That sounds crazy high to me, but I have never had them done. I can do them myself in about 90 minutes without rushing. Parts are under $300. Once the wheels are off, there are only 7 fasteners per side to undo to get the struts off the car, and they are all very easy to get to. Taking the strut apart to move the spring, seat, boot, bearing and such to the new strut is not terribly hard or time consuming.

 

I'd make that "my former mechanic." I do my own work so the labor is free and fun, but even so that price is waaay high! I posted all my prices and parts a couple years ago and only replaced the right front one, but with a new boot from Toyota and a replacement-quality strut from eBay I'm sure I didn't spend even $75 on parts. Labor, some of it dangerous, maybe an hour.
So $200 labor and $200 parts only comes to half your former mechanic's price.

 

I agree...way too high.

 

Earmantis have a look at Shockwarehouse.com They have low prices and free shipping for struts/shocks. The front struts are only $75 each (KYB). Labour according to Cars.com estimate at $73-$88 for the two struts.
So the front with labour and parts should be close to $230 which means your mechanic is no where close to this amount.

 

Here is an example of cost. Parts under $300 with about 2 hrs labor. http://www.rockauto.com/m/mobilecatalog.php

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Typically labor is 1.5 hrs per side. Plus the alignment. Plus parts.
3.0 x 85/hr = $255 labor + 120 each parts = 240 + alignment $80.
255 labor + 240 parts + 80 alignment = $575.00
800-900 seems too high.

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The trick is to get struts and new springs that are pre assembled. When your shocks are dead, there is a good chance that your springs are sagged too. Swapping out assembled struts from your car is a simple task. Taking struts apart and putting the old spring onto a new strut is time consuming and no fun.
KYB shocks and struts for cars and trucks - Shockwarehouse.com

My advice is to buy a pre assembled strut, then take it to you mech and say install this. Should take about 1 hour of labor 2 at the most. Most mechanics charge about $100/hour of labor.

 

SO that was a little bit of bad advice as the linked product is for a gen 2, and a pre assembled strut was not readily available for the 4.3. I think monroe makes one called a "quick strut". But I am not a fan of monroes nor did I find a part number for our cars.

 

Monroe is terrible. You'll be replacing them in a year.
The quote I have for labor time is what we always got when I worked for Toyota

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I'd go with Kyb. Unless you have the dealer do it. Yes more money upfront but lifetime parts AND labor warranty on suspension and exhaust.

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Thanks guys. The dealer was actually cheaper. They quoted me $550 for front struts. I got the front struts, new wheel bearing, inner tie rod, and alignment for $1,200. A little higher than most shops but i wanted it done

 

... My mechanic called today to say the parts were in and didn't sound happy when I told him I went to the dealer for less $$... Oh well I did what I had to do:

So you had your mechanic order the parts, but then had the work done elsewhere? That was uncool of you, very undude.

 

Earl, you are one stand-up guy.

 

Yes sir. And one who likes to keep HIS money in his pockets when possible. Just like anyone .

 

Glad I found this thread. I have a 2007 V6 Sport, 122,050 miles. I was told by my Toyota dealer this morning that the front struts are blown out and need to be replaced. They quoted a price for the complete job at $746.31, parts, labor, taxes and shop supplies (rag for the mechanic to clean his hands with).

Guess I'll be shopping this around some.

 

Order from toyotaonlineparts.com and have a mechanic that charges not too much to install them.

 

Hello all. Brand new member. I own a 2010 Base model. I am also planing to replace my front struts (just like EarlMantis). I've done the home work as far as shopping around and these are my two cents:

1- Monroe does not have a Quick-Strut unit for our models (MrPullDown said that !!!)
2-I've shopped around, and if one were to replace the strut and add all the bells ( Strut Boot, limiting bumper and upper mounting plate) ....we will be looking around $200/side. (Note: You still have to transfer the spring!!!!)

That being said...$900 ... WAAAAAY TOO MUCH.

This is the question.....
Has anybody replaced the front struts doing a bolt off-bolt on procedure using "complete units". If so, can you please advise where to get them.

Thank you guys.

 

There is one brand I know of that is a quick strut and it is available at Rockauto. Brand is FCS but one member said he does not recommend it from his experience.

