Ball joints

[RSVT]

i went to champions spring and they are charging me $800:eek: for an alignment and $500 of that price is labor, well i know i need new ball joints but ones they are using are about $95 a piece, i found some on summitracing for about $65 a piece, is that a good price or should i stick with the ones they are using, or where can i find some ball joints and get an alignment done for a cheaper price, i rather spend $800 on mods but need this alignment bad:o , thanks for the input guys

[tiffo60]

all there doing is replacing ball joints and aligning it?

[RSVT]

all there doing is replacing ball joints and aligning it?

they are replacing upper and lower ball joints and aligning it

[Ohmsby]

sounds pretty spend y to me

[tiffo60]

champion springs does good work, and i have heard of quotes like that at other places to do the same work, so the price maybe right for whats getting done, but i think i would by the parts and do the work my self and then take it and get it aligned, but im cheap like that:D

[RSVT]

champion springs does good work, and i have heard of quotes like that at other places to do the same work, so the price maybe right for whats getting done, but i think i would by the parts and do the work my self and then take it and get it aligned, but im cheap like that:D

thats probly what gonna do, buy the parts and then get it align, there goes my money for heat exchanger, o well, we will see what happens:rolleyes:

[tiffo60]

thats probly what gonna do, buy the parts and then get it align, there goes my money for heat exchanger, o well, we will see what happens:rolleyes:

welcome to my world, ive been spending all my cash the last month or two on up keep, maintaince, and chasing problems ect, and none on go fast stuff, i guess its the cost of owning a 7 year old hot rod:cool:

[03LightningRocks]

i went to champions spring and they are charging me $800:eek: for an alignment and $500 of that price is labor, well i know i need new ball joints but ones they are using are about $95 a piece, i found some on summitracing for about $65 a piece, is that a good price or should i stick with the ones they are using, or where can i find some ball joints and get an alignment done for a cheaper price, i rather spend $800 on mods but need this alignment bad:o , thanks for the input guys


The reason labor rates in the automotive repair business seem high is that the Auto Zone/Pep Boys outfits and the internet whore companies have completely screwed auto mechanics out of making anything off of parts. Folks seem to think this is OK if it saves them a few bucks, but then after all the talented mechanics, like our own Terry Cole, are run out of business, it won't seem so cool anymore.

That's a very fair price for what they are doing. It is obvious they aren't making squawt off the ball joints.

[RSVT]

can i still get an alignment w/out replacing my ball joints(at least for right now) or is that a big deal, i dont want it to eat up the inside of my new nittos

[Ohmsby]

I just had the lowers done with an alignment and spent $350.00 in Denton at a very reputable shop with ASE master techs on staff

The cost of the uppers were around $65.00 ea and this included the new arm and joint from MOOG

We did the uppers ourselves in about an hour and a half so even if they booked an hour each @ $85.00 that $170.00 plus parts at 130.00 that still gets me to $670.00 I thought $800.00 was pricey

I would think that a smart shop buys @ 10-20 % off list from napa autozone etc. and then can mark them to about 10% over list without much bitching from the public

the uppers and lowers are less than $175.00 from autozone for Moog parts public cost


If the running Terry out of bidness reference was for me. I will tell you he did great work on my 04 truck and I have spent well over 10K in Duncanville and continue to buy parts and ask for assistance from him for my trucks

If it was not for me then no problem

[tiffo60]

trying not to jump off topic but the only thing that ran terry out of business was redneck drama that was out of his control, the shop he worked out of was under someone else's control and terry just caught the short end of the stick

[WA 2 FST]

Just FYI, when we had our '00 Expedition, Ford replaced the ball joints under warranty... it would have been a $650-700 expense had it not been covered. Champions doesn't sound _that_ out of line.

Regarding Terry... if my truck blows up, it will probably get dumped. I don't have the time in my life right now to do all the work right now, and I won't be trusting HPP or some other local shop to take care of me. :( Part of the reason I decided to mod it more than just a simple pulley/chip combo was knowing I had a reliable, local Lightning specialist.

[L8 APEX]

I kept myself in the poor house by giving away a lot of labor and matching parts prices from the internet and other vendors etc. Nobody to blame for that but me I guess. Every large job I did I gave parts at or close to cost and took thousands off in taxes and discounts. Thusly I spent the last three years renting 300 dollar rooms from cusotmers and friends etc. I was barely making ends meet running my business the way I did, which was poorly... I made a lot of people happy with all of the discounts and serivce but I shorted myself a lot to deliver on those things. I did it because I liked it and that is not enough to run a sucessful business. I am kind of glad the shop thing came to a head with the Taliban. It has forced me to move on with life. Now I have a great job opportunity with benefits and flexibility. For the first time in my life I am living completely on my own. For the first time in over 4 years I have health, dental and a retirement plan. I haven't been to the dentist for cleanings in over 3 years, ick! I have been neglecting several things I shouldn't have just to stay in business. In all it is for the better. Once I get stabilized here I will be able to do trucks on the side again which is fine for me. That way I can continue to discount and give away my serivces and keep a roof over my head while doing so:) . it has been quite a journey and I don't regret a minute of it:bows .

