How much are new struts for a 2000 Volvo S70? And Where do I find a good place to take it in the Schaumburg/OHare area?
How much are struts is easily found on parts house web sites which is your chore not someone in cyber space. As for a mechanic that is why things like Yelp and Angieslist exist. You can ask coworkers or friends or click on the Mechanics Files button at the top of this page. Also if you supply parts whoever installs them will not warranty the parts so let them do it all.
The Mechanics Files tab at the top of the web page will direct you to recommended mechanics in your area. Try Yelp as well.
As for front struts, they vary from $35 to $140 each on Rockauto. A car this old may benefit from a complete assembly including spring, bumper and top mount all assembled and ready to install. Saves quite a bit on labor. The complete unit with a Gabriel strut is around $120 each. Get an alignment after replacing the front struts as it will be needed.
Rear shocks run $20 to $50 each with just the shock itself. A new upper mount would be a good idea at $10 - $20 each. That’s just for parts to give you an idea. So $350 +/- in parts. Should be less than $1000 overall and your Volvo will ride almost like new.
Thanks Mustangman. GREAT info and will take your advice. Now to find a mechanic as Volvo wanted $1800 plus alignment.
So, this is a little more palatable.
Mary.
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Thanks for the hand slap Volvo 70. My car is in an area where I know no one. My strut issue was priced at $1800 by Volvo dealer. A friend who is a avid fan of Car Talk said $1800 sounded way too high. HE suggested I ask here. So, before criticizing someone for their choice, maybe know what the choices were.
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To be fair, how was @VOLVO_V70 supposed to know any of your information outside your initial post? FYI, especially with an 18 year old vehicle, there is no reason whatsoever to use the dealership for anything. Use the aforementioned Mechanics Files, ask around with friends/families/coworkers etc and find yourself a good independent mechanic and make them your new regular mechanic if you’re pleased with their work. Also, it might not be a bad idea to get a couple estimates prior to getting the work done
some here say aftermarket cheaper parts are not as good as factory supplied replacement parts. a set of cheap struts may not feel the same as oem struts. or you might not be albe to tell the difference. will they last 18yrs? i think you might even be able to find oem struts online.
Thanks Cavell.
I will just add that you should not think the dealer is ripping you off because their prices are much higher.
The dealer will use struts provided by corporate Volvo. Corporate Volvo (like all others ) do not cut the dealers much slack on pricing.
As a matter of fact, the price the dealer pays Volvo for replacement parts may often be much higher in price than parts procured from the corner parts stores at full retail prices.
Example (true one)
CV joint (dealer cost from the manufacturer) 65 dollars.
CV joint from NAPA 68 dollars retail over the counter to the customer.
No way can the dealer compete with NAPA on the pricing.
I’m seeing around $200 each for the front struts, plus 2 hours labor for the pair. So figure $600 for the front.
For the rear, $100 each shock, and 1 hour labor for the pair. So figure $300 for the rear.
This doesn’t include anything besides just the struts and the shocks. Often there are other wearing parts in the suspension system that will need replacement, plus the alignment, so for the grand total, expect the fee to be north of $1000. I’d be guessing around $1300 if done at a dealership or Volvo specialist. Probably 10-25% less if done at a generic independent.
There’s a website folks here use for cost estimates, www.repairpal.com . I checked there but couldn’t get it to price out the cost for the fronts. It said just the rear pair would cost $1300, but that seems way too high for only the rear shocks. I’m probably entering something incorrectly in the form.
I consider KYB to be a solid mid-range strut/shock vendor, use them on all my cars over last 10 years or so
for 2000 Volvo S70, RockAuto lists KYB front struts at $60 a piece, rear shock for $43 a piece, SACHS is $73 and $51 correspondingly, I consider them to be a step up from KYB
add an independent mechanic labor, ask them for KYB or SACHS sourced through them and I bet you will end up in the total bill well south of dealer-estimated one