So i've had my coilovers for couple weeks and was contemplating whether or not to pay someone (from a shop) to install them or to DIY... figuring that i could save myself about 3-400 dollars it was a no brainer...

I looked at some thread on here and most of the community say its not hard at all to install new coils and that it usually takes about 2-3hours... so that put my mind at ease even more...

went outside about 2pm today with my 3ton jack/stands and all needed tools... about 2.5-3hours later... i got no fu**ing place...
first off... the lug nuts on the wheel were a b*t*h to come off... when i finally got them out... the rest was just gods way of laughing at my failed attempts in taking out the 2bolts holding the stock strut in place...

i took me about an hour to get the top one out... then i tried taking out the brake line braket and *snap* it broke in half... so i had to zip tie the 2 brackets together to make sure they dont move...

all in all 3 broken ratchets (heavy duty) and an hours worth of trying... lead to nowhere with the bottom bolt... it didnt even budge... so with my patience wearing very thin... i put the top bolt back in... got the tire back on... and i'm no looking for a good shop to install them for me...

for all those ppl saying coilovers installation are easy... u obviously have some very high powered tools or fairly newer suspension... my car has 139k and theres no way in hell these bolts are coming with manual force...

That being said does anybody know of a good shop in the orlando area that can do this job for me...?

 

Big *** breaker bar is your friend!

 

I used a breaker bar and craftsman ratchets and they did not break. Were you yanking at the ratchets for them to break or did u gradually apply more pressure?

 

Some WD40 or PB Blaster would have helped loosen up the bolts beforehand. Longer handle tools also give you more leverage to un-torque bolts. Breaker bar is good too.

 

i had a big *** breaker bar in place... these were craftsman ratchets that i was use... 2 medium sized and one large... all 3 broke with breaker bar... i was not yanking i was putting gradual pressure... just when i though the bolt was moving... *snap* rachet broke...

 

people... im not a noob... i used all of these... drowned the bolts in WD40 before hand and that did nothing...

 

2-3 hours. it takes maybe 45 minutes. geuss you know your car hasnt been modified before that everything is seized on.

 

Wow, could anything else have gone wrong on that?

 

The previous owner might had put some loctite on the bolts or something.

I'm not doubting you, but it wasn't that hard. I did the whole suspension with a 10" breaker bar. The fronts were a lot easier in my opinion.

 

probably not... im jus glad i didnt break anything on the car itself... then i would def be pissed... gave midas a called gona go tomorrow morning and see how much they quote me...

 

There are a few in the orlando area.... TTP, Titan Motorsports, Big Valley Performance or Central Florida Turbo (CFT) those are the ones off the top of my head. Good luck to you though

 

I would stay far away from a chain shop like midas and go to an actual performance shop for something like this

 

Before you go too hog wild-- I had the same issue, I had a 4ft breaker bar, was leaning on it and twisted off the end rachet I was using, it broke. That dislodged the socket that bounced off the ground and shattered my two front teeth for me...not broken them , but powdered them. Nice--rt? Never saw it coming, have never found the socket --was at the dentist and back again in 3hrs for the football game. Moral of the story, use good tools and watch those breaker bars, same with the power tools. For what its worth.

 

this my friend might be a sign to stay away from modding your car yourself.. take it to the professionals especially when installing coilovers you might have to take the wheels off a few times to set height. g/l CFT is a big place out there and im sure they can tackle this job in no time..

 

lol turning the bolt the right way? Usually breaking that many ratchets is a sign something is wrong. Or you could have just applied some heat. Having trouble just pulling off the wheels was gonna tell you you would be in for a treat haha. Good luck with the install. In the end im sure it will be worth it.