The back end of my car has been making a nasty noise over bumps. The Dealer says I need new rear struts. Estimate: $504.
Yikes! Is this a reasonable price for this sort of thing?
(I know next to nothing about cars.)
Is it something I can do myself with minimal tools without impaling my face with a big rusty spring?
In my experience it’s a reasonable price. Not good, but reasonable. If I were you, I wouldn’t even think about doing it myself. Maybe you could find a non-dealer shop to do it a bit cheaper. Dealers are always more expensive, and are only good for repair work if the car is still under warranty.
You would need a spring compressor to do the job. Probably not a good project for someone without a fair amount of experience or a knowledgeable friend to assist.
The price quoted is not outrageous, however you could likely find a more attractive price at an independent shop. Chances are you can find a fairly wide range of prices. Part of the difference will be in better and worse quality replacement struts. If you want better quality parts and expertise, don’t shop on price alone.
How bad of an idea is it to just ignore the noises and save the money?
First of all, I think you should get a second opinion. The Dealer’s price seems too high to me. I just had the struts replaced on the front end of my '95 van; it cost about 400 bucks.
Secondly, and I could be wrong, but struts on the back? I thought most cars still had plain old shocks in the back. Struts are, as I understand, part of the steering and suspension system, and therefore found in the front of the vehicle.
I did the shocks myself, but farmed out the strut work since I really don’t want to spend the money it would take to buy the tools I’d need to do the struts myself.
Then I got the car alligned. The guy at the allignment place asked if I had put the struts in myself. When I said no, he looked relieved. In fact, I think he might have been getting ready to turn down the job, leading me to believe I had made the right decision when I let someone else do the struts.
A second opinion is indeed a good idea. To elaborate, I do not advise calling various shops for a quote. For all we know, the noise may have been misdiagnosed, in which case getting quotes would turn out to be a big waste of time. Find a competent, trustworthy shop you’d be comfortable dealing with and have them evalutate the noise. As far as the cost, this isn’t a “one price fits all” item. Many factor influence price variances, including different vehicles taking different struts, quality of parts, etc. The fact that it cost 400 for front struts on a particular vehicle at a particular shop doesn’t necessarily mean that 500 is excessive for rear struts on another vehicle.
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Well, you’re wrong. 
Front struts are part of the front suspension, and thus related to steering to a degree. Rear struts are part of the rear suspension. Rear strut designs are an alternative to rear shock designs, just as front strut designs are and alternative to front A-arm & shock designs.
I guess it would depend somewhat on the car, what it’s worth to you, and exactly what noises you hear. In general if you’re hearing a noise, that means that parts are getting knocked around that aren’t designed to be. I would think you’d be giving any frame and/or suspension bushings a pounding (cheap parts, but generally $$$$$ to replace), and you’re probably getting some metal fatigue (excessive bottoming of the suspension can even crack the frame, but that’s a little bit beyond run-of-the-mill rattling). Likely you’re also going to be seeing some abnormal tire wear, and if left unchecked that can cause vibrations of its own that contribute to the above. Your cornering ability and perhaps your braking are also somewhat compromised. If you plan to keep the car for a while yet, I’d say get it fixed.
I would definitely take it to a non-dealer mechanic. Their labor rates are usually significantly lower, and you can often get a bit of a break on the parts as well, particularly if you go with aftermarket parts (but make sure they’re of good quality, you don’t want to have to do this again any time soon).