 

This thread is a few years old, but I just got quoted $1800 to replace a shock at the Toyota in Midland, TX. I guess I need to figure out what is actually broken, since you all are saying $900 is too much. Hmm.

 

The front are called struts and the rear are shocks. That dealer is over charging if it cost $1800 to replace the front struts. Shop around for estimates. It takes 1 hour to replace the struts on each side. So two hours labour plus the cost of the struts. You can get KYB struts for $65 each at Rockauto. Buy those and bring it to your mechanic to install.

 

Thank you. Sucks moving to another city and having to find trustworthy mechanics again.

 

Yes I know because some shops are not honest and over charge. With the pandemic some shops are very busy and booked up for weeks. If the shops are not friendly and helpful look some place else. You don't want to deal with shops with poor customer service.

 

Mine is a 2008 base Rav4 and I just got quoted about the same--$845 USD.
I agree with the poster that the complete kit is easiest for a diy install. I was considering buying it and having my cousin do the work since there's no danger of the spring going wonky like the old style piece-by-piece assembly.
Nearly $900 for struts seems insane to me. My estimate broke it own to about $300 per strut(parts) and another $200 for labor. I don't know about you but I'm going to shop around for a better deal.

 

Replaced the front struts and rear shocks on our 2007 some time ago. Rockauto used to sell the KYB complete units (with coil spring, boot, etc.), but I don't see them there now. The complete units was what I brought and used. The struts are a piece of cake to install compared to the rear shocks - not difficult but the top bolt is a PITA access-wise.

I just looked up my order from Sept last year, and the part numbers for the complete KYB units are:
SR4460 and SR4459. Total for 2 struts assemblies, 2 shock absorbers, tax, and delivery came out to be a little over $300. Installation, if I remember correctly took about 5-6hrs for all 4 corners.

 

Spaceman_Spiff is spot on. I just did exactly like that on my 2007 Rav4. The struts/shocks were way over due(Rav4 has 193k on it with original one). I got the KYB 4460/4459 and 2 shock absorbers from Rockauto for $344 (included tax/shipping). It was pretty easy on replaced the strut and a bit of a challenge on shock absorbers on the upper bolt. The KYB 4460 seems to be sold out most of the time at Rockauto (you need to sign up for notification when it becomes available again if you could wait for it). Two new struts/shock absorbers, 2 stabilizer links, and 4 wheels alignments cost about $500. The ride is fantastic with the new struts/shocks. It's well worth the money.

 

I have been quoted by a reputed chain $1287 for front strut replacement or $1867 for all four replacement including alignment. It seems way too much for a 2009 Rav4. Any suggestions or good mechanic near Toronto/Scarborough

 

I recommend you get the KYB Strut Plus (Strut, coil, strut mount, and strut boots) for the front and KYB shocks for the rear at Rockauto. Currently only the right side is in stock from Rock Auto so you may have to wait until they can get the right side. Shipping to Canada is expensive so I suggest you use Shippsy (location in Markham). The cost is $8 I think but you need to pick the item from their warehouse. Alternative for the shock is to go with Toyota rear shocks from Scarborough Toyota.

As for shops I can recommend two but I have only used them a few times with excellent results: 6ix Speed Auto and LGT Auto. (both in Scarborough)

 

Ok, I’m new here on the forum but let’s not compare apples to rocks. I just ordered oem strut mounts, bearings, and bellows which were over $300. We won’t discuss whether my Bilstein B6 are appropriate for my 4.3 but KYB are nearly as expensive and shops aren’t going to wait for discount parts stores to ship. I’ll do the work myself but labor rates in my area are over $120 an hour. So before throwing these mechanics under the bus take a closer look at their quotes.

 

That’s handy to know, especially as I’m going to be in need soon too. But looking at the $1287 he was quoted for the fronts alone, at your $300 plus labour (which is reasonable BTW) that makes a big case for savings. I too will do the work myself, and if an owner can’t, they can still buy the parts and take them in-hand to a local shop for installation. Each front unit would work out to about an hour (per side) so $240 for labour plus taxes is painful but much better - I’d rather spend $600 for the fronts than almost 1300..


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Yea, $300 doesn’t include the struts themselves just oem mounting stuff. Original poster was quoted $8-900 which to me sounded like it could be reasonable especially if it included an alignment. I agree at $1200 they go under the bus.