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Coil over install costs
- Thread starter UWGorilla
- Start date
Dolemite
is my name
Gonna DIY this. Even considering DIY alignment but last time I did that I finished at 3 AM and seriously questioning my existence.
Alignment was perfect tho.
Alignment was perfect tho.
Occhis
Member
Dolemite
is my name
At the risk of derailing this thread... I used this system from this small company:
4-wheel Alignment System - Tenhulzen Automotive | WheelAlignmentTools.com
It was on my NB Miata. Double-wishbone suspension all around - 16 eccentric bolts in total. Car was on coilovers so it was even harder to access the bolts, since it had to be on the ground. Every time you change one setting, it throws other measurements off. Plus, you need to ensure 1) the suspension's settled if it's new and 2) some changes require you to roll the car back & forth so that your adjustment has "set." Started in the afternoon & wrapped up in the wee hours of the morning before having to get up @ 7 AM for an auto-x. When I took it out I was totally expecting it to drive sideways, but to my amazement it was absolutely effing perfect & I understood why I'd never been satisfied with an alignment from a shop - it takes time. Probably much less time with a $50,000 machine and a lift, but I guess still more than is "profitable." Maybe I've just never been to a decent shop... Swore I'd never do it again & sold the system.
But... I think the Tesla's suspension is far simpler, so I'm *considering* trying it again - but not with anything from that company. They make it seem far easier than it is, and their customer support seems to have taken a hit. Some of their other products don't even make sense to me - like their "2-Wheel Alignment System." How are two plates supposed to ensure the car's properly aligned when all you're doing is adjusting the wheels relative to each other & not the actual car? So unless I figure something out, I'll probably just end up taking it to a shop & bitching until it's perfect.
Back on track... I bought MPP coilovers & will definitely be installing them myself, but that's just me... it's way simpler than people realize. But this is coming from someone who's willing to spend 14 solid hours aligning a $3,000 car, so take that as you will.
All 4x corners should be about $500 without an alignment, hopefully a little less. Alignment really depends on where you go, but probably another $100 to $200 for a high-end place.
LOL - So i take my car to a well-known race alignment shop (West End Alignment, look at their Yelp score lol) and funny enough they do not use ANY lasers for the aligning process. It is 100% manual and old school style (chalk on the tires and manual gauges).
Granted they have the lift with pads that allow you to turn the tires, but still you don't need the fanciest equipment all the time!
Man, that's gotta be a Tesla Tax.
Dolemite
is my name
Hmmm i have a terrible memory and it's cash only lol but pretty sure I last paid almost $200 for the alignment and about $350 for corner balance + alignment on a different visit, but i was the first Tesla they had worked on and had some additional adjustable arms that made it more time consuming for them to get dialed in.
I mostly have received quotes from 1320-1600 and 200$ for the alignment. Seems like alignment and corner balancing prices are alright, but the install prices are overinflated, I’ll keep looking around Seattle for a few weeks in the meantime.
Specifically, it was $675 to install the coilovers, $135 for the front arms, $135 for the rear arms, $135 for changing out the sway bar links, and $275 for a track alignment (7.5 hours labor total @ $135/hour)
What shop was this? Cheapest I have is $1600+tax for everything here in Seattle or 1470 in Portland including alignment.
Hey guys. Is this insane or no? Granted I’m in Westchester NY, but still. If this is reasonable let me know. My other option is to drive to Long Island which will be a PITA.
TacoSteve
Closed
I DIY align my model 3, you really don't need anything fancy. Bare minimum required is two strings that are lined up parallel to the hubs and equally spaced apart, then two identical tape measures, and lastly a decent camber gauge.
This is a good video describing the process.
TacoSteve
Closed
I have nothing to compare to but this does look absolutely insane. $500 for brake lines? Lol. That's a 20-30 minute job.
You are pretty quick if you can lift the car, take off the wheels, replace 4 lines, fully bleed the system from 6 ports, and put it all back together in 30 minutes. But it's probably only 1.5 hours. The insane part is that the flush is not part of the brake lines
It's hard to say if it's valid pricing overall- Westchester is $$. The better way to think of it- I've done lower control arm bearings before, and it's a 2 hour job assuming you have access to a good press already set up and you have the press tools and you know exactly what you are doing. I'd quote 3 hours until I was sure. So is the going rate in Westchester $250 an hour?
As for coilver installs in this whole thread- everyone is worried about alignment, but I don't hear a lot of talk of corner balancing, which is kind of the point of coilovers and can take a few hours to do right.
You don't actually need the strings to be parallel to the car, just parallel to each other. You can back out the other error in math. Here's a great website that does all the math for you: DIY Alignment Calculator
Personally, I replace the strings with lasers. I have two PVC bars that are identical length. I put them on the car, and set up a laser to just shine on the end of each bar at the front and rear. Now these two lasers are parallel (you can even just use one and move it) and measuring is a lot easier with a laser than a string.
Only thing to mention is that you probably want a good ruler with mm abilities- 1mm on a 19" wheel is 0.11 degrees. You aren't going to get a good alignment doing 1/8" accuracy measurements.
TacoSteve
Closed
This was assuming the car was already on a lift for other work and there was another line item for brake flushing. Would be pretty dumb if they were putting the car all back together after every line item.You are pretty quick if you can lift the car, take off the wheels, replace 4 lines, fully bleed the system from 6 ports, and put it all back together in 30 minutes. But it's probably only 1.5 hours. The insane part is that the flush is not part of the brake lines
TacoSteve
Closed
Yes, but this is a problem when you quote work. The customer can come back and just say "OK, all I want is the brake lines" and then be annoyed when the price is not that because you had assumed it would already be on a lift with the wheels off and frunk out and you'd be charging separately for new brake fluid and flushing.
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