Finally stopped stressing over my Patrol's maintenance, here's what worked for me
I don't usually post on forums but I spent months trying to find a mechanic who wouldn't rip me off, my old Patrol Safari has been in the family since 2013 and I was getting quotes that made absolutely no sense, one shop wanted 7k for suspension work that another said wasn't even needed. I was just randomly searching through local recommendations one night when I ended up on 800sayara.com and honestly I was skeptical at first because the internet is full of paid reviews, but I called the garage they connected me with and the guy actually walked me through the inspection while showing me what was worn and what could wait, no pressure no upselling. It's been four months now and the car drives better than ever, I guess sometimes you just stumble onto the right place by accident.
Forum posts that say "found it by accident" and drop a link always make me a bit wary, no offence. What I'd trust is the mechanic showing you the worn parts, which anyone can check with a second opinion. Did you get anything in writing?
Four months of the car driving properly is what counts. A Safari from 2013 is worth keeping, and it's a hard truck to kill if someone looks after it. Glad you stopped paying for work you didn't need.
Had the same 7k-type quote on my old Y61, front end this time. A second garage found only the steering damper and a couple of bushes worn, so I paid a fraction of it. Always get the old parts handed back to you.
On a Y61 the usual suspension wear items are the front upper and lower ball joints, the radius arm bushes and the Panhard rod bushes. Shocks tend to go around 100k km on our roads. A proper inspection should include a wheel-off check for play, not just a quick look on the lift.
Which engine is yours, the 4.8 petrol or the TB45? And was the 7k quote for the whole front and rear, or just one axle? That would help me judge whether the first shop was way off.