Upper Control arm and Ball joint question

[CSU126]

Good day Gentleman.
I recently purchased a 1998 Montero and I am working thru some issues. After replacing all 4 tires I then took it to have a front end alignment done. The mechanic who was to do the alignment advised that charging me for an alignment would be highway robbery. He advised that my Upper control arms and lower ball joints need replaced due to excessive play. I was quoted 800 dollars just for the labor. I was advised that the whole brake system needed to be removed and the job was labor intensive. I know I can get the parts cheaper than They quoted. 180 dollars each for the control arms. It all seems quite high. Anyone have advice, opinion? Thank you in advance.

Scott

 

[jlocster]

Is your $800 quote including only the replacement of the upper and lower ball joints? That would be 10 hours of shop time at $80. I'm guessing most shops could do it in 5 hours, but I don't know the official book time for the job. Seems a little high just for labor to me though...

And no, you don't have to take apart the braking system for the job, so that's simply untrue. You do need to disconnect the front axles and move the front hubs and steering knuckles out of the way, so there is some labor involved.

It goes without saying you could do it for less yourself if you have the tools/know how. The job doesn't take any expensive special tools if you have the inclination to do it yourself. You could totally rebuild the front end yourself for less than half the cost of your labor quote.

These are the parts you'd need to completely rebuild the front end, you can price the parts out on Rock Auto.

MOOG K9735 Ball Joint, Upper (right/left are same part #)
MOOG K9755 Ball Joint, Lower Right
MOOG K9754 Ball Joint, Lower Left

MOOG K750292 End Link, Front Right
MOOG K750291 End Link, Front Left

MOOG K9751 Idler Arm
MOOG K9752 Pitman Arm

MOOG ES3387RL Tie Rod End, Inner (right/left are same part #)
MOOG ES3386RL Tie Rod End, Outer (right/left are same part #)

 

[CSU126]

Thank you for the information. Yes the quote was 800 dollars just for labor to replace the UCA and lower ball joints. I don't mind diving into a project as long as specialty tools are not required but as you previously stated there are none. I have a work vehicle so I don't have to do the job in one day. Sound like I need to order the parts, Get a large hammer and get started. ;-)

 

[jeep-N-montero]

A pickle fork and hammer will do most of the job, just takes a bit of patience.

 

[plh]

I'm not a fan of the hammer and pickle fork. This Harbor Freight kit has all the tools for both the Gen 1 and Gen 2. Makes the job simple and somewhat safer.

http://www.harborfreight.com/5-piece-front-end-service-tool-set-66686.html

Not sure what the labor rate is in your area, but Dealers are getting about $115/hour here and private guys are at $65/hour +/- here. I'm not a pro (ie: I don't wrench for a living) but doing an entire front end rebuild would be a minimum of 16 hours for me with all the clean-up etc. So a pro should easily be in the 6 to 8 hour range. $800 in labor seams about right.

 

[montypower]

Pickle fork = bad idea.

I can pull the front end apart in 30 min or less. It's extremely simple. Get the proper torque specs (and torque wrench), 4 lb hammer and basic hand tools. It's as simple as unbolting and bolting back up.

Here's a video on how to pop the ball joint.