Front wishbone bushes and rear trailing arm bushes - replacement - rough indy costs

[ChrisN53]

Hi all,

I have purchased Powerflex front wishbone bushes and rear trailing arm bushes. I am getting a whole host of variation in quotes from local indy's to fit the supplied parts. Bearing in mind this is labour only, do the below look fair (as in, in line with what one would expect to pay for an indy to do this work)?

Grovesnor Motor Company (Reading)
Rear trailing arm bushes fitted (labour only) - £239.40 inc VAT.
Front brake reaction arm bushes fitted (labour only) - £119.70 inc VAT.
Total: £359.10 inc VAT

JF Autotech (Ascot)
Fit supplied upgraded rear trailing arm bushes - £108 inc VAT.
Remove brackets for front control arms & fit upgraded bushes supplied - £144 inc VAT.
Total: £252 inc VAT

K&M Autotechniks (Windsor)
The guy quoted BMW book labour times, and for both bushes it is £224.40 inc VAT.
Total: £224.40 inc VAT

BM Autos (Binfield)
Front bushes - £156 inc VAT.
Rear bushes - £240 inv VAT.
Total: £396 inc VAT

Munich Motors (Wokingham)
2 hours front.
2 hours rear.
Total: £288 inc VAT

CPC (Amersham)
3 hours labour total, front and back @ £70 + VAT per hour.
Total: £252 inc VAT

TWG Automotive (Camberley)
£216 inc VAT fitting front and rear. Plus £99 for alignment.
Total: £216 inc VAT

Berkshire Motorworks (Sindlesham)
£270.19 inc VAT fitting front and rear.
Total: £270.19 inc VAT

BMS Surrey
£168 inc VAT fitting front and rear.
Total: £168 inc VAT

What gives for the range so far?!

EDIT - going to go with BMS Surrey. They fitted a new starter motor for me last year and were great, and they come well under any of the other local indy's. Will get four-wheel alignment done separately.

Thanks,
Chris.

 

[Scooba_Steve]

I would expect to be charged no more than 2 hours all in for both sets.

It would probably take me less than 3 hours on stands even if the fronts were difficult. The RTABs only took me about 1:30 going very slowly! Even if it took me a day it would be worth it...

 

[ChrisN53]

I would expect to be charged no more than 2 hours all in for both sets.

It would probably take me less than 3 hours on stands even if the fronts were difficult. The RTABs only took me about 1:30 going very slowly! Even if it took me a day it would be worth it...

Thanks Steve. I live in a flat, with no tools/jack/axle stands etc. so unfortunately attempting it myself isn't really an option. Ringing around and getting the above quotes is very confusing - seems to vary greatly. Will see what the other two indy's I've left messages for come back with, then it looks like I'll go with K&M Autotechnik (who also have a good reputation).

 

[Scooba_Steve]

The cynic in me says its because they just pick numbers out of thin air for jobs like this. They know it will take about an hour or two of actual work but bank on the customer thinking it's a very difficult job.
Might be worth asking for a breakdown of the time and hourly rate... then watch them while they do it! There is no way they can justify the £240 RTAB cost even when throwing in an alignment. It's an hours work.

 

[jimmybell]

You seem more local to CPC Performance Engineering than i am, and i'd be travelling to them for this.

 

[ChrisN53]

The cynic in me says its because they just pick numbers out of thin air for jobs like this. They know it will take about an hour or two of actual work but bank on the customer thinking it's a very difficult job.
Might be worth asking for a breakdown of the time and hourly rate... then watch them while they do it! There is no way they can justify the £240 RTAB cost even when throwing in an alignment. It's an hours work.

Most have mentioned on the phone that the bushes may need to be cut out/pressed out, or that bolts may be seized. As if to say, it isn't always a straightforward undertaking. But surely that is part of the job? Also, none of the above quotes include alignment, which I will need to have done afterwards.

Waiting on a couple more places to get back to me. I think perhaps I shot myself in the foot by supplying the parts myself? Perhaps they are nervous of fitting something the customer has provided? But I had to take advantage of nfbr!

 

[ChrisN53]

You seem more local to CPC Performance Engineering than i am, and i'd be travelling to them for this.

Have called CPC and left a VM. Thanks!

 

[hopz121]

Let's us know when the others come back to you with quotes as I'm interested to know. I use one of those companies all of the time and I rate them highly so am always happy to pay a little more than other places.

 

[ChrisN53]

Let's us know when the others come back to you with quotes as I'm interested to know. I use one of those companies all of the time and I rate them highly so am always happy to pay a little more than other places.

Will do

 

[ChrisN53]

Just got a call back from CPC and went through it with them. 3 hours labour @ £70+VAT per hour. Plus a £100 four-wheel laser alignment (which they get done over the road at Kwik Fit apparently - £100).

Quote for work is the exact same as JF Autotech.

 

[ChrisN53]

And now updated with TWG Automotive. £216 inc VAT total. £99 inc VAT for four-wheel laser alignment. He mentioned they would try and free up the track rod ends when doing the work, as these need to be fully adjustable when doing the alignment. So said potentially they may need to be replaced if excessively corroded.

Looks like the best quote so far, and from what I've read, TWG are highly recommended. Thinking these are the chaps to go with. Only 15mins down the road too!

 

[Ant]

i got quoted around £140 labour for RTABS a few weeks ago from a local indie

£99 for alignment is crazy, 4wheel lazer with hunter or corghi here is less than half that (£40 last week for mine)

 

[Mike6]

Dont forget garage will charge labour rate for the time someone takes away from the garage getting the alignment done. That will probably cost more than the actual alignment.

 

[ChrisN53]

Going to phone and get booked in with TWG Automotive!

 

[ben g]

I had both done. Supplied and fitted, with an alignment aswell and it was £280 all in.

That was with them supplying superpro polybushes aswell.

 

[ChrisN53]

I had both done. Supplied and fitted, with an alignment aswell and it was £280 all in.

That was with them supplying superpro polybushes aswell.

What in the world?! The bushes alone should be in the region of ~£100, plus four-wheel alignment, plus labour. That's a cracking price. I'm going to have to settle with £216 labour, £100 for all four bushes, plus £99 alignment = £415 all in. :|

 

[Darkangelv2]

I had both done. Supplied and fitted, with an alignment aswell and it was £280 all in.

That was with them supplying superpro polybushes aswell.

Where was that? I've read a lot of good things about the superpro bushes.

 

[ben g]

I had both done. Supplied and fitted, with an alignment aswell and it was £280 all in.

That was with them supplying superpro polybushes aswell.

Where was that? I've read a lot of good things about the superpro bushes.

A place called Skidmarques, near Brentwood.

 

[nfbr]

Guessing that was when they were struggling for cashflow before they went bankrupt and re opened down the road in a different name?

 

[ChrisN53]

I have the car booked in with BMS Surrey on April 9th. Same guys that did my starter motor.

Having both sets of bushes replaced, exhaust removed and broken hanger rewelded and refitted with new gaskets. All for cheaper than other places wanted just to do the bushes.