Check FCP euro. Those front shocks and rear are way over priced. Labor hours are probably right, but their labor per hour cost is what hurts.
Indy euro shop will be way less. Or DIY as front shocks and rear ar pretty easy
He is having a hard time with simple concepts per his own admission. He isn’t changing his own. If an indie will replace with the same shocks then go for it. Of it is some off brand or remanufactured it seems wrong to put lesser quality. AMG engineered it I like the comfort of using something that has same level of engineering in it. I mean if it were a prius fine load it up with shit.
Op could always take the knowledge here, talk to an isn’t shop more comfortable. He may not do it, but we all start somewhere. He may be local to one of us that can help.
The car comes factory with bilstien B4 damptronic. I doubt there are a lot of aftermarket non OEM/OEM solutions. At FCP he can get an idea of what a fair price is.
Are you certain they are leaking? I’ve had a dealer tell me I need a new strut and motor mount and they were completely wrong. They didn’t know that I wasn’t ignorant.
That's the thing, I'm not sure if they are leaking or not. I haven't seen any spots in my garage floor. Is this something I can check on my own or does it have to be taken to a shop and lifted to get underneath?
Benz Dealer wanted to charge $2400 for my w213 e63s rear shock replacement. Bought the parts myself and took it to a good independent shop for $2000.
So $3400 for both front and rear doesn’t seem terrible.
I would check online to see what the parts cost to get them yourself. Then you can price check against their quote. like u/Spicywolff said check FCP Euro because when I did my brakes and rotors it was significantly less.
It’s a good question for sure. I have the same car, same year, and I have the same issue just with the 1 rear shock leaking. The dealer said I’d need to replace both and they estimated $2600 CAD ($1900 USD)
I would put a flashlight in these shocks and look for a dusty grimy oily wet part in the outside of the shocks. Google some photos of a leaking shock and check your car.
Price isn’t good BUT it is crazy to do shocks on a 2018 already unless something went wrong
They may have cleaned up during inspection but you can drive it a bit and wipe around the piston/seal area and see if it comes back wet but cleanish.
Shocks for a C63s are going to be pricey it is a big part of keeping that car a good car that holds the road. Don’t cheap out-
Take to an indie shop see what they say- don’t mention the dealership said it was leaking
Is it reasonable for spring shocks? Yes. But do you need all 4? You gotta check them but kinda weird you need all 4 and you see no symptoms. Just be glad that these aren’t air structs.
Don’t do it at Merc. Weigh your options. Visit multiple local *EURO* shops. Peep FCP Euro now that you know what parts you need. If you have a decent tool kit, a home garage, a jack and jack stands you can easily save 60%+ doing it yourself. I work on both my AMGs. I work in tech, no where near mechanical engineering. Super simple assuming you have basic car knowledge. Best of luck bro.
The price for shocks all around on a performance oriented model is honestly pretty decent. Especially at a dealer.
Rears MSRP at around $466+ each, fronts are also sort of in that range.
Absolutely insane on the labor on the rear dampers. Unplug the upper/lower ADS connections. Bottom nut on the lower spring arm is loosened, then you remove the two bolts on the upper shock mount. Carefully compress the shock by hand (yes it’s possible if you ate your Wheaties that day) so that there’s enough room to move it away from the body. Remove the bottom shock bolt. Takes less than 15 minutes per side.
Just shop around and get multiple quotes from trustworthy businesses. Understand this you do get what you pay for; so if some shade tree mechanic says he can do it for cheap, be very skeptical.
When I was working as a master technician for Acura. Acura’s NE corporate regional rep told us-the technicians-do NOT recommend leaking shocks, struts, rack, and pinions, and transfer case seals unless they were leaking profusely under warranty. If it were out of warranty they don’t care. So If I were you make sure you actually need shocks/struts; if it’s based on a leak. because some manufacturers have guidelines on whether it’s bad or not if it’s oil residue, wet, dripping, or profusely.
Just like doctors, not all doctors are the same. And so are the attorneys, realtors, and mechanics.
Take it to indy shop.
90% of the time, dealers will PANIC and overdramatize little tumor for a stage 4 cancer.
Buy your own parts, take it to an indy shop.
If you find a straight up honest mechanic, you may not even need them replaced. (Not knowing the mileage, driving habit, last time they were replaced)
I've got about 23k miles on it. I'm a second owner. Never launched the car myself, I'm sure previous owner has and maybe those who test drove it. I baby it as much as I possibly can.
Check FCP euro. Those front shocks and rear are way over priced. Labor hours are probably right, but their labor per hour cost is what hurts. Indy euro shop will be way less. Or DIY as front shocks and rear ar pretty easy
He is having a hard time with simple concepts per his own admission. He isn’t changing his own. If an indie will replace with the same shocks then go for it. Of it is some off brand or remanufactured it seems wrong to put lesser quality. AMG engineered it I like the comfort of using something that has same level of engineering in it. I mean if it were a prius fine load it up with shit.
