Suspension Quoted $550 to install springs... WTF

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
  #1  
Old 07-12-2016, 05:56 PM
Joespeed's Avatar
Joespeed
Joespeed is offline
2nd Gear
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 93
Received 3 Likes on 3 Posts
Quoted $550 to install springs... WTF

Someone please tell me this is not the going rate for an install like this ?

The shop said it included an alignment.. however, the car only has 1800 miles on it... wtf...

before I react ( kind of already did internally) is this the going rate for a springs-only install ?
 
  #2  
Old 07-12-2016, 08:43 PM
rkw's Avatar
rkw
rkw is offline
OVERDRIVE
Join Date: May 2005
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 8,233
Received 120 Likes on 105 Posts
Originally Posted by Joespeed
The shop said it included an alignment.. however, the car only has 1800 miles on it... wtf...
Lowering the car? Yeah, you should do an alignment after the suspension settles in.

As for cost, here's some perspective:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...tall-cost.html
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...r-install.html
 
  #3  
Old 07-12-2016, 10:42 PM
Joespeed's Avatar
Joespeed
Joespeed is offline
2nd Gear
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 93
Received 3 Likes on 3 Posts
thanks for the insight..

what is the typical timeframe for an alignment?

these came off of an F56 and are going onto an F55... I'd imagine a few weeks?
 
  #4  
Old 07-13-2016, 05:14 AM
Qik420's Avatar
Qik420
Qik420 is offline
4th Gear
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 390
Received 11 Likes on 11 Posts
If they're used no need to let them settle, get the alignment done. Also, changing out springs is a breeze. Pick you up a spring compressor from harbor freight and do it yourself, then you just gotta pay the 90 or so dollars to get it aligned
 
  #5  
Old 07-13-2016, 06:41 AM
ZippyNH's Avatar
ZippyNH
ZippyNH is offline
6th Gear
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Southern NH
Posts: 12,605
Likes: 0
Received 32 Likes on 32 Posts
... Shop is gonna charge you $200 or so per hour of shop time if you supply the parts...even if the "Shop rate"is lower....they need to make up for the lost mark-up on the parts you bought in to avoid loosing $$... cuse a different car could be on the lift, with the owner paying the mark-up on parts AND LABOR.
Sometimes a trusted shop that knows you will cut you a deal....but as a walk-in...they will feel they are doing you a favor.
So they are basically charging you 2 hrs and a alignment....$500.
In modding, parts are cheap...the labor and know-how is the $$$ part.
 
  #6  
Old 07-13-2016, 06:51 AM
goin2drt's Avatar
goin2drt
goin2drt is offline
4th Gear
Join Date: May 2010
Location: The OC
Posts: 375
Likes: 0
Received 3 Likes on 3 Posts
Doesn't seem bad to me. I paid more but I went to a high end race shop.
 
  #7  
Old 07-13-2016, 08:00 AM
toyopet's Avatar
toyopet
toyopet is offline
4th Gear
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 301
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Originally Posted by Qik420
If they're used no need to let them settle, get the alignment done. Also, changing out springs is a breeze. Pick you up a spring compressor from harbor freight and do it yourself, then you just gotta pay the 90 or so dollars to get it aligned
Spring compressors aren't needed for the F56 if you have access to an impact driver or air tools.
 
  #8  
Old 07-13-2016, 08:04 AM
Qik420's Avatar
Qik420
Qik420 is offline
4th Gear
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 390
Received 11 Likes on 11 Posts
Originally Posted by toyopet
Spring compressors aren't needed for the F56 if you have access to an impact driver or air tools.
I can see that for disassembly, but you don't need one to re-assemble? I didn't know the new Cooper's had so much travel. No bueno.
 
  #9  
Old 07-13-2016, 08:44 AM
toyopet's Avatar
toyopet
toyopet is offline
4th Gear
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 301
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Originally Posted by Qik420
I can see that for disassembly, but you don't need one to re-assemble? I didn't know the new Cooper's had so much travel. No bueno.
If you have someone to help, you won't need spring compressors to reassemble.

Why is more suspension travel bad?
 
  #10  
Old 07-13-2016, 09:07 AM
Qik420's Avatar
Qik420
Qik420 is offline
4th Gear
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 390
Received 11 Likes on 11 Posts
Originally Posted by toyopet
If you have someone to help, you won't need spring compressors to reassemble.

Why is more suspension travel bad?

It's good if you're off roading I suppose
 
  #11  
Old 07-13-2016, 10:13 AM
toyopet's Avatar
toyopet
toyopet is offline
4th Gear
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 301
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Originally Posted by Qik420
It's good if you're off roading I suppose
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post4135993
 
  #12  
Old 07-13-2016, 10:33 AM
ljmattox's Avatar
ljmattox
ljmattox is offline
5th Gear
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: St. Louis metro area USA
Posts: 920
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes on 2 Posts
I paid $480 and then $550 to have springs installed, then swapped back out 4 years later. R&R all four struts, and take them apart to change the spring, so it takes a while, 4.2 - 4.8 hours on the bills that I paid.
 
  #13  
Old 07-13-2016, 12:00 PM
rkw's Avatar
rkw
rkw is offline
OVERDRIVE
Join Date: May 2005
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 8,233
Received 120 Likes on 105 Posts
Originally Posted by Qik420
I didn't know the new Cooper's had so much travel. No bueno.
It is a good thing. It's only "so much travel" compared to the earlier generations. The 1st and 2nd gen had unusually low suspension travel compared to most cars (even high performance sports cars). That made suspension modding options very limited.
 
