$1600 in front end., did I get robbed ?

[wegrew]

Ok, so I just moved to a new area outside Boston, been here a week and on the way to work the other morning I heard a clunk when I made a left hand turn, kind of sharp, not moving but maybe 10 mph. After which I got a pretty bad wheel wobble. I pulled into a parking lot, looked under the truck, no sign of anything serious, nothing broken, hanging down, etc. I pulled out of the parking lot, no noise, no wobble, but a slight pull to the right.

I've heard clunking noises over the last year, only engaged the 4wd a couple times, always worked fine, but it would hesitate to dis-engage, and occassionaly make a clunk noise or two.

It's a 1994 4x4 Sport, 145,000 miles. I've had it 2 years, and other than replacing the exhaust, first real chunk of money I've put into it.

Since I don't have a 2nd car and I'm new to the area I am living, I went to NTB (National Tire & Battery). I went there thinking I would just have the tires rebalanced, rotated and check the alignment.

Then came the tech's assesment....

Upper and lower ball joints($90/each x 4), universal joints($55/each x 2), inner and outer wheel bearings($55/each x 4), bearing grease seals($17/each x 2), universal joint inboard L/S ?($36), wheel alignment($75), wheels balanced($35).

Parts: ~$875
Labor: ~$735

I know I probably got jacked on the parts, labor rate was like $86/hour, which is pretty standard these days in this area of the country.

Good news is, it definetely drives 100% better. And since I need to make a trip back to NY on Friday, I do feel better knowing I have all the new parts.

Guess I'm just looking for opinions on wether or not $1600 was over the top ?

Thanks,
Ray

 

[Rick]

Yeah they pretty much doubled the cost of all the parts over what you could get them for over the counter. That's what most shops do though

If you're interested in working on your own Explorer you've come to the right place. We have saved people a lot of money in repairs over the years. But we made up for that with getting them to spend money on modifications, so it all evens out

 

[mynameisaric]

We have saved people a lot of money in repairs over the years. But we made up for that with getting them to spend money on modifications, so it all evens out

Ah.... so true.

i would have an early heart attack at a bill like that. i had "just tires" put my truck on the rack for an alignment and they told me the ball joints needed to be replaced and it would be to the tune of $360. I left and stopped by autozone and picked up new ball joints for $60-80, borrowed their balljoint press and did the job myself. If you have tools, car maintenance is generally easy.

but $1600 sounds about right for what they did.

 

[Exploderpilot]

unfortunately......and if you look at blue oval techs.com, they are screwing the mechanics too! the OWNERS are getting paid like crazy, everybody else gets screwed....

 

[bluesman2333]

Just think if one of those tie rod ends or ball joints broke in the middle of nowhere during your trip. How much would it have cost then?

 

[wegrew]

Thanks guys. For a retail shop like NTB, I pretty much figured I was gonna over pay for the parts. No big deal, afterall everyone has to put food on the table. I think I got lucky that the tech knew what he was doing. I'm happy with the work they did, truck really does feel much better on the road.

And yes, way better than having something break at 70mph on the Mass Pike. I do feel safer knowing the parts are brand new

 

[Dan Whitaker]

Places like NTB are notorious for selling you stuff you don't need so they can rack in more money.

 

[410Fortune]

Oh man $55 a wheel bearing and $17 a grease seal...yikes! Autozone has Timken bearings for $13 and grease seals are $8

Ball joints are about $30 each, labor rate is $80 an hour here in Denver...

You paid the norm for that kind of work but its more then quadruple what it would have cost you to do the entire front end yourself...and buy the tools required (hub tool and U joint press)

 

[Spdrcer34]

Is NTB still owned by Sears Holding Corp...aka Kmart?

Ryan

 

[wegrew]

Oh man $55 a wheel bearing and $17 a grease seal...yikes! Autozone has Timken bearings for $13 and grease seals are $8

Ball joints are about $30 each, labor rate is $80 an hour here in Denver...

You paid the norm for that kind of work but its more then quadruple what it would have cost you to do the entire front end yourself...and buy the tools required (hub tool and U joint press)

I hear ya. Back in the day I woulda done it myself. Unfortunately it just wasn't convenient for me to do it, no 2nd vehicle to use while the truck would be out of commission. Just 1 week into a new job, new town, new apartment, etc. and I needed the work done asap for my trip from Boston back to NY tomorrow. They had me over a barrel.

