Tomorrow the mechanic is installing the H&R Sport Springs. He says the "Book Hour Time" is 6 hours @ $80/hr= $480 then a 4-wheel alignment @ $70 = $560 total. Want an opinion on the labor to perform the spring install.

 

Do you have a place to do this yourself? I wouldn't think that a spring install is all that complicated if you've got a proper work space and the right tools.

Bob S.

 

Negative on me doing the spring install. No tools and no patience.

 

Well that's OK. It's good to know what you shouldn't try. I think 6 hours has some pad in it but he's got to do that unless he's done a few of them already. The alignment is pretty cheap. Are you possibly going to need a camber adjustment beacuse the springs lower the ride? Is this guy a really good suspension mechanic who knows about this sort of stuff?

Bob S.

 

"Is this guy a really good suspension mechanic..." Bob my friend, I'm afraid I'm about to find out....

 

I don't know the S-Type R suspension yet but if it doesn't have a camber adjustment on the arms then may have to adjust it on the top in the shock tower.

Good luck.

Bob S.

 

It dont take 6 hrs to do, I didn mine in a few hrs in my driveway

 

I did it in 4hrs with my son-in-law assisting. I provided the beer which by the time we were finished so was the beer. We prolly shouldn't have taken it for a test drive after a blunt but we did. The wheels didn't fall off and the coppers were busy eating doughnuts.

Had a alignment done the next day. Put 10k on the car since completed - flawless...

 

I've never done STR springs, but I've done them with my brother on his Monte and it is a tough job. I'd likely get someone to do it also. BUT 6 hours labor is out of line. 3 hours is acceptable.

The above advice is worth what you paid for it.

 

Interesting comments.

 

drinking and smoking a blunt and driving....winner there

 

Does H&R provide this as an engineered kit or just as a set of springs available in various rates for the car?

Maybe they've done this and determined that the Camber ends up being just fine with the new springs? It's worth asking them the question.

Bob S.

 

I cancelled the H&R spring install for this mechanic and will use another.

 

Not hard to do yourself....

 

Yeah that six pack between two of us over 4hrs and my son-in-law sparking up was a "winner" cause I don't have a friggin' brain cell still workin' which brings me to why I got two words "kettle" and "pot" rattling around in my empty head with not the slightest clue how to put 'em together...

 

it wasn't too hard of an install. As long as the mechanic has a decent air compressor to operate the spring compressors, it's not bad. My little crappy one was cycling on an off like crazy which drastically lengthened the install time.

However, this advice is coming from a guy that must have screwed it up somehow, because my suspension makes more clunking noise now than a tennis match.

 

Put that puppy up on a lift, check all the connections and re-torque everything. Have the alignment re-checked after. Check the shock coils to make sure they are seated properly.

The only time I hear clunking noises in a tennis match is the sound the racket makes after I pitch it onto terra firma after losing a bet, a bad serve and/or I miss my opponent. I stopped playing golf after I realized I was ruining an otherwise good walk.

Good luck man...

 

tomorrow it's in the hands of the mechanic tomorrow...may g-d bless him. Thanks to all for helping out with the advice and humor along the way.

 

I've checked the torque specs... I think I need to verify that there's not not any play between the spring and the spring isolator (or whatever that rubber piece between the shock mount and the spring is)... more projects...

 

When you lift the wheels off the groud are the springs loose up & down because they're shorter?

Bob S.