Shock Absorber Replacement labor time

2.0 hrtypical

1.5 to 2.5hours on most vehicles

$300typical labor at $150/hr

Shock Absorber Replacement takes about 2.0 hr of shop labor on a typical vehicle. Across 4,875 vehicle and engine combinations from 49 makes, most fall between 1.5 and 2.5 hours, and the longest take up to 3.5 hours. Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and BMW vehicles tend to take the longest; Mini, Suzuki and Kia the least. The exact time depends on your car, so look yours up below or pick it on the home page.

Shop labor rate

per hour

Enter a rate to see the labor cost of each job. Many US shops charge somewhere between $100 and $200 an hour.

At $150 an hour, labor for this job is usually $225 to $375, about $300 on a typical vehicle. Parts are extra.

How long it takes across all vehicles

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

Hours, in half hour steps. Each bar is how many vehicle and engine combinations fall in that range.

Shock Absorber Replacement time on popular vehicles

2025 Subaru Legacy 2.4L Turbo H42.0 hr
2026 Audi A6 2.0L Turbo I42.5 hr
2025 Volvo S60 2.0L I4 Turbo+SC2.5 hr
2026 Subaru Outback 2.4L H4 Turbo2.5 hr
2025 Nissan Altima 2.5L I4 (PR25DD, 188 hp)1.7 hr

Shock Absorber Replacement time by make

Make	Typical	Most vehicles	Vehicles
Mercedes-Benz	2.5 hr	2.0 to 2.7	406
Porsche	2.5 hr	2.0 to 2.5	222
BMW	2.5 hr	2.0 to 2.5	166
Audi	2.5 hr	2.0 to 2.5	165
Lexus	2.5 hr	2.0 to 2.5	91
Infiniti	2.5 hr	2.0 to 2.5	37
Volvo	2.5 hr	2.5 to 2.5	35
Lincoln	2.5 hr	2.0 to 2.5	25
Peugeot	2.5 hr	2.5 to 2.5	17
Renault	2.5 hr	1.5 to 2.5	10
Jaguar	2.5 hr	2.5 to 2.5	7
Cadillac	2.3 hr	1.5 to 2.5	142
Genesis	2.2 hr	2.2 to 2.2	13
Subaru	2.0 hr	1.7 to 2.5	368
Buick	2.0 hr	1.5 to 2.5	231
Pontiac	2.0 hr	1.5 to 2.5	163
Hyundai	2.0 hr	1.5 to 2.5	105
Acura	2.0 hr	1.8 to 2.5	56
Alfa Romeo	2.0 hr	2.0 to 2.2	41
Land Rover	2.0 hr	0.6 to 2.5	23
MG	2.0 hr	2.0 to 2.0	7
GMC	1.8 hr	1.5 to 2.0	137
Volkswagen	1.7 hr	1.5 to 2.5	34
Saab	1.7 hr	1.5 to 1.8	13
Jeep	1.7 hr	1.7 to 1.7	8
Toyota	1.5 hr	1.5 to 2.5	396
Nissan	1.5 hr	1.5 to 2.0	274
Ford	1.5 hr	1.5 to 2.5	225
Chevrolet	1.5 hr	0.6 to 2.0	199
Dodge	1.5 hr	1.5 to 2.0	191
Plymouth	1.5 hr	1.5 to 1.8	184
Mitsubishi	1.5 hr	1.5 to 2.5	139
Mazda	1.5 hr	1.5 to 2.0	136
Oldsmobile	1.5 hr	1.5 to 2.0	132
Honda	1.5 hr	1.5 to 2.0	102
Mercury	1.5 hr	1.5 to 2.0	72
Chrysler	1.5 hr	1.5 to 2.5	66
Isuzu	1.5 hr	1.5 to 2.5	43
Eagle	1.5 hr	1.5 to 1.5	38
Saturn	1.5 hr	1.5 to 1.5	37
Fiat	1.5 hr	1.5 to 2.5	31
Geo	1.5 hr	1.5 to 1.5	29
Kia	1.5 hr	1.5 to 2.5	27
Suzuki	1.5 hr	1.5 to 1.5	12
Mini	1.5 hr	1.5 to 1.5	7

Other suspension repairs

Control Arm Bushing - Front Lower2.0 hr typical
Knuckle/Spindle - Front2.8 hr typical
Rear Suspension Service2.9 hr typical
Front Suspension Rebuild8.5 hr typical
Trailing Arm Bushing2.5 hr typical
Coil Springs - Front Pair3.3 hr typical
Ball Joints - Upper and Lower3.5 hr typical
Sway Bar Links - Front Pair1.4 hr typical
Sway Bar - Front1.2 hr typical
Sway Bar Bushing - Rear0.8 hr typical
Strut Assembly - Front2.0 hr typical
Sway Bar Link - Front0.8 hr typical

Hours are what a professional technician takes with the right tools, the same way shops quote jobs. Figures come from the Open Labor Project database.