Replacing All 4 Shocks and Struts Costs $710 to $2,360
By Anthony LimpertASE Business Built With Master Automotive Technicians
Plan on about $710 to $1,900 to replace all four on most cars, with struts up front and shocks in the back. If your car has struts at all four corners, plan on $955 to $2,360. Both totals include the four wheel alignment and come from our own repair cost guides at national labor rates.
We fix cars in San Jacinto and Hemet, California, a lot of them in the customer's own driveway, and we list 47,671 shops and mechanics on MechanicRank. The thing that trips people up on a suspension quote is simple. It rarely says what the price covers. One corner, one pair or all four. This guide fixes that.
9 min read · 13 sections
Snapshot
- Most cars and small SUVs pay $710 to $1,900 for a full set with struts in front and shocks in back.
- Struts at all four corners cost more, about $955 to $2,360, because each strut takes longer to swap.
- Trucks with shocks at all four corners can come in at $390 to $1,260, and often skip the alignment.
- Get an alignment after new struts. Monroe, the strut maker, says so in its own tech tip.
- Ask whether the quote is per corner, per pair or for all four. That one question explains most price gaps.
What All Four Corners Cost, by Suspension Type
These ranges come from our strut replacement, shock absorber replacement and wheel alignment cost guides. Each guide adds parts prices to standard labor times at $95 to $140 an hour, the national range. California runs $120 to $175 an hour, so we show both. A strut pair takes 2 to 3.5 hours and a shock pair 1 to 2 hours in our guides.
| What You Are Replacing | National Range | California Range | What Is in It |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front struts and rear shocks | $710 to $1,900 | $805 to $2,140 | A strut pair, a shock pair and an alignment |
| Struts at all four corners | $955 to $2,360 | $1,075 to $2,650 | Two strut pairs and an alignment |
| Shocks at all four corners | $390 to $1,260 | $440 to $1,400 | Two shock pairs, no alignment on most designs |
| One pair of struts | $440 to $1,090 | $490 to $1,210 | Front or rear, alignment not included |
| One pair of shocks | $195 to $630 | $220 to $700 | Usually the rear axle |
| Four wheel alignment | $75 to $180 | $95 to $230 | Labor only, 0.8 to 1.3 hours |
The top of each range is not a luxury car price. It is a normal car with pricier parts and a shop at the high end of the labor rate. Cars with air struts or electronic dampers are a different job. A single one of those can cost more than a full set of regular struts, so check what your car has before you compare quotes.
- Shocks at all four corners$1,260
- Front struts and rear shocks, plus alignment$1,900
- Struts at all four corners, plus alignment$2,360
Our own guide math. Parts plus standard labor times at $95 to $140 an hour, rounded to the nearest $5.
How to Tell If Your Car Has Struts or Shocks
This is the question that sets your price, so check it first. Car Talk puts the difference plainly. A shock only damps the bounce. A strut is part of the structure of the suspension, and on many cars it is part of the steering too.
You can see it with the wheel off, or with a flashlight behind the tire.
- It is a strut if the coil spring wraps around the damper and the bottom bolts straight to the steering knuckle, the part the wheel hub rides on.
- It is a shock if the spring sits somewhere else and the damper is a separate tube with a bolt or stud at each end.
- It is a coilover if the spring wraps a shock but the bottom bolts to a control arm, not the knuckle. Price it like a strut.
- It is an air or electronic damper if you see an air line or a wire plugged into the top. Get a quote by part number.
Our guides list the rear axle of trucks, SUVs and many cars as the most common home for separate shocks. They also note that compact cars, midsize sedans and small SUVs mostly use struts up front. That is why the front struts and rear shocks row is the one most drivers should look at.
Loaded Struts vs Bare Struts
Two strut quotes for the same car can be hundreds apart for one reason. One shop is quoting a loaded strut and the other a bare one.
A loaded strut comes from the box already built, with the spring and the top mount on it. Monroe's Quick-Strut page says its assemblies come fully assembled and need no spring compressor. The part costs more, but the labor is shorter and the mount and spring are new.
A bare strut is only the damper. The shop has to compress your old coil spring and move it over. That takes more time, and a compressed spring holds enough force to hurt someone if the tool slips. It also means you keep an old spring and an old mount.
On a high mileage car, the loaded strut is usually the better buy. You get the ride height back and there is no old mount left to squeak next month.
Do You Need an Alignment After New Struts?
Yes, in almost every case. Monroe's own tech tip on alignment after strut replacement tells shops to align the car any time struts or other steering and suspension parts are replaced. It explains that new struts can change camber, toe and caster. Camber and toe off spec wear tires unevenly. Caster off spec makes the car hard to keep straight.
The same tip names the exceptions. Some double wishbone designs, some modified struts and suspensions that use shock absorbers may not need one. So rear shocks alone usually skip it. Front struts almost never should.
Skipping a $75 to $180 alignment to save money is how people wear out a new set of tires early. Ask for the before and after printout.
Do You Have to Replace All Four at Once?
No. You have to replace them in pairs on the same axle. Monroe says so in this September 2023 technical piece. A new damper on one side and a worn one on the other makes the car handle unevenly. Monroe also says new mounting kits should go in whenever shocks or struts are replaced.
Whether you do all four comes down to the other axle. If the rear shocks are dry, quiet and pass a bounce check, a front pair is a fair job. If the car has high miles and both ends are tired, doing all four in one visit saves you a second trip and a second alignment.
