i failed inspection for my front right susspension and 3rd tail light and i wanted a sticker. long story short, they couldnt find anything wrong with my susspession and they wont give me a sticker without doing work on it because they say the state is strict now. so they suggest me replacing front shocks cause they are 6 years old now. Price = $250. I said no, i cant afford that right now. So they are charging me $25 just for looking at it. My question is: is it hard to change the front shocks. I called Pep boys and for $85 total they have high-end shocks but I wanted to make sure it was easy enough for me to put them on. I have a 97, F-150. 4-wheel drive, extended cab. Any help would be great thanks.

 

No they aren't hard to change if you have basic hand tools. You will need two 18mm wrenches for the top nuts and a 13mm socket for the bottom. Soak the nuts and bolts with lots of lube though as they are in there good and tight. I would recommend a 1/2" strong bar for the bottom bolts.

I'm curious as to why your truck failed but there is nothing wrong with it. Shouldn't they have told you what was wrong on the passenger side?

 

Go somewhere else and get it inspected. Unless I'm misunderstanding, that sounds like a trap to me.....

 

Yup, sounds like a trap.

If you take it somewhere else and it passes. Make sure you call the state and talk to whoever is in charge of inspections. File a complaint so that shop doesn't do it to anyone else.

 

This sounds like a clear sign to take your vehicle elsewhere. If an inspector fails your vehicle after examination, he can't THEN charge you anything. I would get my vehicle inspected elsewhere and see what they had to say. If you really need shocks, make a project of it and do it yourself; it's very simple.