So prior to the holiday season last year I picked up the TRD lowering springs and sway bar but due to personal problems and the holidays I didn't have the time or money to get them installed. As a side note I would prefer to keep my warranty intact but I've heard all the horror stories of the dealership's inflated cost for installs.

So finally today I called my local dealership (Power Toyota of Irvine) to get a quote. Believe me, I was prepared to be shocked, but when they told me the price for the springs alone was $669 and another $90 for the sway, I was pretty much speechless.

Again, I wasn't really expecting to end up going to the dealership for the job, but on the off chance the price was "doable" I would have considered it. I know dealerships have to make their money someplace, but...

Anyone in the South OC area had their tC lowered and were happy with the price and the job? I'd like to look into some more options. Thanks for the ear and the help.

haha, try $400...per axle!!! That's the quote one dealership told me for TRD springs. They have got to be kidding....I'll shop around.

try this site, there's guys on there with TRD springs.
http://socal-tc-club.com/index.php

i really think these dealerships are trying to make up for the profits they lost since there isn't much profit on selling a tC but in the installation of accessories!! definitely shop around..

So prior to the holiday season last year I picked up the TRD lowering springs and sway bar but due to personal problems and the holidays I didn't have the time or money to get them installed. As a side note I would prefer to keep my warranty intact but I've heard all the horror stories of the dealership's inflated cost for installs.

So finally today I called my local dealership (Power Toyota of Irvine) to get a quote. Believe me, I was prepared to be shocked, but when they told me the price for the springs alone was $669 and another $90 for the sway, I was pretty much speechless.

Again, I wasn't really expecting to end up going to the dealership for the job, but on the off chance the price was "doable" I would have considered it. I know dealerships have to make their money someplace, but...

Anyone in the South OC area had their tC lowered and were happy with the price and the job? I'd like to look into some more options. Thanks for the ear and the help.

Baaahahahhahaha! YEAH RIGHT! I was quoted $150 to install my Tein S-Techs at my mechanic's shop!

Crazy! I was at Power/Irvine this afternoon and was quoted 500 for the instal and alignment. Like you, I already have the springs. Hmmm, Why did we both get different quotes? I knew driving home that I should have got the name of the guy in the service dept. that gave me the quote.

wow you guys are getting BS quotes from dickhead parts guys. I work for toyota in NorCAl and we do the tc springs for 400 installed INCLUDING the price of the springs. In total it pays i think 3.2 hours which at the standard 70dollars per hour is 224 for the install. Go back and ask them what the labor rate and hours are, have them look at it in the book in front of you and i Gauruntee they will give you a better price, they just dont expect people to think of that stuff so they come up with a number off the top of their head, good luck

Crazy! I was at Power/Irvine this afternoon and was quoted 500 for the instal and alignment. Like you, I already have the springs. Hmmm, Why did we both get different quotes? I knew driving home that I should have got the name of the guy in the service dept. that gave me the quote.

Typical. I get the feeling that the price for an install like that gets moved all over the place depending on who you talk to. When I asked what the price was the guy said to hold on a minute and "put me on hold" by placing his hand over the receiver. Right at that moment I just knew something wasn't on the level. Maybe I expected him to look it up in his computer, or something of the sort, but any ways, it doesn't surprise me in the least that you got a quote that was so much less than me. I feel bad for anyone who they sucker into paying their prices.

wow you guys are getting BS quotes from dickhead parts guys. I work for toyota in NorCAl and we do the tc springs for 400 installed INCLUDING the price of the springs. In total it pays i think 3.2 hours which at the standard 70dollars per hour is 224 for the install. Go back and ask them what the labor rate and hours are, have them look at it in the book in front of you and i Gauruntee they will give you a better price, they just dont expect people to think of that stuff so they come up with a number off the top of their head, good luck

Thanks for the tip OutCrnrU. The price you guys use is more in line with what I was expecting or shall I say be willing to pay from a dealership. Too bad you weren't in SoCal. When I use my first free oil change I will probably use the info you gave me a do a little probing to see what I can find out. I have a feeling that if I called them right now, they would give me a completely different price. Just like you said, off the top of their head.

