Am I getting ripped off by dealer?

[Sparty9955]

My car is currently at the dealers. I’m told $1300 for front right wheel bearing, alignment, and to replace some rear suspension bushings. To me, the sound appears to be coming in the center of the vehicle and not one particular side. When my car was on a lift at a friends I felt no play/wobble in the front tires from up to down. The sound is constant and gets louder 40mph +. The sound does not get better when turning car from left to right. I told the dealer that I am concerned it might be coming from the transfer case aka ptu . I received the whole run down that their mechanic has 30 years experience and knows what he’s doing. They even put their manager on the phone to Tell me it’s the wheel bearing. I sure hope their right. Anyways $1300 hundred dollars for a front wheel bearing and rear bushings??? Seems extremely high. Am I getting taken advantage of

 

[410Fortune]

Yes
Its a dealer
They (dealers) are really really high priced for repairs...like over $100 an hour + $100 just to drive it into their shop

OEM wheel bearing for your truck is $137 on rock auto takes about 30-45 minutes to change out

What rear bushings are they talking about??

Just because they are a dealer and somebody there has over 30 years experience does not mean they always get it right

ALWAYS ASK FOR THE OLD PARTS BACK< SHOW ME THE BAD PARTS, this helps you make sure you know what you are paying for

 

[peterk9]

Welcome to the Forum Sparty.
If they are so convinced that they are right in their diagnosis, ask them to put in writing that they will not charge you for this repair should it not fix the issue. Let's see what they say to that.

Peter

 

[Sparty9955]

Welcome to the Forum Sparty.
If they are so convinced that they are right in their diagnosis, ask them to put in writing that they will not charge you for this repair should it not fix the issue. Let's see what they say to that.

Peter

More details.....R wheel hub bearing assembly part #HB5Z-1104-C $276.50 and 2.5 hrs labor. Alignment $145. Rear upper control arm bushings both sides part $53.10 each and 3hrs labor. Total price $1414.95 minus mothers ford engineering discount $1376.
Dealership will not put into writing about wheel bearing upon asking. I think I might pay the $120 diagnostic fee and move on from this dealer. I told them to put everything on hold and do not touch my car

 

[imp]

Yes
Its a dealer
They (dealers) are really really high priced for repairs...like over $100 an hour + $100 just to drive it into their shop

OEM wheel bearing for your truck is $137 on rock auto takes about 30-45 minutes to change out

What rear bushings are they talking about??

Just because they are a dealer and somebody there has over 30 years experience does not mean they always get it right

ALWAYS ASK FOR THE OLD PARTS BACK< SHOW ME THE BAD PARTS, this helps you make sure you know what you are paying for

Good advice. Except when the parts you get back are off another sucker's vehicle. Large volume repair shops have barrels full of used parts awaiting scrapping. I worked in and out of a Sears Auto Center: Amazing how it's done!

 

[peterk9]

I don't think you are getting ripped off. You are paying dealer prices. I don't know about the alignment cost. The last 4 wheel alignment I had done was 2 years ago and cost $96,95 CDN. I would go and have a local garage check it out.

Peter

 

[Gary Crist]

Tires can drive a "bearing noise" NUTS!

 

[Odrapnew]

Can you explain the noise a little more?

I agree the price seems right for what they are doing, but why are they replacing both the front wheel bearing and the rear bushings?
Can they give an explanation for why each one is causing the noise? Are there different noises?

Also, I would love to see the dealer put it in writing, but that's a long shot. If they are confident that the parts they are replacing will resolve the noise, they should have no issues putting it in writing. If you do have it repaired, drive it before you sign the paper.

Does your work order state what the noise is and that those parts are being replaced to resolve it? That would give you a leg to stand on if it didn't resolve the issue.

In my experience (like yours), if a wheel bearing is failing, you can make it louder/quieter when turning, accelerating or braking. It sounds like you did the turning check and it didn't impact the sound which leads me to believe it might not be the wheel bearing. Not 100% check, but usually a good way to test.

I just went through this on my wife's car. Her's was the right rear wheel bearing. Noise was louder turning left than right and also louder when accelerating vs. braking.

For failing bushings, I've typically experienced clunks vs. wheel bearing type of noise.

 

[Sparty9955]

Can you explain the noise a little more?

I agree the price seems right for what they are doing, but why are they replacing both the front wheel bearing and the rear bushings?
Can they give an explanation for why each one is causing the noise? Are there different noises?

Also, I would love to see the dealer put it in writing, but that's a long shot. If they are confident that the parts they are replacing will resolve the noise, they should have no issues putting it in writing. If you do have it repaired, drive it before you sign the paper.

Does your work order state what the noise is and that those parts are being replaced to resolve it? That would give you a leg to stand on if it didn't resolve the issue.

In my experience (like yours), if a wheel bearing is failing, you can make it louder/quieter when turning, accelerating or braking. It sounds like you did the turning check and it didn't impact the sound which leads me to believe it might not be the wheel bearing. Not 100% check, but usually a good way to test.

I just went through this on my wife's car. Her's was the right rear wheel bearing. Noise was louder turning left than right and also louder when accelerating vs. braking.

For failing bushings, I've typically experienced clunks vs. wheel bearing type of noise.

I took the car in for the humming noise coming from the front center of car that gets louder 40+ MPH. It almost feels like having a new set of brake pads that are rubbing slightly onto the rotor causing slight friction and drag. I never noticed abnormal noise coming from the rear of the car. definitely no clunking sounds.

