went to dealer for my regular oil change today. everything good,, but he said the left front control arm with ball joint was just starting to show signs of wear,,,but not to worry for another oil change.. said it would be about $720 to repair. i thought that was alot of money,, so stopped by monroe shock/struts store to check,, they said they would do it for $297 ???????????
what kind of rip off is this ?????

 

Dealer's usually are the highest price you are going to find when shopping a repair. For one thing, they only use OEM parts, which may be a good thing or a bad thing depending on what you are talking about. I have also found over the years that there is great value in taking your vehicle to a shop where the mechanics really know the in's-and-out's of your particular vehicle -- experience that is often only found at a dealership since they work on those models day-in-and-day-out all week long.

 

i agree with you,,in some instances there are things that should be only left to a dealership to do as they can save time and do it right. but for somethings i have to say i have started to look at other shops as the price is so much cheaper and the product quality is as good if not better. had my shocks struts replaced last month by monroe,, dealership wanted 1500,, monroe 800 ,, and manager showed me the shock/struts which were larger than oem and all american made. the work was done flawless and it made me think twice about the dealership for repairs that a simple mechanic can do for alot less.

 

If it is something that I am not capable of repairing myself, I will take it to the Ford dealership. I like the fact that they use OEM parts and fortunately :knock on wood: I have had a great experience with my local dealership. To me, that is worth the extra money. I'm sure it's just me, but I prefer a specialized Ford mechanic over one that works on all makes/models of vehicles.

 

The uca is an easy item to replace if you have the tools and space to do so. I did mine using Moog parts for under $100 for both sides.

I also replaced the coil overs using those same Monroe quickstuts last year and did the lower bjs, tie rods and sway bar links with moog parts.

The whole job wasn't hard and I probably soent less then $400 for a brand new front end.

I will only go to a dealer for anything that's internal on the engine. I had them do a wheel bearing once (since I'm 2wd it required the whole rotor assembly). $900 and it failed after a year. They over torqued the nut. They replaced again under their warranty but changed me over $200 for labor. Never again, such a waste.

However, it wasn't my local dealer and was my only option because I was traveling.

 

i agree with 2008 xl,, if it's in the engine they are tops,, great work and it is always done rite. otherwise i will look for price on other things.
thanks for all the replys guys.,,this is the best truck i have ever owned though,, just solid,,had 5 of them from 1978 up,,