Hotchkis sway bars - how many hours labor to install?

[kismetcapitan]

as above - how many hours ought it to take to install these? I just got quoted $656 to install them - more than the cost of the parts! I need to NOT have it done at the dealer and find a good indie garage, but knowing how many hours it generally takes would be very helpful!

[skribe]

The front is a total piece of cake. The back is a slight bitch in that you have to drop the rear of the exhaust, but still not that hard.

What is their labor rate, $656/hr with a one hour minimum? If you can turn a wrench at all and have ramps you can DIY.

[RSSIK]

Sorry I cant answer your question.. but how much did you pay for the sway bar set? and was it from tirerack or else where? Are there any other sway bar kits worth looking into or is hotchkis the most reasonable out there?

[ben916]

$656 has to include the sways also....

[kismetcapitan]

nope, $470 with shipping for the sway bars, and then the dealer calls me and quotes $656 for LABOR ONLY. Screw that.

I read the instructions and yep, the rear is a bit finicky but I've done worse on my Skyline. I just don't have the tools now, nor the time.

Anyone have a number on the hours to do the rear?

[Elevens]

+1 on what Skribe said. Install is very easy overall with the Rear being a little harder. And doing it yourself should save you from $200-300. Just checked the Price on Tirerack and Its over $400.00. Seemed to have gone quite a bit since I bought mine.......

[Aronis]

GOOGLE IT.

http://www.hotchkis.net/_uploaded_files/22827instructions161file.pdf

[kismetcapitan]

GOOGLE IT.

http://www.hotchkis.net/_uploaded_files/22827instructions161file.pdf

thanks! I had that .pdf but then couldn't find it this morning...

[MaxRS6]

Dang- I'm glad it was part of my deal with Audi when my DRC fried for the fifth time in a year and 1/2. The installation was done by my Audi dealer free of charge as they were just happy not having to deal with my DRC again. They did it at the same time they installed (free of charge) my KW's due to the hassle I had incurred with the DRC system. Not having to deal with the oil demon or its' oily mess again- Priceless

However; don't feel sorry for them as they made it up on other repairs- LOL

[V8weight]

Installed a few sets of these....takes 1 - 1.5 hours max. Chargeable labor should be a maximum of 2 hours.

[speedtrapped]

Ehab, I have the hotchkiss sways if you want to test drive my car. Big improvement on handling.

[kismetcapitan]

ok, I've studied the instructions and have internalized them. I can easily do this - I need ramps though.

How many inches of lift would be a minimum to get at everything fairly comfortably while lying on a creeper?

[skribe]

Not going to need a creeper, cause just like your junior prom night, you're not going to be going in and out much. :)

You can just throw down a piece of cardboard and use a ramp you can actually drive up, you know the deal with taller ramps and lower cars. I just use these cheap autozone ramps:

http://contentinfo.autozone.com/znetcs/product-info/en/US/blz/11903/image/4/

They are plastic, but they are heavily triangulated and I trust them more than some of the crap metal ones I've had. Having said that, I always throw a jack stand under the jack point after I drive up the ramp. Just remember to pull the stands out before you drive off... :harass:

$656... unbelievable.

[Aronis]

LOL,

my lower ramps are no longer any use without a modification due to my lowered car. I use those same ramps with two layers of 2x10 beneath to give me a more tapered approach to clear the front bumper, also gives me 3 inches more height (2x10 is actually 1.5 inches real dimension).

I have been putting of the Hotchkiss install due to my transmission diff leak, etc....but I'll be doing that soon. It's really pretty easy compared to installing KWV3 as a DIY project.

Mike

[kismetcapitan]

just came back from the dealer - they're doing the fuel tank recall work, and replacing a front CV boot. The coolant recirculation tank valve is also leaking - anyone know the price of that part off the top of their head?

the car was up on the lift, and I had a serious "heart to heart" talk with the mechanic and the service manager, talking through the install step by step. We agreed on two hours labor. What they're trying to charge more for is that I brought the parts in myself. I guess some dealers are more cool with that than others - Audi Nashville isn't that friendly towards customer-supplied parts.

The "DRC fix" will also be done, and that should bring the rear ride height back down to normal.

hourly labor prices are scary high. I got spoiled - in Korea, they charge by the job, and if they are't successful, you don't get charged. The garage where I serviced my Skyline, which does work on all exotics, would have charged $80 to install the sway bars.

what's the range for hourly labor charges these days in American garages? I'm getting hit for $105/hr for "regular" work (the CV boot), and $130 for "technical" work (the sway bars, although I'm going to haggle that down too, since we clearly all saw that it wasn't rocket science).

[JSRS6]

Find a good Indy shop. My Porsche/audi/merc/BMW/lambo/Ferrari authorized Indy shop charges about 89/hr.

[skribe]

a good indy in the chicago area charges around $100. the POS stealership near me charges, wait for it, $195 an hour. and they suck.

[kismetcapitan]

$195?? damn. Makes me feel slightly less ass-raped. Slightly.

Why go to law school, when you can charge the same hourly for wrenching on cars??

[RSSIK]

Steve I am very curious on seeing the difference on how it feels. Mine is tight but i still feel that roll here and there. Not a huge problem but can be annoying at certain times. The price for the complete hotchkis kit on tirerack with my wholesale account is $375 which isnt much less than reg retail. Go figure!!

[kismetcapitan]

Got the car back. Stealership indeed. No questions about the workmanship; they let me in the garage and I had a good chat with the tech who worked on my car. He knew his stuff.

Got charged $68 to tell me what I already knew - the driver's side door latch needs to be replaced. At first I thought they had REPLACED it (as asked) for $68.

$68 to do what I originally wanted - reset the rear suspension so that it sits at stock ride height. And the other $800 I shelled out today?

CV boot.
Hotchkis install, although I got that down to $300 labor, from that utterly stupid $656 I was quoted.
Random other odds and ends I didn't ask for - the service record is three pages, although that includes documenting that the fuel tank recall had been completed.

Well, lesson learned. DIY is your friend! Not that it's unaffordable, I just hate paying more than I have to.

As far as the Hotchkis bars though, they are worth their weight in gold. Totally eliminated any detectable roll. I suspect that lowering the rear so that the DRC is working properly also helps - I had this sensation before that the anti-roll would be on, then off, then on again in some long sweeping fast curves. No more - I took one at 105mph, and it was like on rails. Adds a lot of confidence.