Now im not a person to really rant about many things BUT this got to me today.

I took my truck into the local tire place to get my 10,000 mile rotation and balance so they did there thing and said the truck is ready and said since it has 118,000 miles it needs some maintance work. So i told him lets hear it.

He told me i needed all 4 brake pads and rotors and that these fords only last 40,000 miles before you have to change them all again (BS). So he quoted me $909.03. I thought to my self well the truck has never needed anything so i will get it done.

Then he tells me that the upper and lower hoses needs to be replace just because they are the factory hoses. He told me they checked them and all is good but they still need to be done. Got quoted $310.96 to replace both upper and lower radiatior hoses .

After i got that estimate he informed me that i also need a idler arm and caster and camber kit and that came to $400.00.

Why do people charge such a rediculous amount to service a vehicle??? Especially in this economy how many people do yal think would have just said ok do the work?

I know my truck is not in near the shape this guy was making it sound. I got my brakes checked at a very reputible shop about 1000 miles ago and told me everything looked fine. As far as the Radiator hoses what does age have to do with anything if they were checked and couldnt find anything wrong with them?

I do know that i need the idler arm i think thats about the only thing the guy was honest about.

Sorry if this dont make since but it pisses me off when people try to jerk me around and i wonder how many people actually think they are telling the truth and pay the ungodly amount these places want

 

Was he 16 and "ASE" certified too?

 

id take it somewhere else if your worried about the idler arm which can be checked with the tires on. but those prices are ridiculous. the brakes could be done for under 500 and even under that if you do them yourself if you change the rotors.

and if you needed a camber kit then it wouldnt align properly. the fabtech camber kit cost 50 bucks at an offroad shop and can be done with the truck on a jack and one tire off per side (at a time)

 

People pay those prices every day and never think twice. Just like the folks that buy a lawnmower one season, run it, leave it out throught the winter and the it want start so they buy a new one. Only advise I could suggest is learn how to do it yourself. That very thing has taught me most everything I know.

By the way find you another tire shop.

 

What the other dudes said and adding: hoses can and do deteriorate from the inside due to the heat. You may not see anything on the outside but the inside could be shot. How old are they? OE? Ever had the coolant flushed? You are in TX which heats stuff up more. You can do it yourself. A blown hose on the interstate is a real pain in the azz!

 

I know how to do it myself except the front end work. I just dont have time working 80+ hours a week and now with a newborn. Id rather pay someone that is reasonable with there prices and does quality work. As far as the tire shop they use to be damn good and only reason i went there is i have the road hazzard and it comes with free rotation and balances. The crap they did today i think im just gonna pay another place to rotate and balance..

They are OE (motorcraft) and are about 8yrs old. The coolant has been flushed twice since the truck was new. 1st time around 80,000 miles then the last was around 115,000 miles. I plan on changing the hoses here in a few weeks.

 

Once I took my Ranger to Jiffy Lube and they told me I needed a 10 quart auto tranny flush. The truck was a manual.

Another time I went to Midas for a quote to replace a 10 inch flex pipe on the exhaust of a old Honda Accord and was quoted $600!

I can imagine that they do this to everybody hoping to rape someone.

 

[QUOTE=rcantu;4526825]Once I took my Ranger to Jiffy Lube and they told me I needed a 10 quart auto tranny flush. The truck was a manual.QUOTE]

wow

 

MY 97 F150, 4.6 5 speed had 308,xxx miles on it and i changed the hoses .... never, antifreeze never, still had the 13year old battery, brakes on the rear (drum) lasted 128k before changing, fronts changed every 50k or when needed, 2 ball joints at 250 kand tie rods ends changed myself... Go back and Punch the guy in the sack.....then do all repairs yourself, brakes are simple, hoses are even more simple (i'd leave them alone) if it ain't broke why fix it....

 

Not saying that the prices you got are fair, but if you can't or won't do it yourself, be prepared to pay the price to get it done.

 

Those that can't do it themselves normally get ripped like that all the time.
The new thing in this area is an advertisment for a $19.95 oil change, PLUS $3.00 DISPOSAL FEE. Some people will fall for anything. How could you even think of charging someone for disposing of used oil, when every shop I know has a pick-up service that pays them for it for reclaiming.. I hate dishonest people with a passion!!!

 

Geez that's outrageous When I get older, I want to do my own maintenance... I don't want to pay the crazy prices

 

Well, I guess owning pieces o' crap growing up and having to do all the work on them myself because I couldn't afford to pay someone else to do it does pay off. I've owned my truck for more than 3 years and no one has touched my truck except me. I keep detailed maintenance records on my truck and to date it has cost me a grand total of $960 in upkeep. That includes all four brake rotors and pads twice, oil changes, fuel filter, antifreeze, tranny fluid, rear end fluid, and charging the A/C.

 

Well since no one else have offered......you can buy me a round trip ticket from Va and I will come do it all for less then what you were qouted.....your best bet would be to either take the time and do it yourself, or take the same amount of time and go barter with 20 shops, then you might get a fair price.

 

Wow, today in society it really is ridiculous anymore. I feel for ya man. I was very picky with upkeep but now its like if it aint broke dont fix it.