Ball Joints

Seems like every time I try to get my front end aligned, the shop claims I need something else replaced. Now it's the ball joints. They tell me that to replace both ball joints it will cost $600.00. I looked up the parts and they only cost about $30. How hard is it to replace the ball joints?

 

You need to find another shop or learn to do it yourself. It's a 2-3 hour job at most. Somebody is trying to make a week off of you.

 

Agree with Ray Ray on this one, they are not wanting to fool with it or they a just trying to rip you off.
Its not a difficult job if you have any mechanical skills at all.

 

I agree with Rayzor, Get the parts and a CHiltons from enay if you dont have one and you can do it.

 

the hardest part to changing the ball joints is that the uppers are riveted onto the controle arm. you need to grind or chissel them off. the new ones should come with bolts. the lower ones are a whole new lower controle arm and they just bolt in.

 

and if they have been replaced before in the cars life, they're easiesr than that.... simply unbolt old ones and bolt in new ones. like Ray mentioned, 2 hr job at most

 

Id say if your mechanically inclined you can do it, just take your time and maybe do some reading.

 

Our shops around here rape you for that type of work too. I usually just take them in to have looked at just so that I can have a so called professional tell me anything that might be marginal that I can fix lol.

 

I thought I was being taken. The shop did say it was the lower ball joints, and the right idler arm. thanks

 

the lower ball joints are really easy to change.

 

Most shops replace the whole control arm for liability issues. The cost is higher but then they don't get accused of ruining the front end after replacing just the ball joints when the control arm bushings are bad too.