[L8 APEX]

As for the front end work 800 is about right for a complete job. Moog and Perfect Circle are good stuff both should have greasable fttgs. The parts are fairly cheap but the labor is a bear since you have to tear the whole front end apart in essence. The uppers are lifetime assemblies so you have to replace the whole upper arm with the joint in it. cam bolt kit, idler arm etc can add up. I have seen a lot of worn lowers not many uppers though..

[99WhiteBeast]

Champion is fair and reputable IMO. I've never had to go back for re-work and you don't have to worry about anyone driving your truck other than the owner Mike. Van (the front end guy) is super nice and tells like it is. They won't sell you sub-par parts.

I would think you are throwing your money away doing the alignment without fixing the front end but I could be wrong. Do the work yourself then take in for alignment if you're concerned about the total cost.

[03LightningRocks]

Jezus Focking Christ fellows. Don't take sh!t so personal. Read my FOCKING post again. It is a general TRUTH about the automotive business. There are a few jack azzes trying to pull the same sh!t on us in the AC business. The only reason it hasn't been successful is that people are more afraid of electricity than they are of gas.;)

The post wasn't meant to point fingers at anybody!


BUT!!!!!!!!!! What I said is true. All auto mechanics are being squeezed by internet parts whores.....including Terry Cole. These guys aren't making alot of money when all they can make is some labor on a repair. Service businesses have THE highest overhead costs of any business you can get into. If you don't believe me...give it a shot. Start your own service business and see what you think after a few months.

[WA 2 FST]

I agree, Ron. That's why I've never had a problem paying more for top-notch work if its something I don't have the time or expertise to handle.

[Ohmsby]

:threadhijackThat's why I included the disclaimer at the end my feather's weren't ruffled just saying what was on my mind

I agree with you about the service industry. I have ran this business for a little over a decade and some days are better than other's

For starter's the 5-6k a month I shell out in liability insurance.This amount does not include employee health or workmen's comp. Knock on wood we have never had a claim.

Any of us who run a business know that you better be on your toe's to make it in today's world.

To Wes's point impeccable service wins us work at times when we may not be the lowest price because on some level folks still want it done right.

[Fuzion]

Back to ball joints...

I'm in need of upper ball joints, so the guy at NTB said when we was trying to align the front end. I'd rather do a set of A-Arms than just replacing the ball joints. I'm tired of ruining the Toyos up front in about 6-8 months.

[BC Lightning]

I'm tired of ruining the Toyos up front in about 6-8 months.

I wish my Nitto DR's lasted 6 months :o

[SILVER2000SVT]

...
BUT!!!!!!!!!! What I said is true. All auto mechanics are being squeezed by internet parts whores.....including Terry Cole. These guys aren't making alot of money when all they can make is some labor on a repair. Service businesses have THE highest overhead costs of any business you can get into. If you don't believe me...give it a shot. Start your own service business and see what you think after a few months.

I have to disagree on your point of view. Modern day mechanics are putting themselves out of business from either their own greed or incompetence. I know Terry, and will exclude him from this classification because I don't think this applys to him but it does fit quite a few mechanics now days.

I can't tell you how many people tell me how they used to work on cars when they were younger but that you just can't work on these modern cars because of all the new technology. Mechanics take advantage of this trend and charge more regardless of whether or not the job is easier or harder to do.

$75 to $100 per hour is a reasonable rate if you are talking about a fully equipped shop and factor in all the overhead necessary. Anything more is either greed or very poor management of resources.

I can handle slightly marked up parts and a fair hourly rate, but many of these incompetent mechanics can't fully diagnois a problem to save their life. They will end up replacing $1000 worth of parts when they could have replaced a $20 part. They charge you 4 hours of labor when if they knew what they were doing they would only spend 30 minutes. This is assuming you get lucky and find an honest one that doesn't pad the labor or sell you extra stuff that you don't need.

[Tex Arcana]

trying not to jump off topic but the only thing that ran terry out of business was RAGHEADdrama that was out of his control, the shop he worked out of was under someone else's control and terry just caught the short end of the stick

fixed

[03LightningRocks]

:threadhijackThat's why I included the disclaimer at the end my feather's weren't ruffled just saying what was on my mind

I agree with you about the service industry. I have ran this business for a little over a decade and some days are better than other's

For starter's the 5-6k a month I shell out in liability insurance.This amount does not include employee health or workmen's comp. Knock on wood we have never had a claim.

Any of us who run a business know that you better be on your toe's to make it in today's world.

To Wes's point impeccable service wins us work at times when we may not be the lowest price because on some level folks still want it done right.

:threadhijack Yep, no doubt about it, insurance companies are running off with a large portion of my revenue too. I couldn't agree more with your other points. :bows

[03LightningRocks]

I have to disagree on your point of view. .............SNIP


EDIT.............I just read your post again and see the point your trying to make.

I have no doubt that there are some bad apples out there, but there are a whole lot of good ones being squeezed out too.

[charlie]

If your going to buy the parts and do it your self.... Call this guy.

Tousley Ford parts depot selling all OEM Ford and Ford Racing parts 10% over dealer cost.

1-800-328-9552 ask for Steve or Mike M.

Steve, put a complete gasket set together for me @ a very good price.

Charlie