I got a quote from a workshop for replacing both front lower control arm bushes of my Toyota Camry ASV50R 2013 for $280 each, total $560, labour included. Is that quote reasonable? I'm pretty newbie with Toyota services and parts.
Thanks
Edited: The workshop said the quote is due to needing two men working on that task?
Edited 2: I told the mechanic to go ahead due to timing and my own work. Just would like to see whether I should go back there for my next service.
It's good to hear other thoughts. I'm so new to this but the workshop was quite convincing regarding my particular car model. He said this car (or similar ASV50R) has three control arms, the two fronts are hard to reach, so he needs two men working on it, hence the labour charge is higher.
Is mine a duplicate or should I ask there or is this post in a wrong place?
Thank you!
Ouch, I should have come here first ;)
You said you had a quote, have you had the work done already? These days it's generally cheaper to replace the entire arm rather than singular bushes, saves a heap of labour.
Sorry, I am new to Toyota and was too underwater with work to shop around, so I told the mechanic to go ahead as I thought the bush cracks seem serious. He did not suggest the option to replace the whole arm though.
@brendanm: It does, actually. Help me to figure out a trustworthy workshop/mechanic ;) Thanks a lot, brendanm.
@nothing2do: You need to consider the quality of the replacement parts. The complete arm could well be cheapest but quality can be all over the place with aftermarket arms. New bushes in the original arms could well be a better choice. Two arms at $114 plus an hour's labour is probably $380. Maybe cheaper but may not last long. Maybe noisier. Lots of unknowns. Hard to decide trustworthy on just price.
@racer1234: Thanks for that. This is the only part in the invoice that I don't feel right because I got my previous car (VW Golf) bushes replaced with much lower cost. The rest seems not too excessive.
@nothing2do: Golf front lower control arm rear bushes are far easier to replace. Don't even need to take the arm out.
@nothing2do: Cars can vary a lot in how easy it is to change the same part. I haven't done a Camry or a golf so can't really say but other cars can take twice or triple the time to work on compared to something else. And sometimes you do need two people so that adds to the cost. Always worth asking the mechanic is this the cheapest option and why they recommend this choice over others.
Always worth asking the mechanic is this the cheapest option and why they recommend this choice over others.
That's a good one. I was quite ignorant, and a bit biased to my previous experience with my Golf that replacing the bushes is the viable option ;)
@racer1234: Oe arms for most euro cars are cheaper than replacing bushes. The one I linked was just the easiest to find, plenty of quality arms at similar pricing.
@brendanm: I agree but it is a matter of experience to know what is good versus what is rubbish. We always installed oe bushes in Alfa arms as they where the best choice for noise and control compared to aftermarket. Also worked out to be cheapest option.
@racer1234: As you seem to be a mechanic, is that a standard practice for workshops/mechanics to give the customers itemised invoices with breakdown of part no and labour? I always got those detailed invoices from VW specialists/workshops that I did my car services (pretty similar to what VW dealers invoices too). The invoice from this workshop for my Camry only shows briefly each task and its final cost (labour included), no breakdown.
@nothing2do: It varies from place to place. Hard to split labour per part as there is effectively prep and packup time for the whole job. Time to do one bush is 2/3 time to do both for example. So if doing a service plus other works time maybe 4 hours. If you did each job individually it maybe 6 hours. Labour per part commonly comes from a manufacturer book of times for each job and may take less or more in reality. Also time has to be covered for when things go wrong. Especially on older cars with damaged bolts etc.
Personally I would just avoid taking service unless the repair is urgent. Sure depends on how harsh rides you are happy to cope too.
Nah man, you should always try to keep your car in a good condition, don't wait until it's urgent. It's better to be proactive, not reactive.
Yeah, I'm kinda lean towards semi-proactive as I got few serious breakdowns and am often travelling with kids. When the mechanic mentioned the bushes got cracked (with photos), I did not think much and told him to go ahead.
My ex got his done 8 or so years ago 300 each. They saw him coming.
You could check with pedders
They also do a full inspection for $20
Oh, good to know, thanks. Bookmarked Pedders for next time.
I would avoid Pedders. My suspension developed a strange squeak after a long road trip. I took it to them, they forecast disaster, $1000's in damage, I negotiated then down to basic only, quote $900. Went to get a 2nd opinion, 2nd mechanic told me all the things they said needed fixing (I think bushes, arm etc) had years left in them. Sure, a little wear and tear, but that's normal, doesn't need to be brand new. Source of squeak still unidentified.
When my regular mechanic became available I took the car to him. He called me shortly after I dropped off the car as he wanted to show me something. The car was up on the hoist. He pointed his flashlight to the suspension with a "look at this". There was a flat stone about the size of a 50 cent piece stuck in there (I'd been driving on dirt roads). He got a tool and flicked it out. Squeak gone. Don't go to Pedders.
Every single one of their inspections ends up with a quote for at least $2k worth of work.
^ this. I got this once or twice, falling for cheap prices as baits and $$$ for extra services.
I've replaced suspension bushes - they are the rubber\neoprene sleeves that fit between the steel components sitting under your car that get wet from time to time.
They come out with a bit of effort if you are experienced, using the correct equipment, and don't intend to re-use them
In case you were wondering, you do not have the correct equipment, and would be in for a whole world of pain trying it without an oyx set, a fly-press (minimum) and a wrention tench.
Thanks, very handy information. I might use it later as of now, I don't have sufficient space and tools for this task. From the mechanic, it seems pretty difficult for this particular model. Perhaps it's better to let them do it.
I found a post on ToyotaNation and felt myself too silly to replace the bushes due to the cracks. This is the video of a Toyota/Lexus mechanic being referenced to:
Doesn't seem unreasonable especially in a major city but if you shop around you might be able to find cheaper.