PontiacBonnevilleClub.com

$300 at Midas installed. $450 at Goodyear installled. I can't do it myself. Any better suggestions? Does not included mounts. These seem to be as good a price as I can find.

Suggestions?

Who says you can't do it? Its really not difficult at all. All you need is a standard socket set.

$100 installed... in your driveway

Where can I get step by step instructions on doing this. I might just give it a shot. What is the most economical way to put a decent safe pair on without busting the piggybank? What do I need to get?
Thanks,

Monroe Max Air would be a good set.. They are very easy to replace..

Might just wanna do the mount plates while your at it, then you wont have to worry about it down the road. I believe ive seen em for like $15 a piece.

There's just one large nut on the shock shaft inside the trunk on the top of the wheel well. There's a rubber cover on it. You may be able to loosen that nut without having to hold the shaft. The bottom is held with two bolt. Depending on where you live, those can cause a bit of a problem due to corrosion that builds around the bolts in the lower control arm. Use lots of penetrating oil.

If you decide to also replace the mounts, go a little extra and buy the Moog. The other brands can be noisy.

Very easy job. I just did mine yesterday. Here was my process:

-Jacked up the back with the car jack.
-Jacked up the control arm a little bit with another jack.
-Take off wheel.
-Loosen the two bolts at the control arm holding the shock (to make sure they can be easily done without busting out some help).
-Remove the black plastic nut on the inside of the trunk holding on the carpet (on the side). Pull back carpet.
-Remove the rubber cover on the nut at the top of the shock (inside the trunk)
-Remove the nut (this is why you don't remove the bottom bolts, otherwise the shock twists when you do the top nut)
-Remove the air line to the shock.
-Remove the bottom bolts.
-Remove shock.
-Take new shock and pull the one end out some.
-Insert the top end of shock (don't forget that concave washer at the top that you remove from the old one).
-Start the bottom bolts into the shock.
-Jack up the control arm until the bolt on the top of the shock sticks through the fender well.
-Put the top bolt back on.
-Finish the bottom bolts.
-Reinstall air line.
-Put wheel back on.
-Not sure if necessary, but I then started the car and waited until I heard the ELC kick in. Then I lowered the car and made sure the top bolt was sufficiently tight on the shock.

Took about and hour and fifteen minutes including the time to get out the jacks, tools, etc.

Check with your local Sears Auto Center. I just wrote up an install for air shocks on a roadmaster the other day, and I believe the shocks were about $90, and we only charged $35 to install. If you can't do it yourself, check with them and compare to the other places.

I did mine last weekend. The Monroe shocks are definitely a better choice than the ones from Gabriel. The ones I took off were exactly like the Monroe ones, not sure if they were OEM or not.

so far as installation goes, I have just a small change to the above directions:

-Take new shock and pull the one end out some.
-Insert the top end of shock (don't forget that concave washer at the top that you remove from the old one).
-Start the bottom bolts into the shock.
-Jack up the control arm until the bolt on the top of the shock sticks through the fender well.

I found it easier to:
-Leave the shock compressed and put a block of 4x4 wood between the bottom of the shock and the control arm
-Jack up the control arm and guide the top bolt of the shock (with washer) up through the fender
-Thread the top nut on
-Lower the jack a bit and remove the piece of 4x4
-Pull down on the shock some and install the bottom bolts
-Tighten the top nut

Just checked my 01 Bonneville SE and my rear shocks are both leaking. So I will replace them but OE shocks from dealer were about $400 a piece (insane) so called around and found Monroe Max-Air Ma822 as recommended replacement. These are $107. for the pair. Only thing upon looking at them, I figure air line diameter is not the same as OE although Monroe says proper lines and fittings come with the shocks. What do you all think? Thanks Zamjohn

mine fit the stock lines fine no problems. i bought mine for less then 70 for the pair from pep boys

zuluhead wrote:I did mine last weekend. The Monroe shocks are definitely a better choice than the ones from Gabriel. The ones I took off were exactly like the Monroe ones, not sure if they were OEM or not.

That might makes sense that Monroes are similar to OEM. The Kettering plant for Delphi supplied shocks for GM and (part of) it was bought by Tenneco who owns Monroe and they are operating there.

zamjohn wrote:Just checked my 01 Bonneville SE and my rear shocks are both leaking. So I will replace them but OE shocks from dealer were about $400 a piece (insane) so called around and found Monroe Max-Air Ma822 as recommended replacement. These are $107. for the pair. Only thing upon looking at them, I figure air line diameter is not the same as OE although Monroe says proper lines and fittings come with the shocks. What do you all think? Thanks Zamjohn

$107 is expensive... I think I paid $70... They fit the car with no issues..

Did end up buying Monro MAX-AIR shocks for my 01 Bonneville. Install was quick and painless with no additional parts needed. Direct fit and they perform very well.Zamjohn

Glad to hear it... I like them on my 03 as well

zuluhead wrote:I did mine last weekend. The Monroe shocks are definitely a better choice than the ones from Gabriel. The ones I took off were exactly like the Monroe ones, not sure if they were OEM or not.

so far as installation goes, I have just a small change to the above directions:

-Take new shock and pull the one end out some.
-Insert the top end of shock (don't forget that concave washer at the top that you remove from the old one).
-Start the bottom bolts into the shock.
-Jack up the control arm until the bolt on the top of the shock sticks through the fender well.

I found it easier to:
-Leave the shock compressed and put a block of 4x4 wood between the bottom of the shock and the control arm
-Jack up the control arm and guide the top bolt of the shock (with washer) up through the fender
-Thread the top nut on
-Lower the jack a bit and remove the piece of 4x4
-Pull down on the shock some and install the bottom bolts
-Tighten the top nut

Just wondering if you have the shock out and you lower the jack on the control arm all the way, will the spring dangerously shoot out - or is it held in there some other way where it will not come out?

Reason I ask is that my jack is touchy and sometimes when I twist the handle to lower it, it goes too fast and sometimes drops farther than I want it to....

The original poster hasn't been on here since Aug 11.

I did my shocks last week. Monroe MA822

I will add to clean the bolts on the lower end with a brass brush. The corrosion on the threads builds up as you thread the 3-inch bolt down through the nut they used. Even with Blaster and then penetrating oil on them they bind up when unscrewing them.

Also don't let the lower arm hang of its own weight on the left side with the rod for the auto adjusting sensor for the air shocks. It can travel too far down for the arm's range.

The rears are easy especially if you have someone to hold the shock and feed it up to you inside the trunk.

Note that only the center bolt comes off inside the trunk; the two smaller bolts just hold on a reinforcement piece.

billberry12 wrote:$300 at Midas installed. $450 at Goodyear installled. I can't do it myself. Any better suggestions? Does not included mounts. These seem to be as good a price as I can find.

Suggestions?

Is this pricing for rear shocks only? The shocks, both together, are $65 at rockauto.com. There's a 5% discount code on some auto forums. The shipping is a fee but they arrived the next day for me by FedEx regular shipping (Indianapolis-Dayton).