Question:

>I’m only guessing but it would seem like it would be >$50 for parts

Ball joints cost app. $30 each. Allow doubling of the price for the shop mark-up gets you to $120 for two. The shop I used to work at figued an hour to $250. Mike

Response:

>>I’m only guessing but it would seem like it would be >$50 for parts >Ball joints cost app. $30 each. Allow doubling of the price for the shop >mark-up gets you to $120 for two. The shop I used to work at figued an hour to >$250. >Mike

Does anyone know the offical (i.e. what is documented in the Ford Service Manual) labor time to replace the ball joints.  More than 1 shop quoted me approx. $100 for the ball joints and 3 hours labor.

Response:

This gets better and better.  The honest abe mechanic I found is a relic, throwback to the 1940’s.  His shop is a mess, with not a hint of a modern tool. His alignment machine looks like it was designed in the 1950’s, but that does not mean shit to me because when I work in a NASCAR pit crew a few years ago, we aligned cars running at Daytona (190+mph) with strings!  The Relic jacked the car up (no lift is this place) and inspected the ball joints.  Told me to check them again in 50K miles (currently 100K on the exisiting joints).  Told me the tire dealer was just trying to rip me off.  Spent the next hour with him bullshitting about cars.   – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->>>I’m only guessing but it would seem like it would be >>>$50 for parts >>Ball joints cost app. $30 each. Allow doubling of the price for the shop >>mark-up gets you to $120 for two. The shop I used to work at figued an hour to >>$250. >>Mike >Does anyone know the offical (i.e. what is documented in the Ford Service >Manual) labor time to replace the ball joints.  More than 1 shop quoted >me approx. $100 for the ball joints and 3 hours labor. >Jeez, one local garage would not touch this job because he does not have the >fancy Ford tools to remove the ball joints,  another area Ford Dealer quoted me >7 hours labor, I laughed and hung up the phone, finally find a honest mechanic >who told me that any mechanic who could not do this job in 2 hours, ain’t worth >shit.  He is quoting me ~$100 for ball joints, 2 hours labor ($55/hour) + price >of an alignment ($40). >Lesson to be learned, shop around.

Response:

>>>I’m only guessing but it would seem like it would be >>$50 for parts >Ball joints cost app. $30 each. Allow doubling of the price for the shop >mark-up gets you to $120 for two. The shop I used to work at figued an hour to >$250. >Mike >Does anyone know the offical (i.e. what is documented in the Ford Service >Manual) labor time to replace the ball joints.  More than 1 shop quoted >me approx. $100 for the ball joints and 3 hours labor.

Jeez, one local garage would not touch this job because he does not have the fancy Ford tools to remove the ball joints,  another area Ford Dealer quoted me 7 hours labor, I laughed and hung up the phone, finally find a honest mechanic who told me that any mechanic who could not do this job in 2 hours, ain’t worth shit.  He is quoting me ~$100 for ball joints, 2 hours labor ($55/hour) + price of an alignment ($40). Lesson to be learned, shop around.

Response:

>Jeez, one local garage would not touch this job because he does not have the >fancy Ford tools to remove the ball joints,

If he doesn’t have a ball joint press, he doesn’t do too many ball joints. It’s *not* a special Ford tool, just a generic tool any front end shop needs. >He is quoting me ~$100 for ball joints, 2 hours labor ($55/hour) + price >of an alignment ($40).

Real reasonable. Mike

Response:

>finally find a honest mechanic >who told me that any mechanic who could not do this job in 2 hours, ain’t >worth >shit.  He is quoting me ~$100 for ball joints, 2 hours labor ($55/hour) + >price >of an alignment ($40). >Lesson to be learned, shop around.

Ab: You might post this mechanics name and address so the people in the area might keep him in business. -Steve

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