05 Ball Joint Repair

[Houston Kid]

2005 Explorer XLT 2WD - I had new brake pads installed at 65,000 mi. The shop showed me torn boots on the upper front ball joints and said the ball joints needed replacing and this meant upper control arms too. Estimated cost was ~$600 in Houston, TX.
1. Is control arm replacement necessary? (It thought later year models had pressed in ball joints).
2. Can boots be replaced/repaired? The ball joints are smooth and not making any noise right now.
3. Is $600 a fair price for ball joint replacement?

Thanks - I'm 66 years old, so doing myself is not really an option at this time.

Houston "Kid"

 

[CmdrPopNFresh]

just looked it up in the workshop manual for an 05 and the ball joints are servicable by themselves.....not sure why the shop wanted to sell you upper control arms....seems fishy to me. i dont know about the cost tho. im a ford tech so i do all my own work and ive never had a bill for labor. just make sure wherever you end up taking it is a respectable buisness that can do the job with the right tools and wont be out there wailing on your control arms with a hammer. good luck!