UPDATE Opinion on Labor cost - Front Suspension 1986 560SL
 

I need your opinion on Labor cost on my 1986 560SL.

I'm been charged $1900.00 in labor for a complete Front suspension update:

Upper Control harms (expensives!)
Shocks
Engine Mounts
Sub-frame mounts
Steering damper
Ball joints
Tied Rod
Drag Links
All bushing kits
and 2 Flex Disc in the rear

The total bill around $2800 with parts. What do you thinks?
I'm in Miami, FL

Thanks

Jorge

UPDATE:

The complete job is done. The Car run like brand new. I'm extremely happy
te ride is jut dicult to explain in words- Amaizing!!

Here is the complete list of parts RR.

Upper Control harms (expensives!)
Shocks
Engine Mounts
Sub-frame mounts
Steering damper
Ball joints
Tied Rod
Drag Links
All bushing kits
Flex disc kit
Drive Shaft
Rear Flex disc
Rear Subframe Mount
Rubber Mounting
Rear Support
Differential mounts
Transmission Mount bracket
Miscellaneous Supplies

Total bill: P/L $4,445.32

Done By the Mercedeshop in Miami - Helmut the owner a great man
very happy with the experience.

Jorge

I think if you are keeping your SL for a long time it is worth putting the money into it. They really don't depreciate as such... they only depreciate based on the condition they are in.

Parts were probably $500-$700, the rest was labor. they use a book for labor jobs. if the job says four hours and they finish in two, you still get charged for the four hours. if it takes them six, you get charged for four. Most work at $60-$70 an hour. This is why I try to do as much DIY as I can.

The labor charge does not seem unreasonable to me - I've never done front sub-frame mounts on a W107 chassis but I can tell you I've done them on a W113 and its quite a job. Ball joints and control arm rebuilds can take some time as well.

Thanks all for the answers.

The Parts (All New) came from the PO when the car was given to me (Was a Christmas present from my girlfriend ) Except for the Upper Control arms; the repair shop recomended to have them replace and end with a "New" FS.

The car is absolute mint, the interior is inmaculate and i have a full service history on the car - but with 112K miles the front was loose and bumpy.

I have a buget of 5K to take care of any detail - well $2200. $2800 are gone already!
next Rear shocks and 4 new tires.

Thanks

Jorge

JVLATA560SL-

Considering that the parts were free, you got away pretty decently, maybe a tad high.

I dont know how different thhe jobs are between a front end rebuild on an 84 300DT and your SL, but when I had my front end entierly rebuilt it ran me about $2400 Labor and Parts together.

My W202 is in for a full suspension rebuild, and i know its gonna cost me an arm and a leg but its worth every penny- im not plannning on getting rid of the car anytime soon, and theres no way I could undertake the job myself!

Enjoy your new suspensiion! made a WORLDS difference on my w123.

This sounds about right for a MB dealership. I'm about to do alot of the same job on my 88 sl. If I couldent do the work myself I could never afford to own a Benz.

John Roncallo

Oh, I forgot to ask. How does it ride.

John Roncallo

Those upper control arms are real expensive on 560's. Around $350-375 each! It doesn't take any time to hit $1000 in parts for a good front end rebuild. My understanding is that they redid the front suspension on the 107 when they came out with the 560. Wider track and other inprovements. That doesn't help the prices. $1900 for labor seems a bit steep to me. Even at $100/hr, that's still 19 hours. If you were doing the whole job at once, I would think there would be some times subtracted. For that kind of money, you would be justified in asking (politely) the service writer for a detailed breakdown of the labor charges. May be he saved you money, may be he forgot to reduce some charges. If you paid the bill, it's fair to ask.
I've done engine mounts, subframe mounts, and a tie rod in the past year. Ball joints, upper control arms and the rest probably in next 12 months. Really need to do shocks soon. Love my (wife's) '88.

UPDATE:

The complete job is done. The Car run like brand new. I'm extremely happy
te ride is jut dicult to explain in words- Amaizing!!

Here is the complete list of parts RR.

Upper Control harms (expensives!)
Shocks
Engine Mounts
Sub-frame mounts
Steering damper
Ball joints
Tied Rod
Drag Links
All bushing kits
Flex disc kit
Drive Shaft
Rear Flex disc
Rear Subframe Mount
Rubber Mounting
Rear Support
Differential mounts
Transmission Mount bracket
Miscellaneous Supplies

Total bill: P/L $4,445.32

Done By the Mercedeshop in Miami - Helmut the owner a great man
very happy with the experience.

Jorge