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| 2005/10/28-30 [Transportation/Car] UID:40323 Activity:high |
10/28 Hi guys. I have a 1996 Camry DX (85K miles) and the mechanic says I
need to replace my shocks. He quoted me $800 for parts&labor. Is
this fair? This place (non-dealership) has done a good job previous
visits, uses OEM parts most of the time, and is Japanese-owned.
Thanks.
\_ check out wheelworks.. usually buy 3 get one free ($600)
on struts.
\_ if you tires are bouncing (you can tell if you get groves
deep wear evenly spaced/spread across your tires (like
if you were bouncing a basketball). if so you need new struts
\_ The price is about right for a shocks&struts job. I can't
comment on the realiability of the labor, which is what you
comment on the reliability of the labor, which is what you
should really care about
\_ Kais Motd would've given you the answer.
\_ You go on living your life how you want, but I'll just point out
that your little "problem" will cost you more than I have spent on
my current bike and my previous bike and all the bike related
accessories I've ever bought.
\_ as i've thought throughout college, riding bike is good, but is
not so good for non-bike dates
\_ sounds a little on the high-side, but not unreasonable for good
quality work.
\_
\_ One more question: In the context above, is it just the "shocks"
he's replacing? I read on howstuffworks that a "strut" technically
includes the shock absorber too. -op
\_ A "shock" is a big spring; it's responsible for absorbing jolts
from the road. A "strut" is a passive hydraulic piston that
dampens out the vibrations in this spring; if you didn't have
struts, your car would porpoise up and down after hitting a bump.
You usually replace shocks and struts at the same time. Shocks
do less as they age due to fatigue on the metal; struts also wear
down. I had my shocks&struts changed out a year or so ago on my
'95 car, and the handling and ride comfort both improved. It was
less than $800, but not by much. (I have an American car.) -gm
\_ http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-suspension5.htm
From the above URL, it sounds like a "shock" is a piston type
device, not really a spring ... -op
\_ Hey, how about that. Disregard prior "expertise". -gm
\_ No worries ... I almost think some mechanics would look
at me funny if I told them taht
\_ Shocks don't ever really need replacement, unless the ride
quality is unacceptable to you.
\_ I was wondering about this as well, why is a guy driving a
10 year old car worried about how smooth the ride is?
\_ mechanic said it was time -op
\_ mechanic said it was time. Personally I would wait at least
two more years or pass the cost to the next owner; I can
stand the car bouncing down the freeway, even at ~ 80mph.
It's actually my gf's car, though. -op
\_ For a car that old, the time to fix things is when
they break. Exceptions are anything to do with the
cooling system (e.g. hoses), the safety system (e.g.
brakes) and the timing belt. You want to replace those
items before they break. Shocks? No way.
\_ after reading the comments, I've come to agree -- I'd
personally replace at leaking shocks (i'd be worried
about metal-on-metal grinding). eh, some people say
shocks are part of the safety system, but thanks for
the advice.
\_ I always ask: 1) is this a safety issue? 2) will it cause any
other damage if I don't pay you a zillion bucks to fix it. Based
on those answers I decided if my money will be well spent on a fix
or not. I'd spend a few bucks on minor stuff, I'd spend as much
as reasonably needed for a safety issue (or just replace it if it
was too much), but wouldn't spend $800 on a non-safety issue that
didn't bother me.
\_ Jah. I'm basically saying, let's assume it's a safety issue.
Then, Is $x fair for repair y? -op
\_ Yes, if it's for good quality parts and a good job. |
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|
| auto.howstuffworks.com/car-suspension5.htm The spri ng will continue to bounce at its natural frequency until all of the ene rgy originally put into it is used up. A suspension built on springs alo ne would make for an extremely bouncy ride and, depending on the terrain , an uncontrollable car. Enter the shock absorber, or snubber, a device that controls unwanted spr ing motion through a process known as dampening. Shock absorbers slow do wn and reduce the magnitude of vibratory motions by turning the kinetic energy of suspension movement into heat energy that can be dissipated th rough hydraulic fluid. To understand how this works, it's best to look i nside a shock absorber to see its structure and function. A shock absorber is basically an oil pump placed between the frame of the car and the wheels. The upper mount of the shock connects to the frame (ie, the sprung weight), while the lower mount connects to the axle, n ear the wheel (ie, the unsprung weight). In a twin-tube design, one of the most common types of shock absorbers, the upper mount is connected to a piston rod, which in turn is connected to a piston, which in turn s its in a tube filled with hydraulic fluid. The inner tube is known as th e pressure tube, and the outer tube is known as the reserve tube. When the car wheel encounters a bump in the road and causes the spring to coil and uncoil, the energy of the spring is transferred to the shock a bsorber through the upper mount, down through the piston rod and into th e piston. Orifices perforate the piston and allow fluid to leak through as the piston moves up and down in the pressure tube. Because the orific es are relatively tiny, only a small amount of fluid, under great pressu re, passes through. This slows down the piston, which in turn slows down the spring. Shock absorbers work in two cycles -- the compression cycle and the exten sion cycle. The compression cycle occurs as the piston moves downward, c ompressing the hydraulic fluid in the chamber below the piston. The exte nsion cycle occurs as the piston moves toward the top of the pressure tu be, compressing the fluid in the chamber above the piston. A typical car or light truck will have more resistance during its extension cycle tha n its compression cycle. With that in mind, the compression cycle contro ls the motion of the vehicle's unsprung weight, while extension controls the heavier, sprung weight. All modern shock absorbers are velocity-sensitive -- the faster the suspe nsion moves, the more resistance the shock absorber provides. This enabl es shocks to adjust to road conditions and to control all of the unwante d motions that can occur in a moving vehicle, including bounce, sway, br ake dive and acceleration squat. |