Date: Thu, 17 Sep 2009 11:41:40 -0700
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: Replacing Rear Shocks on 84 Westy.
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hi,
yes, 500 bucks for your front brake job is high - what a friend of mine
calls 'full pop retail'.
The parts cost on that job is 200 tops for the shop, roughly. .
the labor on replacing front brake discs and pads ( they sure better change
the front brake fluid, at least ) and dealing with the wheel bearings is
......
that's a 3 hour job, not over 4 hours. Things would have to be difficult or
weird or rusted or whatever, for it to take 4 hours.
I could see the front brakes at more like 400 dollars, 500 seems a little
high.
Bring your van here to me in southern Oregon, and we'll do it together, so
you get to learn all about it while we do it, with your hands on the job,
under my direction. That offer stands for most vanagon jobs, and most
vanagon owners.
and yes, you not only have to 'repack the front wheel bearings you have to
remove the bearings and races from the old nubs ( the rotors and hubs are
one piece ) and install them into the new rotors/hubs. And grease and
adjust them. You can say it needs new spindle nuts legitimately too,
though they really can be re-used.
I sure would ask if they change brake fluid to the new front brakes too.
They might not like the idea of just doing one end of the van though. I
think it's totally silly to replace brake pads or whatever, and also not
change brake fluid to whatever wheels/brakes were worked on.
the rear shocks on a vanagon are about the easiest shocks to replace in the
automotive world.
If nothing is rusted or stuck , it is literally 2 minutes per side once the
van is off the ground and using air tools.
And hour labor would be hard to justify even. Half hour is more like it, if
things are not stuck/rusted/weird etc.
Scott
www.turbovans.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jamie Fitterer" <fittdog8848@HOTMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Thursday, September 17, 2009 7:19 AM
Subject: Replacing Rear Shocks on 84 Westy.
So I need new shocks in the rear and I am wondering how hard it is to
replace those as I do not want to pay someone 200 bucks to do it.
Second, the shop has told me that me front brakes and rotors are bad and
they have to replace them. What I am confused about is that they said they
have to repack the front bearings to replace the brakes? Is this a reality?
I mean i guess those could be bad?
I am just trying to save some money as the front brake job was quoted at
499. That seems really frickin high to me.
Last, if you guys could suggest the brand and model of rear shock to be
putting in there that would be awesome.
Thanks again!
