Repair/Upgrade/Sell Advise

[uryy4me]

Hi!

I have a 97 Explorer XLT (4x4) with I believe the 4.0 6 cyl setup and 51,000 miles on it. The vehicle was purchased with a lot of nice features and I have been generally pleased with it.

Last week I noticed that when on the highway doing 60-70 if I hit pavement alterations or certain undulations that the vehicle rocked from side to side an uncomfortable amount.

I took it to the local dealership thinking I might have a busted shock and they told me that:

1) Lower Ball Joints were loose $664
2) Stabilizer Bar Links needed replacement $160

The vehicle is also needing a cat back replacement for $350-400 (my guess)

My questions:

1) seems odd that I would have these sorts of problems @ ~ 50K or is this typical (I did see there was a recall associated with stabilizer bar lings for 95-early 97 explorers, but I am not sure if mine falls into this category)?

2) Thinking the problem might have been a busted shock I was planning on looking for someone to install Bilsteins vs. OEM, is there a similar aftermarket package I should investigate when replacing lower ball joints and stabilizer bar links (thinking labor costs outweigh product costs)?

3) am I coming up on a slew or explorer repairs that will be $1K here and there and maybe I should just sell the vehicle at this point in time? (I guess I am wondering about this because I had to replace all brake rotors earlier this year and the material they were made from was, well, crap)


I do understand these sorts of parts wear, but I thought it would be at the 70,000 mile mark and not 50,000.

Thanks!

 

[Billy177]

do not worry about the cat it will not affect drivability at all. you can test the shocks by bouncing on the bumper and if it continues to bounce than the shocks are bad. i would say keep it. if you try to sell it you will get burned cause of the bad resale value

 

[X~FACTOR]

Lower ball joints cost about $200 each installed around here.
Stabilizer bar links cost $20 and takes 10 minutes to install.
Go to a local mechanic for an estimate and not a dealership. Only use the dealership for Factory recall (read: free repair) or as a last resort.

 

[uryy4me]

So, any tips on who in the minneapolis area can fix my vehicle and maybe even encourage me to "upsize it" (reasonably speaking)?

 

[Opera House]

So maybe the lower ball joints aren't bad and the dealer just pulled this out of his grab bag. I replaced them on my 97 @ 145K and I really didn't need to. Hard to imagine the cat being bad. That should still be under an emissions warrantee.

 

[ALLOUTWAR13]

the ford factory ball joints suck though they definitely dont cost 600 it should only cost like 422 from the dealer but maybe they want to screw you over. yeah id get it fixed, unless you can afford to get something new.

 

[alphabets13]

50, 000, wow, your truck is brand new. mine'a year older(96) and it has double he miles your's has. and i thought my milage was pretty good

 

[stubborn1]

As a point of reference for cost, I had my two lower ball joints replaced, outer tie rod ends replaced, 4 wheel alignment, and tire rotation and balance for $600 at an independent mechanic.

If you are mechanically inclided at all, the stabilizer bar end links are an easy fix. Easier than a brake job. I used a sawzall to cut out the old links because the bolts were too rusted to loosen.

 

[uryy4me]

so, how do you find a good independent?

 

[Billy177]

look in the mirror just ask around different people in the area. word of mouth is prob your best bet

 

[X~FACTOR]

Now a days, you have to be lucky. But once you find one, you must keep it like old luggage.

 

[uryy4me]

dang and I figured if you buy one of the most popular vehicles around finding good service would not be an big issue ...at this point maybe I could go to my Porsche mechanic?

 

[Billy177]

although he is probrally good, sounds expensive

 

[uryy4me]

I guess I should be thankful I have not had to go to a mechanic for quite a while, just called a local "broad spectrum" independent that wanted $90 an hr...sheez, I sure made the wrong career choice

 

[mjbach]

We are just south of Minneapolis. My husband's buddies have a shop where he hangs out a lot. One of the guys had 40 years with Ford and their rates are very reasonable. They are retired guys though and work at their own speed--don't like pressure.

You can PM me if you want more information. Living in Minnetonka with a Porsche you might not be too worried about costs.

 

[uryy4me]

mjbach - thanks for the tip and offer but this is my daily commuter so I cannot absorb variable down time.

As for the Porsche mechanic, I was originally being a bit sarcastic, but after checking a bit further, go figure, their rates may be cheaper or comparable to the local Ford dealership....now wo'd a thunk that?