Description of service
I had my full set of struts replaced after 100,000 miles and a bad encounter with a pothole. The $1136 broke down into $550 in parts (front end struts and rear struts) and $586 for ten hours of labor. An additional $32.50 I'd paid for the diagnosis of the problem was folded into the ultimate price.
The final cost had 10% taken off because of academic affiliation but generally the garage charges $65 an hour for labor.
Review of Service
The garage I went to was much slower than I would have liked, owing mainly to the fact that I brought the car in immediately before Independence Day. The actual repair took five business days (a total of eight days with the holiday), two longer than estimated.
The price was okay, though I suspect I could have found a cheaper offer elsewhere in town. The main issue, though, was the price I was quoted before the repair was exactly the price I was charged after. I've been to many shops where that was not the policy. The shop's offering of a 10% discount for students was great, even for a college town.
Tips
If I had it to do over again, I would shop around more. Find out exactly what the repair would entail and call around to other shops. I don't know that I could have found a better deal but I wish I had looked.
Living in a college town makes it difficult to find a reputable service station, the high student turnover rate limits recommendations. I found this shop through CarTalk's website. User reviews there are a useful resource for larger auto repair shops.
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