Shocks replacement cost, arteon

ravendude

Getting quoted 920 euro for parts and labour, non dealer. What bothers me is this is all just based on a short test drive

Saying it covers 2 front shocks, top strut mountings, dust cover/bump stop kits, labour. Again, this is from a 2 minute test drive, no visual etc

This is probably something like double what I had in my head, so bit of a shock

Car is a 2018 VW arteon. Does this sound right or a rip off?

User1998

Doesn’t sound crazy to me. Front shocks tend to be quite expensive, and are more labour intensive than rear ones. What are the symptoms? Did it fail NCT?

greasepalm

Can you see if the shocks are leaking oil and strut will be all wet.

Try pressing down on wings as should bounce 1 1/2 times any more road holding is affected.

ravendude

Car feels a little unbalanced when driving and clunking sound on one side at moderate speeds, more noticeable going up hill.

Cant see any sign of oil leak etc

ravendude

No nct failure, just a sound from front one side of car

ravendude

One other question, do they need to be replaced in pairs?

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122883041#Comment_122883041

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122883052#Comment_122883052

Maybe get a second opinion if your unsure of the first diagnosis. If two mechanics diagnose it as the same issue and you still think it’s expensive you could consider buying cheap parts online and find a cheap mechanic to fit them.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122883191#Comment_122883191

Yes, otherwise you will fail the NCT for suspension imbalance

gossamerfabric

those parts are fairly cheap on autodoc.de so quote sounds expensive

standardg60

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122883041#Comment_122883041

Sounds far more like a suspension bushing

BrianD3

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122883191#Comment_122883191

Shocks don't need to be replaced in pairs - unless you have good reason to think that the other one will fail soon.

People repeat this pairs advice without thinking about what they are saying - I'd ask them at what point is it ok to replace a shock singly on a brand new car - after a day/week/month/year? The vast majority of potholes are on the nearside of the road so shocks don't get the same usage anyway.

I have replaced shocks singly. and passed the NCT with no issues afterwards each time. one of these times I had 20k miles on the nearside shock and 190k miles on the offside and imbalance in the NCT was 0%. That car kept passing NCTs with 170k more miles on on shock that the other up until I retired the car at nearly 300k miles.

Whocare

Does it have electronic shocks ? As if Does there very expensive

greasepalm

I would be checking suspension items if getting noises . Grab each front wheel with 2 hands and see if it rotates freely back and forth with worn bushings on suspension . Some cars have crappy cheap parts that dont last and wear out quickly.

We always replaced shocks in pairs as different makes can give different results.

mk7r

Shocks don't need to be replaced in pairs - unless you have good reason to think that the other one will fail soon.

People repeat this pairs advice without thinking about what they are saying - I'd ask them at what point is it ok to replace a shock singly on a brand new car - after a day/week/month/year? The vast majority of potholes are on the nearside of the road so shocks don't get the same usage anyway.

I have replaced shocks singly. and passed the NCT with no issues afterwards each time. one of these times I had 20k miles on the nearside shock and 190k miles on the offside and imbalance in the NCT was 0%. That car kept passing NCTs with 170k more miles on on shock that the other up until I retired the car at nearly 300k miles.

Its not so much that the shocks are worn out evenly it's more that you need a matched set to pass the test. They use a measurement called maha meters (mm) in the NCT to measure shock response and if you have 2 different brands of shock even if brand new there is a high chance of failure due to different damping rates, design, manufacturing etc

I have seen so many cars fail after 1 shock is replaced it's almost a guarantee but there is the odd one that gets lucky and happens to be a good match.

BrianD3

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122885277#Comment_122885277

That seems plausible but in that case the advice should be that shocks can be replaced singly if using OE or the same model. Rather than a blanket "replace in pairs". Especially if in the case of the OP, he's getting quoted nearly a grand for the work.

Having said that, here's my experience of different brand shocks and Mm readings in the NCT. I replaced both shocks for a retest but based on the Mm readings in the test and retest, the car would have passed with almost no imbalance had I replaced one shock.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2057605532/rear-shocks-megane-mk1

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122885657#Comment_122885657

I have also replaced shocks individually and failed NCT. And any mechanic I know would never replace them individually. But it seems like it worked out for you

Flinty997

Never heard of anyone replacing shocks singularly before. Always done it in pairs.