ratterrier
Active Member
- Joined
- November 24, 2001
- Messages
- 63
- Reaction score
- 0
- City, State
- Livingston, NJ
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- '96 XLT 2WD
Hi Folks,
My 1996 Explorer (2WD) just failed inspection because of lower and upper ball joints. I had heard previously that the lowers were due, but the uppers came as a surprise. My car is not allowed on the road until fixed (thanks PA). I am not equipped to handle a repair job like this and must have a mechanic do it for me. Basically I have 2 questions.
1 - How can I tell if the upper ball joints truly need replacing? I figured I could handle the cost of the lower repair job, but now the price has gone much higher.
2 - What is a reasonable price for replacing both upper and lower ball joints? I need to find a mechanic who is competent enough to do this, as my current guy has proven himself not too good...he also wants to charge me almost as much as the dealer. So I would like to use a ballpark price that an independent shop would charge, which I figure would be a bit less than Ford.
Thanks,
Richard
My 1996 Explorer (2WD) just failed inspection because of lower and upper ball joints. I had heard previously that the lowers were due, but the uppers came as a surprise. My car is not allowed on the road until fixed (thanks PA). I am not equipped to handle a repair job like this and must have a mechanic do it for me. Basically I have 2 questions.
1 - How can I tell if the upper ball joints truly need replacing? I figured I could handle the cost of the lower repair job, but now the price has gone much higher.
2 - What is a reasonable price for replacing both upper and lower ball joints? I need to find a mechanic who is competent enough to do this, as my current guy has proven himself not too good...he also wants to charge me almost as much as the dealer. So I would like to use a ballpark price that an independent shop would charge, which I figure would be a bit less than Ford.
Thanks,
Richard