State inspection pass, but the shop suggested several repairs. No thank you. The token you need brake pads and rotors was hysterical since I personally did this a few months before the inspection. Seeing as the first set of pads and rotors got me past 155,000 miles, nice try on salesmanship.
The struts though were a different story, original and past due for replacement. I had never done this specific project before, but I have fixed just about everything else on a car. (The coil springs are compressed and can literally kill you if you compress them improperly or with defective machinery.)
I bought the struts pre-mounted to the springs= safe easy job. AKA "quick mount"
After removing the windshield wipers and some stuff at the rear end of engine compartment I was surprised how quick the job was. An impact wrench made for a quick bolt removal and everything else was logical and required few steps. Looking back, it was easier than a brake job.
The shop (NYC where the labor rate has several zeros) quoted me an insane $810 per side or $1620 for strut replacement and some bogus add on warranty was another $56. I paid $211 for the parts with tax and shipping and had them at my door in less than 2 days. I bought some new tools which were $70, so I paid around $280 in total and all in less than 3 hours including parts shopping online.