Here in PB FL its about 50 bucks to get your springs installed, from pretty much any shop. I would never pay that much to get springs installed, Its pretty easy doing it yourself, you just need a nice sunny day to work on them.

Here in PB FL its about 50 bucks to get your springs installed, from pretty much any shop. I would never pay that much to get springs installed, Its pretty easy doing it yourself, you just need a nice sunny day to work on them.

Yeah, doing it yourself is almost always the way to go if you can manage it. I had a friend of a friend install my springs and exhaust on my Celica a few years back and he did it in a few hours and I kicked him down a $100 bucks and it was all good.

I have a friend who will help me, but he just had his first baby a few months back so he is a busy bee being doing the parent thing so I am getting anxious to get my car taken care of. As a side note he and I were working on restoring my mom's '68 Mustang every weekend until his baby was born. Working on cars with friends is good times.

if u were out here i know a guy who would install for around 100 and the swaybar... 20 or 30... dealer's are insane with pricing

Do you still have your parts under warranty if i get some other mexhanic to do the spring installation for me? And i think i can have my friend do it, since hes pretty good with cars. But what i dont know is those tools that you guys talk about when installing springs... can someone clear it up for me and tell me all the tools needed to install the springs and what the tools do? and one more thing... do i need the trd shocks or some other high performance shocks to handle the drop? say i get some other springs that lower the car down to 2 inches... would the stock shocks be fine or would they wear out quickly?

if you still have yet to install the springs, give dynamic autosport a call, i had mine done 120, it took 2 hours done, they are in lake forest, old fightertown building,

How do you like their work? I just gave them a call. Sounds good to me. I might have it done on monday.

How do you like their work? I just gave them a call. Sounds good to me. I might have it done on monday.

Did they quote you the same price? I was going to look them up later and give them a call as well.

adamstc, I'll assume you were content with the quality of work? Any comments or tips?

Heres the info I just got from the web and a phone call:

Spring Instal 125 takes 2 hrs
Dynamic Autosports, Inc.
ph 949.457.1234
fax 949.457.8000

store hours
monday-friday: 9am - 6pm
saturday: 10am - 3pm (call first)
sunday: CLOSED

20521 Teresita Way Lake Forest, CA 92630-8142

After reading this thread I called my dealer's service department and got a price of $720 just for labor! Sheesh.
:edit: That price is to install front and rear TRD springs that I have sitting in a box at home.

Heres the info I just got from the web and a phone call:

Spring Instal 125 takes 2 hrs
Dynamic Autosports, Inc.
ph 949.457.1234
fax 949.457.8000

store hours
monday-friday: 9am - 6pm
saturday: 10am - 3pm (call first)
sunday: CLOSED

20521 Teresita Way Lake Forest, CA 92630-8142

Thanks for the info TCAV8R. So are you going to get yours done on Monday? I would have to do mine on a Saturday. Regardless, if you do get it done soon, come back and let me know how the process went. Thanks in advance.

the guys there are great they do good work i hope by now you guys have lowered your cars by now, post some pic's.

So prior to the holiday season last year I picked up the TRD lowering springs and sway bar but due to personal problems and the holidays I didn't have the time or money to get them installed. As a side note I would prefer to keep my warranty intact but I've heard all the horror stories of the dealership's inflated cost for installs.

So finally today I called my local dealership (Power Toyota of Irvine) to get a quote. Believe me, I was prepared to be shocked, but when they told me the price for the springs alone was $669 and another $90 for the sway, I was pretty much speechless.

Again, I wasn't really expecting to end up going to the dealership for the job, but on the off chance the price was "doable" I would have considered it. I know dealerships have to make their money someplace, but...