  #14  
Old 07-14-2016, 05:06 PM
Joespeed's Avatar
Joespeed
Joespeed is offline
2nd Gear
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 93
Received 3 Likes on 3 Posts
THANK YOU all for the input.. Im glad I asked to bring my expectations back to reality!

2nd question, with H&R Springs, do you think I'll have any issues running 15mm spacers in the rear? I have the 18" vanity wheels fwiw ...I want a nice clean rear end (lol) a little lower a little wider and to push the wheels out..

you know HR springs only drop 1.1" or so, so I dont see rubbing being an issue..

thanks in advance
 
  #15  
Old 07-15-2016, 07:18 AM
honderpilot's Avatar
honderpilot
honderpilot is offline
5th Gear
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 654
Received 3 Likes on 3 Posts
Originally Posted by Joespeed
Someone please tell me this is not the going rate for an install like this ?

The shop said it included an alignment.. however, the car only has 1800 miles on it... wtf...

before I react ( kind of already did internally) is this the going rate for a springs-only install ?
I got quoted the same thing. It's due to the fact that these are basically bmws so we have to pay BMW prices... I'm gonna bite the bullet and pay that to get them removed. We installed them ourselves but 8 hours is not worth $600 to me.
 
  #16  
Old 07-15-2016, 08:37 AM
Hoopty's Avatar
Hoopty
Hoopty is offline
2nd Gear
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Mission Viejo, CA
Posts: 133
Likes: 0
Received 3 Likes on 2 Posts
Bump Stops

This may be helpful here.......

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post4226195

Hoopty
 
  #17  
Old 07-15-2016, 11:03 PM
Joespeed's Avatar
Joespeed
Joespeed is offline
2nd Gear
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 93
Received 3 Likes on 3 Posts
Originally Posted by Hoopty
This may be helpful here.......

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post4226195

Hoopty

thanks again Hoopty!

what about rear spacers tho ? any ideas guys ?
 
  #18  
Old 07-16-2016, 05:36 AM
goin2drt's Avatar
goin2drt
goin2drt is offline
4th Gear
Join Date: May 2010
Location: The OC
Posts: 375
Likes: 0
Received 3 Likes on 3 Posts
I wish I could help on the spacers. I don't use them but I did buy wheels with a bigger offset that pushed them out. They did rub at first with coilovers but I just kept adjusting them until they were right at the height they did not rub. Problem is I do not know exactly at what drop I ended at.
 
  #19  
Old 07-16-2016, 09:37 AM
Hoopty's Avatar
Hoopty
Hoopty is offline
2nd Gear
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Mission Viejo, CA
Posts: 133
Likes: 0
Received 3 Likes on 2 Posts
Here are a couple pics of my car with H&R springs, 215/40 18 Michelin PSS, and 15mm spacers on the rear. (you can see them in the picture) I hear it about once a month just barely rub/brush, no big deal.

Hoopty
 
Attached Thumbnails Quoted 0 to install springs... WTF-hoopty-1.jpg   Quoted 0 to install springs... WTF-hoopty-2.jpg  
  #20  
Old 07-17-2016, 02:31 AM
MoJo4Twenty's Avatar
MoJo4Twenty
MoJo4Twenty is offline
3rd Gear
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 151
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes on 2 Posts
It gets pricey but I rather pay a little more for piece of mind. I got lucky and I know a shop owner who handles race cars and can squeeze me in. Hoopty I'm looking for tires for some 18x8 et 50 that I'm about to get soon. I wanted to run 225 instead of 215 do you think that would be an issue?



My stock 16 looks like this now. Might have to wait for the wheels before I decide on the tires (the offset 50 throws me off)
 
  #21  
Old 07-18-2016, 03:14 PM
minisf56's Avatar
minisf56
minisf56 is offline
1st Gear
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Bay Area
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
feel good. I just got quoted $1025 for install and alignment for coilovers!
 
  #22  
Old 07-19-2016, 05:16 AM
honderpilot's Avatar
honderpilot
honderpilot is offline
5th Gear
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 654
Received 3 Likes on 3 Posts
Originally Posted by minisf56
feel good. I just got quoted $1025 for install and alignment for coilovers!
Why so expensive!? I got quoted ~$600 from MINI to do coilovers on mine.
 
  #23  
Old 07-19-2016, 09:07 AM
minisf56's Avatar
minisf56
minisf56 is offline
1st Gear
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Bay Area
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
it's the bay area labor rates.. mojo gave me some leads for other shops though!
 
  #24  
Old 07-19-2016, 09:50 AM
RB-MINI's Avatar
RB-MINI
RB-MINI is offline
6th Gear
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 2,398
Received 489 Likes on 408 Posts
What part of the Bay Area are you in... have you tried Bay Bridge Motors in Oakland or Mini Werks in San Carlos?
 
  #25  
Old 07-19-2016, 10:27 AM
minisf56's Avatar
minisf56
minisf56 is offline
1st Gear
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Bay Area
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
east bay! thanks for the recommendations RB!
 


Quick Reply: Suspension Quoted $550 to install springs... WTF



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 04:40 PM.