When dealership called after inspecting the vehicle is when they told me I have some play in the rear bushings and they recommend replacing. Not sure why they were looking at the rear of the car when I complained about front noise.

The work order is very basic and was only emailed to me after requesting something in writing so I can see exactly what they are wanting to repair. I’ll see if I can attach it.
The reason why I decided to take the car to a dealership for further inspection was for a second opinion and I was mentally prepared for the cost of a transfer case/ptu. My first inspection was At my coworkers husbands garage. He used to work as a mechanic for roush. He test drove my car and stated right away that he’s 90% sure it’s a transfer case bearing. Then we put the car up on the lift and there was no play in the wheels. This is why I’m hesitant to believe the dealership when they say to trust their mechanic that I have a bad wheel bearing. If they are that confident I wish they would put it in writing. I would be extremely happy if it was only a wheel bearing and not a transfer case.

 

[Sparty9955]

Quote

 

[410Fortune]

If they claim its the bearing then it probably is....the question is how much should a rear wheel bearing replacement cost?

Also if my mechanic says there is play in the rear bushings, I say SHOW ME THE PLAY then we walk out to the rack and with a pry bar they can show you how much play are in the bushings, where the play is, and how they plan to fix it.

 

[Gary Crist]

May I ask about your tires?
How old (mileage), tread depth.
Have they been rotated.

Sometimes tires can mimic bearing noise.

 

[Sparty9955]

May I ask about your tires?
How old (mileage), tread depth.
Have they been rotated.

Sometimes tires can mimic bearing noise.

Tires are Michelin with about 15,000 on them. Tires get rotated every oil change

 

[peterk9]

Tires are Michelin with about 15,000 on them. Tires get rotated every oil change

Did you ever have this recall done? Rear Toe Link Recall

Peter

 

[Sparty9955]

Did you ever have this recall done? Rear Toe Link Recall

Thanks for mentioning this.... they are replacing the toe link. Other than that I’m going to fix The rest myself. I’ll be paying the dealership $120 for the diagnostic fee. I just ordered the exact same wheel bearing Hub off rockauto For $140.

 

[Bobs2018ExplorerSport]

Sorry, but I had to chuckle when I read the complaint that a dealer's price could be around $100 an hour... as out here in the SF Bay Area, our local Ford dealers all charge $195 an hour!

$100 an hour? I wish!

 

[peterk9]

Sorry, but I had to chuckle when I read the complaint that a dealer's price could be around $100 an hour... as out here in the SF Bay Area, our local Ford dealers all charge $195 an hour!

$100 an hour? I wish!

The rate at my dealer is $114 or $84.95 an hour (U.S.).

Peter

 

[Marauderleader]

I don't think you are getting ripped off. You are paying dealer prices. I don't know about the alignment cost. The last 4 wheel alignment I had done was 2 years ago and cost $96,95 CDN. I would go and have a local garage check it out.

Peter

just had an alignment done at my localFirestone today, $65 and change, U.S.

 

[jr230]

My car is currently at the dealers. I’m told $1300 for front right wheel bearing, alignment, and to replace some rear suspension bushings. To me, the sound appears to be coming in the center of the vehicle and not one particular side. When my car was on a lift at a friends I felt no play/wobble in the front tires from up to down. The sound is constant and gets louder 40mph +. The sound does not get better when turning car from left to right. I told the dealer that I am concerned it might be coming from the transfer case aka ptu . I received the whole run down that their mechanic has 30 years experience and knows what he’s doing. They even put their manager on the phone to Tell me it’s the wheel bearing. I sure hope their right. Anyways $1300 hundred dollars for a front wheel bearing and rear bushings??? Seems extremely high. Am I getting taken advantage of

get away from the dealer that repair can be easily done by ind garage . only warranty work and electronics need dealer service
check that all reclls are done btw for the rear toe alinement supposed to be done as part of recall

 

[jmrdv]

My car is currently at the dealers. I’m told $1300 for front right wheel bearing, alignment, and to replace some rear suspension bushings. To me, the sound appears to be coming in the center of the vehicle and not one particular side. When my car was on a lift at a friends I felt no play/wobble in the front tires from up to down. The sound is constant and gets louder 40mph +. The sound does not get better when turning car from left to right. I told the dealer that I am concerned it might be coming from the transfer case aka ptu . I received the whole run down that their mechanic has 30 years experience and knows what he’s doing. They even put their manager on the phone to Tell me it’s the wheel bearing. I sure hope their right. Anyways $1300 hundred dollars for a front wheel bearing and rear bushings??? Seems extremely high. Am I getting taken advantage of

Finding a noise in a drive-line is often deceptive and troublesome. I Was a line tech for years and had my fair share of this stuff. The estimate you got does not list flat rate time in hours so that is my first concern here. While asking for the old parts is nice - it;s not foolproof. Too many times you can listen to something - take it off to inspect - find some wear that might or might not be the concern. I used to fully explain and show the customer what i found and ask them what they would like to do next. It's not all black and white- more like a lot of shades of grey.
If you have the time then wherever you end up, i would stay there and ask them to show you what they find as they proceed so it is all out in the open.
Replace with known good part is a phrase that all manufacturers have in their repair manuals. The sad part is that often there are multiple contributing concerns to a single main complaint.
I would definitely go for a 2nd opinion on this one and ask if you can apply the diag fee to the repair if you return.
and for he record - they will never agree to guarantee that these are all of your problems or that these repairs are all that you might need.

good luck