Anyone in the South OC area had their tC lowered and were happy with the price and the job? I'd like to look into some more options. Thanks for the ear and the help.

No way in hell. My dealership (Power Toyota of Irvine) quoted me 280.00 for the AEM Intake, and 30.00 for the install!

And that's a little more difficult than re-using the bolts on the strut tower to stick a strut bar under the hood. Although not by much...

Shop around.

the guys there are great they do good work i hope by now you guys have lowered your cars by now, post some pic's.

I called them last week and tried to make an appointment for Saturday but the mechanics were going to a drift competition so it was a no go. I am going to try and get it done in the next couple weeks here so I will post some pics when the job gets done. By the way, they quoted me $100-$125 for the springs install. The sway was an added cost but I don't remember the price.

TCAV8R...I'll ask again, did you make your appointment or get the job done yet?

It will be done tomorrow. I am taking before and after pics too but I don't know how to post them here. PM me and let me know how to do it and I will.

don't pay over $70.

if you want to do it yourself, you can rent tools from autozone for FREE

Ok it is done. Looks great. The install took 2 hrs and cost 120 even. I took some before pics and will take the after ones in the same place and time to show the difference.
So, can anyone tutor me in how to post pics? Maybe I can email them to someone and they can post them. Let me know.

Cool. Let us know what you think of the ride once you've logged a few trips in it. I plan on getting mine done in the next couple of weeks here. I can't wait to see the pics. Can someone help him with posting the pics?

The ride isn't much different than stock in my opinion. I did scrape coming into a gas station last night. Sounded terrible but when I got out and checked I did not find any visible damage.
Phew!

dealers suck...

Go to TcTunerz.com I bought my S-Techs There they have TRD Springs for like $150.00.

Do it yourself

NO
I didn't want to do it myself. Thanks though.
I am more than happy with the cost and the job done by the facility I chose.

Still no pics eh?

I tried to make an appointment for this Saturday but I guess the guy that does the job doesn't come in on weekends. Hopefully I will be able to work something out soon.

i got my trd springs for $200 at wholesalehyperformance(la puente, ca) and installed at vision autosport(hacienda heights, ca) for $80

goto photobucket.com or some other pic host. Create an account.

Upload the pics.

Then find the link to them and post it here in the form of http://www.whatevertheaddressisforthepics.com

Good luck, I can't wait to see the pics.
If you just can't figure it out, you can email them to me and I'll handle it. My addy is in my profile.[/code]

Ok, I finally got the pics. Enjoy

Before springs:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v736/TCAV8R/128_2824.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v736/TCAV8R/129_2985.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v736/TCAV8R/129_2986.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v736/TCAV8R/52807094.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v736/TCAV8R/5b30fa21.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v736/TCAV8R/73835d96.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v736/TCAV8R/72edbadb.jpg

and after spring install:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v736/TCAV8R/f252ab97.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v736/TCAV8R/2b0c05d7.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v736/TCAV8R/130_3055.jpg

and after the three mile initial test drive (super cherry):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v736/TCAV8R/e5619fd7.jpg

what i wanna know is if you 'bottom out' at all when driving because the car is so low.... or does the car tend to bounce up and down fast cause of the shorter height? this is my main fear if i get my car lowered.

Like I said the ride is great. Not bouncy at all. I have bottomed out a couple times but that was my fault for entereing a deep driveway too quickly. Speed bumps are of no concern.
Today I saw a tC with the EMX 18" rims. The car looked lowered but was on stock suspension. It was awesome if you like those rims. I know I do, but I am not about to pay what the dealer wants for them.

The TRD springs are the most conservative drop from what I have read here on SL.

Eric - do you ride around w/ people in your backseat a lot? This is where im fearing the rubbing. W/O people in the back, i dont think there would be a problem but how about 2 normal size guys in the back? (that way we make sure w/ less weight there will deff not be a problem if 2 guys dont have a problem).

