Finding an installer

[danthemuffinman]

I called like 5 different places to see if I could have springs installed:
Custom car shop: 400
Midas: 700
Dealership: Said he will beat the 400 price and said it would be around a 4 hour job, but put me on hold for 10 minutes and never came back
Dealership2: We don't do any suspension mods
Dealership3: Bring it by and I will take a look at it


I guess I'm going with the custom car shop. The thing is I would pay today, but can't find anyone. I had 2 different places ask me if I wanted the back done too. Who the hell would only put springs on the front? Midas made it sound like it would be really difficult, but from what I read it's a 2-3 hour job.

$400 seems to be a decent price for springs only install. Too bad my mechanic friend moved to FL! I'm worried about a small shop doing the job and having them say i need a camber kit or some bullshit like that. The custom car shop is reputable.

[Rob@WretchedMS]

i posted this in a different post, but thought that i'd copy it here for you.

Prices are going to vary on the installation price a good bit, We typically charge about $500 plus tax, (give or take) to install springs, time the bushings, and align a Camaro to what ever specs are decided on. Our Shop rate is $100 an hour, and we are one of the lower priced shops in this area.

With all that said, here is a real world look at why a shop may give you a price that is higher than you expect.

Flat Rate Labor Guide Times: (Using Mitchell Estimating Guide)
Fronts Springs 2.6 Hours
Rear Springs 2.2 Hours

So if i shop quoted 4.8 hours labor they would not be over charging you.
If you also consider that you should pay to have the Bushings Timed to the new ride height, which can take a bit of time to do all of them, and can add up to an hour to the labor
Plus the alignment on top of all that.

Springs @ $250-350 (using $300 for my numbers)
4.8 Hours @ $100 = $480
1.0 Hours @ $100 = $100
Alignment @ $100 = $100
-----------------------
Installed Complete ~$980 or Less plus tax
Installation Only ~$680 or Less plus tax

Anything over that price should be considered out of line, (providing the shop is at $100 per hour)

You have to keep in mind also that you are not paying a guy in his back yard, you are paying a professional, with a lot of overhead, and a lot invested in equipment (Our Alignment Machine alone was nearly $30,000). This person is very likely to be more careful working on your car, as well as more picky about doing it right, thus taking additional time that may not be spend if he was working on a 2003 Corolla.

There are lots of places out there that can do the job, but only few that can do it right. Sometimes paying a bit more is worth it.

As for the camber kit, you won't need a camber kit for the front, however camber adjusting bolts that go in the top of the knuckle (you can see a threaded hole through the wheel) make adjusting the camber a lot easier, but it's not required. The front does not need a camber eccentric

The Rear is a different story, you may find that once you lower the car you can't get the adjustments where you want them, but there are eccentrics that are available for the rear that allow more adjustment than stock.

These might be helpful to you also.
Camaro-G8_Alignment_Techsheet.pdf
Camaro-G8_Bushing Timing-1.pdf

[danthemuffinman]

Yeah I know I want it done right. I had some rub issues on my last car, so I'm trying to avoid all of that crap. I got the Eibach springs because they seemed like a safe bet. It worries me when there's so many factors involved- I don't want to mess up my car in any way. So it's like do I go with a dealership who should be more familiar with the car....or a custom car shop that would be more familiar with making those modifications. I would prefer someone does it that has done one (a camaro) before! I don't really have any automotive performance shops near me in Maryland, but I wish I did.

I think I'll go with the custom shop that quoted me $400. Thanks!