Edge wants >$1000 for a suspension swap... NOT INCLUDING PARTS!!!
 

RANT ON

I just called Edge, and they want $850 to swap in a new set of stock suspension. Then they quoted $230 for an alignment.

First of all... why does the car need an alignment for a simple strut swap? The top hats are not camber adjustable. Will I be loosening any alignment sensitive bolts in the install?

Next issue... $850 is about what I would expect for work on my 911... not my Scion.

I guess I will be doing it myself.

RANT OFF

They're trying to bend you over. The suspension is easy to swap on your own, and alignments are nowhere near that expensive.

@gramicci101 how easy to swap, would you say? Any airtools necessary or pretty simple? How many hours can you do it in? I can swap suspension in a BMW Z4, all 4 corners, in about 2.5 hours from jacking up to jacking down.

Mine took about two hours, having never done it before. I just had to purchase a pass-through socket set and t-handle allen set to unbolt the top bolt. All the other tools are standard tools. And a torque wrench.


I followed this thread:
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32414

What's the pass through socket for @gramicci101?

I actually might not need it. I'm swapping in an entire suspension from a 2015 Series. Blue... complete with fully assembled struts, springs, and top hats.

If the struts are already assembled and connected to the top hats, then you really don't need the pass through socket. That's for when you're removing the strut from the top hat; you use the socket on the bolt and feed an allen wrench through the hole to keep the strut from spinning. Spinning the strut causes damage and/or blows the strut.


What's the difference between a BRZ suspension and Series.Blue suspension? Different spring rate?

It's actually same suspension as far as the forum can tell... but the main thing is that it's from a 2015. I test drove a 2015 extensively prior to purchasing my 2013 FR-S and was totally surprised how rough the ride on my FR-S was. After further reading I found out that they did a redesign on the suspension in 2015 to make ride quality much smoother.

UPDATE:

I called Edge Motorworks back and asked them if that quote included parts. NO
I asked how many hours it would take. 5-6 hours
I asked what if it was a straight swap-in on assembled units. 4-5 hours.

RIP OFF CITY!

Just be careful with the three top hat bolts. They require very little torque and it's easy to get all ham-fisted with them and shear them off.

But it's seriously only two bolts on the hub, three on top, the brake line, and the swaybar endlink. The back is just the LCA bolt and the two on top. The torque values are listed in @DarrenDriven's thread here. His instructions are easy to follow.

While you're in there you may as well drop in a set of RCE yellows or Swift springs. Since you've already got it all pulled out.

they're a high-end shop with motorsports expertise, and they charge a premium for that. some customers trust them with race cars and their daily drivers, and for them it's worth it for their piece of mind.

the basic suspension swap that you want them to do, any number of local shops can do for far less. Or as you noted, if you have the skills to do it yourself, even better.

And yes, you'll generally need an alignment after changing suspension. Really just to check and set the toe, as camber etc. are not adjustable with the OEM suspension.

Is this EDGE in Dublin/Mountain View? I gave them a try... once...

I have done this swap 5 times now. If everything is together, dont need to put top hats on, it would take me ~4 hours alone in my 1 car garage. Basic suspension shop will charge $100 an hour. It can be done with just a few tools if you try it yourself, 12mm, 14mm, 17mm, 19mm socket, 17mm box-open for the rear, torque wrench, jack and jack stands. Pass throughs and hex keys if you need to swap tophats/springs. The last time I put on KWs, it took me ~6 hours alone including messing with new top hats front and rear. I have done a lot of automotive work before, but not super fast and kind of anal about checking things.

You need an alignment. The strut front means camber can change very easily and toe changes a lot with camber on these cars. I have not been able to get the rear shock out without removing the LCA, but I bet it will be about right if you are not changing ride height. $100 to $150 is what I would expect to pay for an alignment in the south bay. It is ~1hour of work depending on how far out it is and how specific you want them to be.
@DarrenDriven guide is what I used the first couple of times.

With the Porsche you pay for experience, the same is true with Edge. They DGAF if you bring them an cheap car, you still pay for their experience.

Thanks guys. I just thought it was insane that Edge was charging 5-6 HOURS. That's not cool.
@cactus I am on the slower end too but I do the job right and don't rush.

This was going to be the first time I let a shop work on my car... I guess it won't be.

its not too hard i did my coilover install in my garage.
here is the DIY post by @GrimmSpeed that i used. http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12864

I'm sure they're good on what they do but quoted me $780 to install a $230 eibach spring haha! So i went to VEX Motorsports charged me $225 for installation and alignments. So far so good!