I don't usually have people in the back seat. My daughter sometimes rides in the back. I will report as soon as I do have someone back there for the ride.
With TRD's you will have the least chance of rubbing with passengers back there.

yea i did my homework on the springs and the TRDs seem like they are for me. My friend had a mustang that was lowered and he couldnt even have people in his backseat. I know this isnt the case but I just wanted to know what its like because I used to remember his tires rubbing (and it wasnt cool). Thanks for the reply Eric. Can anybody talk on the subject because I want to make the right move and not the wrong one. This cars gonna be my baby and I cant give her the wrong parts. hehe

Another thing you may want to think about, if this is purely for the look, is putting 18's on.
I saw a tC yesterday with the EMX super 7's and it looked dropped but wasn't. I bet that would rub if it were dropped and had people in the back.

Yea - that is an idea. Get another set for the summer and the other for the winter. Does anybody know the performance issues you will have if you put on 18's or 19's? From what I hear, 19's will fit also if there isnt a drop...right?

Yea - that is an idea. Get another set for the summer and the other for the winter. Does anybody know the performance issues you will have if you put on 18's or 19's? From what I hear, 19's will fit also if there isnt a drop...right?

18s and 19s are the should be the same size in diameter with tires on them as the stock wheels and tires. This is accomplished by lowering the sidewall height of the tire that you put on the rim. So it doesnt really matter what size rims you put on to an extent as long as you maintain the same diameter as stock.

holy crap, just saw the topic title and saw the prices. I can't believe they were gonna charge that much!

holy crap, just saw the topic title and saw the prices. I can't believe they were gonna charge that much!

what are you talking about?

holy crap, just saw the topic title and saw the prices. I can't believe they were gonna charge that much!

Yeah, it's a scam, plain and simple. I don't know how they can get away with that. It wouldn't even be a possibility if it wasn't for the warranty shtick.

TCAV8R, your car looks great! I can't wait to get mine installed. I just got my windows tinted last week so I'll be looking into getting the springs on soon. I only wish they would do the job on a Saturday. As it stands I have to get my car there by 4 so it can be done by the 6 o'clock closing time. I will try and upload some pictures too when I finally get the job done.

post some pics people. I want to see some rims and/or springs.... lets see how the tC's are comming along.

im gettin my tein s-techs put on for 150 tomorrow:)

functions in oxnard is charging me 80 on friday to do mine!!

Well if someone really wanted it done and want to drive to Northern Arizona I'm sure my friend and I could do it for like 120bucks (cost of our time/2 + beer)

The only explanation I can give for over price install...the rear springs are a MoFker ! You basically have to disassemble all the interior from the doors back. It took me like 20mins to do the front and hours to do the rear....but my second time around I'm sure I could get it done on a time constraint.

Oh man, you have to be kidding right??? The rears were so easy!! They took me like an hour to do both of the rears, and that was because I was taking pix for the How To (have yet to finish that, haha). The front's were what took me the longest, but that's because Ihad to look up stuff about the bump stops :)

i had the same problem. did you have a problem breaking the rear bolts with the bolt lock on them? i broke two wrenchs trying to break those bolts

did you put the bumb stops in or leave them out?

no, i used a breaking bar to loosen the rear bolts....essentially, I took an old lacrosse stick (minus the head) and slipped it over the wrench. Looks like all those physics courses I took were worth something :P

yeah i used a breaking bar and i busted the socket

holy crap!! sounds like yours were majorly overtorqued from the factory!

I was actually able to get a few of them off without the breaking bar...I think one or two of the driver side ones. Were they cheap sockets perhaps?

dude, dont even stress lowering ur TC by the factory or messin with warranty... i got my trd springs and install for 205 complete... hasnt messed with alignment or nothin... so just do it

did you put the bumb stops in or leave them out?

Actually, I cut mine. I didn't like the amount of travel with them in (was like 2 inches, maybe less), and I didn't feel right about removing them. So I cut about 1.5 inches off of them, about the amount the springs are dropping the car.

goto mom and pop shops, about 220...

