2021 Lariat by an independent shop for installation of Bilstein 4600s on all four corners. Didn't include alignment.

 

[Graygoose2021]

My buddy at work installed front, and rear dual resis from 9am, done at 11am.
And that was with coffee breaks!

 

[SALEEN961]

The labor times in Mitchell ProDemand are 4.2 hours for the front shocks and 0.9 hours for the rear shocks, the times are slightly higher for trucks with dynamic suspension. The alignment shouldn't take more than 1.5 hours and is usually way faster with modern alignment racks.

Depending on where you go, I wouldn't expect the job to take more than 7 hours in total, but this is realistically only a 3-4 hour job for a skilled mechanic using a lift.

Working on the ground at my house, the last set of Fox 2.0 shocks and front coilovers I installed took about 5 hours and that includes adjusting the ride height. The high temp for the day was 34°F so I wasn't working as quickly as I normally can, thick gloves are nice for staying warm but they really make handling small parts and tools a challenge.

 

[HammaMan]

I see people doing far more work than is required. To get the strut out, unbolt the LCA from the truck. That's pretty much it. No ball joints need removed, the half shaft stays in place, etc.

 

[MattV]

Shade tree mechanic here. I did mine myself in the garage on jack stands. No real experience with this stuff. First front corner took me 4 hours because I checked and rechecked everything. Other front side took 45 minutes. Rears took 30 min total. If a pro told me it was more than a 2.5-3 hour job I’d be concerned.

 

[SALEEN961]

I see people doing far more work than is required. To get the strut out, unbolt the LCA from the truck. That's pretty much it. No ball joints need removed, the half shaft stays in place, etc.

There are pros and cons to each method. Dropping the LCA out of the way is faster, but it makes getting the alignment correct much more time consuming if you're working alone and don't have cam bolts installed. Most people will struggle to get the LCA bolted up in the same exact location and it makes getting an alignment an urgent need.

For someone working on their own truck that doesn't have cam bolts installed, leaving the LCAs fully installed minimizes changes to alignment and makes it easy to drive to a shop for an alignment without any concerns about warning lights, pulls, or rapid tire wear.

 

[SumGuy]

Dropped my 2021 XLT off this morning to have Bilstein 4600 installed front/rear. Called the shop 8 hours later to find out if truck was ready, and the mechanic told me he was almost done and that it was a 6 hour job. He told me the fronts are a bear and you pretty much need to disassemble the front end to get them done. Can anyone relate to this? I had no idea and wondering if he’s being honest. This is an independent garage that was recommended. I purposely avoided the dealer for this job because of cost. Might have made a mistake.

I diy’d in my garage. Yes, I took the lower control arm off as it saved a ton of time and I was going to get an alignment anyways - I did the fox 2.0 kit. I marked the bolts and got them pretty close to where they were originally though.

I think 6 hours including beers and watching a movie sounds right. Probably stopped to eat lunch too. But I don’t have a lift and a bunch of air tools. It was all hand wrenching.

 

[HammaMan]

There are pros and cons to each method. Dropping the LCA out of the way is faster, but it makes getting the alignment correct much more time consuming if you're working alone and don't have cam bolts installed. Most people will struggle to get the LCA bolted up in the same exact location and it makes getting an alignment an urgent need.

For someone working on their own truck that doesn't have cam bolts installed, leaving the LCAs fully installed minimizes changes to alignment and makes it easy to drive to a shop for an alignment without any concerns about warning lights, pulls, or rapid tire wear.

Nah, just sharpie around the bolt locations and you'll put it right back to where it was.

 

[Riddick]

6 hr quote is on the high side for sure. It shouldn't take anyone longer than 2 hours to remove and replace the fronts, add 1 additional hour for them to swap over the springs on to the new struts. The rear shocks taking your sweet time would definitely not take any longer than 1 hr. 4 hrs total would be my guess and if a shop is doing the work I would expect for them to be able to do it in 3.

 

[lurch]

I'm fixin' to do this myself with Eibachs front and rear. Replacing the UCA's with JBA.
I don't trust most assclowns out there, they just don't give a shit anymore...

Then 285/75/17 KO3's w/ wheels, I let discount tire do that though.

Sponsored