Here’s a riddle that’s especially relevant in a time when the cost of everything is going up: What’s the dollar value of elbow grease?
The answer depends on the situation, of course, but in a recent TikTok clip from car-focused creator Matthew Fleshman—who bills himself as The Car Dad (@thecardadstl)—we see a convincing argument for some good old-fashioned hard work and elbow grease being worth somewhere north of $400 an hour.
The clip introduces us to Fleshman as he’s preparing to replace the rear right shock on his wife’s 2019 Honda Odyssey minivan. He tells us the asking price for that job at the local dealership was $500, which seems preposterous since we learn Fleshman replaced the park with a new Monroe shock in less than half an hour.
“I did it myself in my garage in under 25 minutes, and that includes making the video,” he said. I ran down to the O’Reilly’s. The OEM replacement was $75. You’re gonna need a 14 millimeter and a 17 millimeter socket. An impact wrench is helpful, and a breaker bar.”
Fleshman’s clip, which has more than 30,000 views, is done in high-speed time lapse style from a few feet away, so we don’t get a terribly detailed look at every step he takes in the replacement work. And his voiceover only gives us the most essential info since the whole clip is just over 30 seconds long.
A jump over to YouTube turns up a real-time video of about 15 minutes that shows us in close-up detail how to replace the same rear right shock on the same make, year, and model vehicle. What we see isn’t exactly easy, but can be followed and replicated by those who want to save a little bank next time a shock goes bad on their car, truck, or other vehicle.
How to replace your own shocks, step-by-step
In both clips we learn that this is a job that requires two jacks: One to lift the car to remove the wheel, and the second to raise the suspension so the new shock can attach properly.
- Find the jacking point in front of the wheel and use the first jack to lift the vehicle.
- Loosen lugnuts, and remove the wheel.
- Spray lubricant on the top nuts.
- Use a 14mm socket head on an impact driver to loosen the top nuts holding the shock in place.
- Then find and loosen the 17mm nut at the bottom end of the shock.
- Remove the shock.
- Install new shock, bottom end first, and loosely replace the bolt.
- Use the second jack to raise the suspension until the shock fits on the upper attach points.
- Replace the nuts and loosely tighten them.
- Use the impact driver to tighten bottom bolt, then top nuts.
- Tighten everything with a torque wrench.
- Lower the suspension.
- Replace the wheel and lugnuts.
- Lower the vehicle.
- Hand tighten the lugnuts.
Again, not exactly easy but certainly doable. And if it’s your first time employing elbow grease to fix up your daily driver, it’s probably best to allow plenty of time (like an hour or two) so no steps are missed or poorly performed.
Commenters on the clip had some small notes for Fleshman.
“always replace shock’s \ struts in pairs on Same axle as in both front or both rear. if 1 went out the other isn’t far behind and it’s a lot safer then replacing just 1,” one of them wrote.
Another lamented how much dealership repair jobs are costing: “They tried to tell me it’s $120 per tie rod end to install. I can’t believe people are paying that much these days.”
@thecardadstl Ready to replace your blown shocks at home? Here's a quick and easy DIY project for you based on expert advice! 1. Gather your tools: two jacks, impact gun, 14mm & 17mm sockets. 2. Remove the old shocks with 3 bolts: two 14mm & one 17mm. 3. Use a pipe to loosen any frozen parts. 4. Note the angle of the shock for reinstallation. 5. Use a secondary jack to align the suspension component. 6. Reassemble, torque to spec, and check lug nuts. 7. Take it for a test drive and enjoy the smooth ride! #carcare #carmaintenance #carcaretips #diy#autocare ♬ original sound – The Car Dad
And another appreciated Fleshman helping other do-it-yourselfers who have saved well into five figures by taking care of their own vehicles, “I need to put a star on your man card. 52, have had 7 new cars. I’ve never taken any of my cars to dealers. Dealers don’t fix they replace parts. Sometimes replacing parts is just a few screws n bolts.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Fleshman via direct message, and Honda via email.