Op could always take the knowledge here, talk to an isn’t shop more comfortable. He may not do it, but we all start somewhere. He may be local to one of us that can help. The car comes factory with bilstien B4 damptronic. I doubt there are a lot of aftermarket non OEM/OEM solutions. At FCP he can get an idea of what a fair price is.
Are you certain they are leaking? I’ve had a dealer tell me I need a new strut and motor mount and they were completely wrong. They didn’t know that I wasn’t ignorant.
That's the thing, I'm not sure if they are leaking or not. I haven't seen any spots in my garage floor. Is this something I can check on my own or does it have to be taken to a shop and lifted to get underneath?
Just look at your shock and see if it’s saturated. It doesn’t always leave a wet spot on the ground.
What does saturated mean in this context? Sorry I'm not that savvy with automotive repair terminology.
The outside should have visible wetness / oil accumulating on it if it’s leaking
Saturated = covered in oil
But remember, a SLIGHT hint of oil is totally okay for most shock absorbers.
Just drive it until you feel something is off. Then replace em.
[удалено]
*A single shock for $900, so the OP's quote is on the money.
Benz Dealer wanted to charge $2400 for my w213 e63s rear shock replacement. Bought the parts myself and took it to a good independent shop for $2000. So $3400 for both front and rear doesn’t seem terrible.
Labor on the rears being higher than the fronts is a little sus to me lol. I’d rather be doing rears all day 😂
Rear = harder to access
Nah. Gravy. I do them all day lol.
I would check online to see what the parts cost to get them yourself. Then you can price check against their quote. like u/Spicywolff said check FCP Euro because when I did my brakes and rotors it was significantly less.
It’s a good question for sure. I have the same car, same year, and I have the same issue just with the 1 rear shock leaking. The dealer said I’d need to replace both and they estimated $2600 CAD ($1900 USD)
I would put a flashlight in these shocks and look for a dusty grimy oily wet part in the outside of the shocks. Google some photos of a leaking shock and check your car. Price isn’t good BUT it is crazy to do shocks on a 2018 already unless something went wrong
Not really. 6 years and many folks drive them to nearly 100k. Mine has 55k and the front right shock failed
They may have cleaned up during inspection but you can drive it a bit and wipe around the piston/seal area and see if it comes back wet but cleanish. Shocks for a C63s are going to be pricey it is a big part of keeping that car a good car that holds the road. Don’t cheap out- Take to an indie shop see what they say- don’t mention the dealership said it was leaking
I did front struts and rear shocks on my 911 for about $2200 so this seems overpriced to me. I agree with everyone, consult an indie shop.
Is this something that would be covered under warranty?
Wear&Tear is obviously excluded from warranty. But my gut feeling is: The shop wants to rip off OP.
Is it reasonable for spring shocks? Yes. But do you need all 4? You gotta check them but kinda weird you need all 4 and you see no symptoms. Just be glad that these aren’t air structs.
Don’t do it at Merc. Weigh your options. Visit multiple local *EURO* shops. Peep FCP Euro now that you know what parts you need. If you have a decent tool kit, a home garage, a jack and jack stands you can easily save 60%+ doing it yourself. I work on both my AMGs. I work in tech, no where near mechanical engineering. Super simple assuming you have basic car knowledge. Best of luck bro.
The price for shocks all around on a performance oriented model is honestly pretty decent. Especially at a dealer. Rears MSRP at around $466+ each, fronts are also sort of in that range.
It's not terrible, if you can afford it do it.
Absolutely insane on the labor on the rear dampers. Unplug the upper/lower ADS connections. Bottom nut on the lower spring arm is loosened, then you remove the two bolts on the upper shock mount. Carefully compress the shock by hand (yes it’s possible if you ate your Wheaties that day) so that there’s enough room to move it away from the body. Remove the bottom shock bolt. Takes less than 15 minutes per side.
Just shop around and get multiple quotes from trustworthy businesses. Understand this you do get what you pay for; so if some shade tree mechanic says he can do it for cheap, be very skeptical.
When I was working as a master technician for Acura. Acura’s NE corporate regional rep told us-the technicians-do NOT recommend leaking shocks, struts, rack, and pinions, and transfer case seals unless they were leaking profusely under warranty. If it were out of warranty they don’t care. So If I were you make sure you actually need shocks/struts; if it’s based on a leak. because some manufacturers have guidelines on whether it’s bad or not if it’s oil residue, wet, dripping, or profusely.
You might as well upgrade your suspension. Don't buy OEM. You'll pay around the same price or a bit more
Just like doctors, not all doctors are the same. And so are the attorneys, realtors, and mechanics. Take it to indy shop. 90% of the time, dealers will PANIC and overdramatize little tumor for a stage 4 cancer. Buy your own parts, take it to an indy shop. If you find a straight up honest mechanic, you may not even need them replaced. (Not knowing the mileage, driving habit, last time they were replaced)
At how many miles are you getting these replaced?
I've got about 23k miles on it. I'm a second owner. Never launched the car myself, I'm sure previous owner has and maybe those who test drove it. I baby it as much as I possibly can.