 

[Jason94sport]

$1600? The X isn't worth that much. I would have bought a used civic that got 30MPG.

 

[DeRocha]

I hear ya. Back in the day I woulda done it myself. Unfortunately it just wasn't convenient for me to do it, no 2nd vehicle to use while the truck would be out of commission. Just 1 week into a new job, new town, new apartment, etc. and I needed the work done asap for my trip from Boston back to NY tomorrow. They had me over a barrel.

Ouch... that is very $$$ I would have gladly helped you bang out this job at my place (would have saved you $1K+ ).. I am the Vice president of New England Explorers and do 95% of my own wrenching.. Stop by our local forum and introduce yourself..

 

[wegrew]

$1600? The X isn't worth that much. I would have bought a used civic that got 30MPG.

I only paid $1k for it 2 years ago and other than this and $150 in exhaust, and of course oil and gas, that's all the money I've got into it. So I'm ok with it.

Civic, please ! never ! I'm a Ford guy all the way.

 

[wegrew]

Ouch... that is very $$$ I would have gladly helped you bang out this job at my place (would have saved you $1K+ ).. I am the Vice president of New England Explorers and do 95% of my own wrenching.. Stop by our local forum and introduce yourself..

Oh sure, now you tell me

No worries mate, it's all good. Timing is everything and this was very bad timing, as I mentioned, new job, new town, ..... If I had a 2nd car, the Explorer woulda just sat until I found a mechanic that wasn't going to rape me. Sh*t happens !

I plan on keeping this thing till it dies. Hoping to do a lift kit in the spring, so I'll definetely keep you in mind. I've got alot of things I'd like to do with the truck, and now that I have a job that pays well, maybe I'll get a chance to do it.

:bsnicker: Contributions to help me recoop my $1600 are welcome

 

[bluesman2333]

$1600? The X isn't worth that much.

That's not the point. Now the truck is much more reliable. Any other X will be needing this done sooner or later anyway. Ongoing maintenance is part of ownership.

I would have bought a used civic that got 30MPG.

Heretic!

 

[Jason94sport]

Yeah well I don't marry car brands. I drive what I want so........ My main car is an Acura!


If your happy with it that's what matters.

 

[mikeinri]

I'll echo everyone else, the price was about right for a shop. I've been in your situation (over a barrel for time), it's not fun...

Anyway, when I first read your post, I was surprised not to see RAB (radius arm bushings) listed. Those are very common failures on Gen 1 Explorers, and can cause some of the noises you heard. If all your noises are gone, I'd say you're OK, but I would expect to have to replace those in the future (if the previous owner didn't).

Welcome to the forum!

Mike

 

[Blacksheep Josh]

dude.
i replaced all my bearings and seals for 55 dollars.
do what i did... find a buddy with a nice shop or jack, explorer explorerforum.com to the bottom and back again. do it yourself. one things i've found out, some of the most important parts of the car aren't that bad, they just seem that way. just take your time, and take pictures!!!

i've done my own intake, my own brakes, ball-joints, rear drums, all that good stuff.... this site will save you hundreds of dollars in walkthroughs

 

[DeRocha]

Oh sure, now you tell me

No worries mate, it's all good. Timing is everything and this was very bad timing, as I mentioned, new job, new town, ..... If I had a 2nd car, the Explorer woulda just sat until I found a mechanic that wasn't going to rape me. Sh*t happens !

I plan on keeping this thing till it dies. Hoping to do a lift kit in the spring, so I'll definetely keep you in mind. I've got alot of things I'd like to do with the truck, and now that I have a job that pays well, maybe I'll get a chance to do it.

:bsnicker: Contributions to help me recoop my $1600 are welcome

No worries, but sorry to see you found us too late.. Sadly that is often the case as people only find us when something goes wrong. As I said we could have banged out the entire job easily in a single day working at a sloooow pace. See my Dana35 Restoration thread for some good info and pics like

 

[Joe Dirt]

Wow- ya know, sometimes the situation just isn't right to tear your truck down and learn a job when you need it the next day- The truck runs good, serves it's purpose, and everyone is happy.