I know that over here at PrecisionMuffler.com we install springs for $150.00 and $175.00 if you have a bazooka tube. So if your in the area, come on by and we can have you done in about two hours. :D

Hey Stylis, how much would you charge for installation of springs, shocks, and a rear sway bar?

yeah the rears took awhile...didnt want to break a clip, bend anything, Had to remove my custom 10" enclosure and amp rack, kept track of every nut and bolt and put them in labeled trays so they went back exactly as before, and was helping a friend do a clutch on a his 240sx and was actively gettin' my cup filled by the Keg-o-rator

stylis why cant you be in pennsylvania? :cry: i just got my car friday and need a place to put in a H&R cup kit when i get it haha

Hey Stylis, how much would you charge for installation of springs, shocks, and a rear sway bar?

$175.00 for all of that. Ready for a road trip to the old Scion Central? :D

stylis why cant you be in pennsylvania? Cry i just got my car friday and need a place to put in a H&R cup kit when i get it haha

Sorry man, I am not a snow person. I am spoiled with the warm weather here in cali. :P If anything I would love to open another Scion Central somewhere on the east coast. :D Maybe I should take over a shop on the east coast for a day. :D

Ya'll leave Gabe right where he is. I need him to install my springs and sway bar next week.

Ed

dealer quoted me $730.00 to install trd shocks and springs.Tha guy said it would be 7 hours labor :rofl: he said this with a straight face.Took it to a local shop they installed the parts for $75.00 and it took about 30 minutes.

unheard of pricing, I paid 360 including the alignment for the rear sway bar, trd springs, and hotchkis strut bar to be installed at the dealership I bought the car off of. These dealers that gave these prices to you probably never did this before and are going out of what a book tells them which is an over estimate. Oh yeah TCTunerz sucks and has ripped me off too. Slimeball company do not do business with them if u worked for your own money you will know why. Try Sparks toyota they are always great to deal with.

honlesty...i did it myself with some buddies and it was a pretty easy install; with an airgun and 4 guys ____ing around it took us about 4 hours; just hit up some people to help u do it, its really not hard at all..look on forums for instructions..goodluck with that man

is there a good how to? I got my s-techs today, and want them on asap. Any other So Cal people want to pair up and give this a try?

I will have a howto posted by the end of the weekend :)
I have the pix already, I just need to put it together with the write up I've done.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y254/miamibusta69/IMG_0227.jpg[/img]
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y254/miamibusta69/IMG_0228.jpg

miamibusta69, that looks great. :D anything else you plan on adding on?

Just an exhuast injen and a strut bar ,pedalstal spoiler thats about it for now until i can afford a lip kit :)

I lowerd mine with trd and did it myself but one thing i slap my self for every day is that i went with trd and not a 2 inch drop :cry:

Well I haven't heard a story similary yet so I figured I'd share mine.. I went to my Toyota dealership to get a quote for putting on trd springs.. they said $212.50 PER WHEEL.. thats right $850 NOT INCLUDING the parts.. I looked and laughed... The story I'm going to share is just to explain if you do a little research you can get a good deal. Anyways there are mod-installers all over the place.. some good some bad.. guess I basically took a risk and contacted one... ready?? Put on my springs for $80 BUX.. TRD ones I had bought on ebay for $160 shipped.. I did take a risk but watched his work each step of the way... and he basically knew his stuff... the best part.. I had my old sway bar which I upgraded at Toyota unfortunately... but the modder gave me $30 bux for it... making the spring install cost $50. which I believe is $12.50 PER WHEEL.. He lives in Jersey but is REALLY busy at this time.. I'm sure I can get you in contact though if you're interested.. just PM or reply to this.. maybe something can be scheduled.. good luck to all and remember a little research can go a long way !!!!

mineke charges $110 an hour to instal anything so needless to say i dint go with em