Truck had a terrible shutter/vibration yesterday (sounded like I was on rumble strips but was on regular road) so I had it towed to the stealership....Got the call today and apparently the drive shaft is "falling apart" and a bearing is going out inside of it. For the tow, drive shaft ($800), and labor everything comes to around $1400 plus tax. Anyone else ever had this problem and does this seem reasonable? Of course, the truck is an '09 with 61,700 miles and conveniently just out of drive train warranty. Thought about looking towards other options rather than a new drive shaft, perhaps one off of a used truck or a generic one? If my "genuine" ford shaft is only good for 60K I might as well get a used one or an off-brand one a try, right? Talk about getting the shaft, any help/advice would be much appreciated. I told them not to do anything on it until I figured out my options, in the meantime they are fixing my stupid recall on the door locks...gee thanks a lot FORD!

 

I imagine the bearing you are talking about is the 'carrier' bearing needed for the two piece shaft?

1,400$ for a new two piece drive shaft with all the U joints sounds about right, as long as all parts are new.

Plus the carrier bearing.............

They are replacing the actual drive shafts, too, right???

 

This happened to my 2005. You can get a new driveshaft from Driveshaft Specialist of Texas. Place an order on the website. It's $675. Then take your truck to your mechanic and have them call the company with the measurements. I believe the local mechanic charged me a couple hours labor to install it. It was cheaper than going through Ford and better quality, too.

Here's the link:
http://www.driveshaftspecialist.com/truckhtml/ford.html

 

Thanks for the quick reply boys...High-ster I'm assuming everything is coming as a full assembly...The part number I got was AL324R602KB Rambo, I'm thinkin' I'd stick with the stock factory assembly considering a shaft from Texas will probably have a pricey shipping fee up to WI, might as well pay the $800. If anyone else has input on my situation it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again!

 

Shipping is $55. No tax.

At the end of the day, the $1400. (+ tax) Ford parts and labor will be about $500. more than what I paid.

 

Did they give a reason why it failed???

Guess this is the kind of situation where the dealer's techs couldn't say "The on-board computer didn't throw any codes, so nothings wrong", too.

 

This ^

I was wondering the same thing

 

Hey rambo, guess I misunderstood you I thought you were saying that other drive shaft you mentioned would have been 675 plus shipping whereas the ford one was 800. The tow was 200 n they're saying labor will be around 400...high_ster, the guy sounded confused himself on why it happened, he said he didn't know what my driving habits were but I assure you its just my daily driver that hauls the boat up north a few times a year....I have honestly never heard of a drive shaft falling apart that's why I hit up the forum. I just wanted to have a little more"fire power"

 

For when I call them back tomorrow...

 

This is how much mine cost for the custom built driveshaft:
$675 for the driveshaft + $55 ship + $159 for the local mechanic to install it = $889. TOTAL.
(No tax. Free tow through AAA.)

Buying one through Ford would have been $975. + tax for the driveshaft alone. Labor not included.

If you go through Ford maybe you could get them to come down a bit.

 

Thanks Rambo I'll call around tomorrow n see what's up before I go into the dealership, I understand everyone needs to make money I'll keep you updated...

 

1pc driveshaft FTW

 

long story short something is going to be done by Ford got a call from customer support, don't know what that is yet because it is the weekend will keep you guys updated thanks for all your help!

 

They make enough money. Just worry about you and your money and get the best deal for you. Too bad the tow cost so much. Good luck with the call from Ford.

 

The factory d-shafts get "weak" as the rust starts in. Plus the steel tubing is probably around .065" and the end yokes are spin welded on. I read on this forum i believe it was, (about 3 yrs ago) where there was someone who's d-shaft twisted "like a candy cane". Prob in areas of salt during winter and d-shaft went south for the winter. A few yrs ago i saw a 07 truck in a junk yard, the d-shaft was laying in the bed, and it looked absolutely pathetic. Looked like it came from a '47 model. Thats why about everyone just gets a new custom made shaft at a reputable shop, it will be .083" and can be built to have a serviceable hanger brg, if its a 2 pc design. rossford