2800 CAD worth of repairs on MY 2011

[gboudreau]

I'd like some comments on the following repairs estimation I got from my Nissan dealer.
My LEAF is a 2011 MY, which is currently at 52,000 km. I use it for very short trips daily.

Estimate (note that the prices are in CAD (1 CAD = 0.75 USD approx right now):


Driving history sample

[gncndad]

Hmm...suspension/brake components on any car suffer in snowy/salty road conditions. I'm not surprised the rear calipers would suffer from rust, given the environment, and also mechanically, they're not very active in gentle driving.

There's nothing special about Leaf suspension bits, AFAIK. These prices seem very high to me. FYI: Shock Warehouse sells ALL FOUR struts/shocks for $230 us. Rear shocks only $50, minimal labor time (fronts are struts, more time)

I imagine tie rods are equally overpriced at your dealer.

Have you visited an indie shop?

[gboudreau]

Have you visited an indie shop?

Not yet; I was first wondering if the repairs made any kind of sense, since I know almost nothing on what those things are.
Since you seem to say they do, I'll post in the Canada forum, about the prices. Ppl in Montreal or Ottawa, or even Toronto, would be the best to compare prices with me.
Thanks for your answer.

[joeriv]

Any good repair shop can do this for less.

[Dala]

They are ripping you off!

I've had worse repairs done on my suspension(not a leaf), and the cost came nowhere near that. I'd guesstimate in parts that you are looking at 400-600€, and labour maybe 3-6h depending on how skilled and rusted the bits are.

Take it somewhere else!

[Lothsahn]

Have you visited an indie shop?

Not yet; I was first wondering if the repairs made any kind of sense, since I know almost nothing on what those things are.
Since you seem to say they do, I'll post in the Canada forum, about the prices. Ppl in Montreal or Ottawa, or even Toronto, would be the best to compare prices with me.
Thanks for your answer.

Do they make sense? No way of knowing without seeing your car if the parts supposedly failed actually need replacement. If you don't trust the shop, I'd consider getting a second opinion from and independent repair shop (not a dealer).

As for the price, it sounds roughly 2x as much as it should be.

[gncndad]

By the way, I did NOT say your rear calipers are rusted beyond being repairable.

Twice, I had binding calipers in my 1993 Audi S4. The tech simply removed them, soaked them in penetrating oil, and worked them manually to free them up. Labor, yes, but cheaper than replacement.

Something to keep in mind. Good luck!

[alozzy]

• The tie rods are identical to those on a Nissan Juke and cost about $50 each on EBay (search for 523-243). Labour would be about an hour
• Don't even know what a "Bolt joint" is, think they meant "ball joint". Anyways, if it's the suspension ball joint then that's an assembly called the control arm. Cheap part ($80 - $120, depending on source). If done at the same time as the tie rod ends, then only another 1/2 hour labour
• Front stable link: no idea what they are talking about. Stabilizer bar? Sounds like BS
• Rusted front brakes: just replace the pads and remove surface rust (which doesn't matter anyways). Cheap parts and only takes a few extra minutes while doing tie rods and control arm
• Rear brakes - total rip-off as quoted
• 2 rear shocks - it's pretty easy to test if the shocks actually need replacing, look for a YouTube video on that
• Alignment - no harm done, probably a good idea for an older LEAF

With labour, the list should be around $1000, $1500 max. Anything more is a rip-off...

Unless you drive like you stole the car, I really doubt all the tie rods and control arms need replacing. Take the car to a Quebec CAA location (https://www.caaquebec.com/en/on-the-roa ... n-centres/) and pay for an inspection - they are inexpensive, independent, and will verify if the list of repairs are necessary.

[gboudreau]

Thank you everyone for the replies. Very informative.
CAA Quebec inspection is a pretty good idea; I remember reading about them when I was about to sell another car, but using those centers to independently check a garage estimation is something I didn't think about.
Again, thanks everyone.

[Oilpan4]

I have a sneaking suspension that those prices are really high and some of them unnecessary.
But that's just me.
I beat my leaf like a rented mule and use it like a half ton pickup, have more miles and don't have those problems.
Just 2 weeks ago when I put new tires on the front I checked brakes, tie rods, bearings and they were all perfect and I have over 52,000 imperialist miles on mine.
I'm surprised they didn't try to sell you an engine oil change, or catalytic converter and oxygen sensors, timing belt, ect.

If something doesn't seem right post it on the forum before spending money.