Rear shocks looked cracked near bottom bolts,should i have auto mech.change them i was quoted at 186.00$ for the job,86$of this was for the labor.Is this a hard job,I haven't worked on a vehicle in a few years,now that i've gotten my neck surgery! Looking at it,it just doesn't look that diffacult>

Raise vehicle.
Remove tire and wheel assy.
Rmove inner wheelhouse liner ,5 bolts.
Remove the shock-to -knuckle bolt and discard.( Go get a new one). This is the bolt on the bottom of the shock.
Remove upper carrier assembly to body bolts ( top two bolts).
Loosen lower carrier assembly to body bolts until the carrier assembly slides out.
Then, using either a rented spring compressor, or get a pro to remove it for you. If you a rental, please please please look on YouTube to see how to use one properly.
Replace any worn out rubber components, they are sold separately.
Installation is in reverse order.
Torques: Top of shock absorber ,15 foot pounds
Rear carrier bolts, 40 foot pounds.
Bottom shock to knuckle, 110 foot pounds.

Source: Saturn Technical Service Manual , L Series, 2000-2001
Good Luck !!!

Hi,

The total time listed for changing both rear shocks is 1 hour, so I depends on what your local mechanic charges per hour. Its a simple job that you could do yourself, but it shouldn't cost too much to keep your hands clean and let someone else do it.

Rears are easy, bolt on top, bolt on bottom of the shocks, take out remove and replace.

It should be. To replace the front shocks, there are two bottom bolts to remove and one nut on the top of the shock. The rears have one top bolt and one bottom bolt. Just regular tools should be fine to do the job. I would also use some WD-40 to help loosen any rusty bolts.

The "hydraulic thingys" are called trunk shocks. they are available at any local parts store - they are vehicle specific, they will have to look up your part number. they are very easy to change, either a simple locking tab at each end of the shock, or a bolt at each end. this is a two person job, someone will need to hold the hatch up while someone changes the shocks. good luck!

Some SUVs the rear shocks bolt to the floor panel and some bolt to a hanging bracket from the bottom. The bottom of the shock always uses the rear axle bracket. Make sure the car is jacked up safe with jack stands and level surface

look on ebay for mirrors replacement or junk yard, it will save you allot and you can do it yourself just by popping the mirror cover off on the opposite side of the door to access the bolts that hold the side mirrors on. 10 minute job. the mirrrors should cost you 25-50 bucks depending on condition of it. if the mirrors is diffrent color, it will need to be repainted to match the car, 50-100 buck depending on the shop, check macos, they are cheap or call around and shop and get couple estimate wont hurt. Lots of car dealers use those portable/mobile touch up guys, the dealers used them to fix and touch up all of their cars, you might want to stop by some dealership and ask one of the used car managers ask him/her who they use and phone number, those portable/mobile touch up guys does very good job, cheap and fast. oil leak under the car, can be transmission leaks or you rear main seal, common to high miles cars to leak from the rear main seal which they have to remove the tranny from the motor to get to it, the parts is cheap but the labors will get you. you probably looking if the rear main seal, 500- 900 bucks depending on the shop. you can drive on the leaks as long you keep the tranny fluid monitor making sure the fluid does not go empty in the transmission.

You are correct, this is an easy job on this vehicle. Remove the upper and lower shock mounting bolts...Note how the rubber groments are installed, new gromets will come with your new shocks and will need to be installed the same way. Bolt the new shock in place, i prefer to do the top mount first, then secure the bottom mount. Do not over tighten and split the gromets.
Shocks should always be replaced in pairs...
Monroe or KYB make a very good product... i would not recommend a Gabriel shock.
Good luck...i hope this helps, please take time to rate me a fixya.

Shocks, they only have a life of around 80,000 miles and the bushings on the shocks could also be worn if they don't have that much miles on them. Most places have life time replacement warranty as long as you keep the receipt, so every 80,000 miles you just have to pay for the labor unless you do the job your self. Good luck and hope this helps. remember you get what you pay for so don't buy the cheap shocks since there life time yuo'll really only have to pay for them once. 

you could replace the one shock but do you know why it is leaking oil? Typically unless there was something traumatic to happen to one of the rear shocks, then if one is going you can almost be the other one will go soon. I ended up having too many problems with the air ride suspensions. If you haven't yet, look into conversion kits as something to consider for down the road if nothing else. www.strutmasters.com has a great kit that is made in America and comes with a lifetime warranty. They have a good reputation and track record and can help you save some money and find the permanent solution if anything else goes wrong.