- Do all four if both ends leak, bounce or clunk, or the tires are cupped front and rear.
- Do one axle if only that end shows wear and the other end checks out.
- Never do one corner unless the other side is nearly new, like after a crash repair.
What Our Own Invoices Show
Price guides are estimates. Invoices are what people paid. We pulled every paid final invoice from Supercanic, our shop in San Jacinto and Hemet, from August 18, 2025 to October 17, 2026. That is 953 paid jobs. Amounts are before sales tax, and the full study is on our mobile mechanic prices page.
Suspension and steering jobs came to 19 paid bills. The median was $330. The middle half ran $252 to $430. That bucket mixes every suspension and steering repair we billed. Even the high quarter, $430, sits below the $710 floor our guides give for a full set of four. So most suspension bills are one part or one pair, and a four corner quote near $1,500 is not a red flag on its own.
- Low quarter (25th percentile)$252
- Median$330
- High quarter (75th percentile)$430
Our own data. Supercanic paid final invoices, 19 suspension and steering jobs, Aug 18, 2025 to Oct 17, 2026, before sales tax.
Old Advice That Stuck
Some of the advice already out there leaves gaps.
- No unit. The RepairPal estimator shows $1,144 to $1,348, updated September 3, 2026, but never says if that is one corner, a pair or all four.
- Ranges too wide to use. Car Talk, on August 6, 2025, put a pair at $500 to $2,500 with no labor rate behind it.
- No sources. A repair shop blog on page one gives $900 to $1,800 for all four with nothing to show where the number came from.
- Forum quotes. Two of the top results are Reddit and Facebook threads, each built on one person's quote. Useful for a gut check, not for a budget.
How to Read a Shocks and Struts Quote
The FTC's auto repair basics page tells you to get a written estimate that lists the parts and the labor, and to ask for your old parts back. For this job, add these lines.
- Per corner, per pair or all four? Get it written on the quote.
- Loaded or bare? And what brand. A loaded strut quote should be higher on parts and lower on labor.
- Mounts included? On a bare strut job, ask if the top mounts and bump stops are new.
- Alignment included? If not, add $75 to $180 in your head.
- Hours and rate. Our guides say 3 to 5.5 hours for front struts and rear shocks, 4 to 7 for four struts. A quote far past that needs a reason, like rusted bolts.
- A call before extra work. The FTC says the estimate should spell out that the shop will ask before going past a set amount.
What We Charge at Our Own Shop
We post our prices. These are ours at Supercanic, the shop in San Jacinto and Hemet, California, that runs MechanicRank.
- Labor is $150 an hour.
- Nights from 10pm to 6am are $300 an hour.
- Labor carries a 90 day or 5,000 mile warranty. Parts carry the maker's warranty, 1 to 3 years.
Find a Mechanic Near You
MechanicRank lists 47,671 repair shops and mechanics in 6,644 cities. Every listing shows the shop's phone, reviews and hours, and the phone rings the shop direct.
Search your ZIP code to compare shops near you. If the car also shakes at speed, read our guide to steering wheel vibration before you book. Worn struts and a bad balance can feel alike.
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Reading List
All opened October 2026.
- Monroe, Quick-Strut assemblies
- Monroe, importance of alignment after strut replacement
- PMM, Monroe discusses shocks and struts replacement (Sep 6, 2023)
- Federal Trade Commission, auto repair basics
- Car Talk, how much does it cost to replace your shocks or struts (Aug 6, 2025)
- RepairPal, suspension shock or strut replacement cost estimate (updated Sep 3, 2026)
- MechanicRank repair cost guides, our own ranges from parts prices, standard labor times and $95 to $140 an hour labor ($120 to $175 in California)
- Supercanic paid final invoices, 953 jobs from Aug 18, 2025 to Oct 17, 2026, aggregates only
Owners Ask Us
How much does it cost to replace 4 shocks and struts?
About $710 to $1,900 on a car with struts in front and shocks in back, including the alignment, at national labor rates. With struts at all four corners it runs about $955 to $2,360. California shops run higher.
How much is 2 struts?
A pair of struts runs about $440 to $1,090 installed at national labor rates, or $490 to $1,210 in California. Add $75 to $180 for the alignment.
Should I replace all four struts at once?
Replace them in pairs on the same axle, always. All four at once makes sense when both ends are worn, since you pay for one alignment instead of two. If one end checks out fine, a single pair is a fair job.
How long does it take a mechanic to replace shocks and struts?
Our guides put front struts and rear shocks at 3 to 5.5 hours, and struts at all four corners at 4 to 7 hours. Add about an hour for the alignment. Rusted bolts add time.
Is it bad to drive with bad struts and shocks?
It is not an emergency, but do not wait months. Monroe says worn suspension parts can reduce braking performance. They also let the tires bounce, which wears them out early. A leaking or knocking strut should be booked within a few weeks.
Can bad struts affect alignment?
Yes. A strut holds the wheel in place on many cars, so a worn or bent one can throw off camber and caster. That is also why Monroe says to align the car after new struts go in.
How many miles do shocks and struts usually last?
There is no single number. Rough roads, heavy loads and towing wear them out faster. Have them looked at during tire rotations, and replace them when you see leaks, nose dive when braking, bouncing over bumps or cupped tires.
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