I live in Yonkers NY, and my front end is shut. I have purchased all the marts: - moog Centerlink - moog idler arm - moog inner tie rod ends 2 - moog outter tie rod ens 2 - moog lower ball joints. Anyone know a good place near Yonkers where I can get all this work done where they won't rip me off? Also any ideas at how much i'm looking at?

 

Can't help you with "where", but make sure they don't double charge for labor. Example would be:

Removing inner tie rod ends, $40
Removing center link, $40
Installing center link, $40
Installing inner tie rod ends, $40

That's double-charge. Say you weren't replacing your tie rod ends. To remove the center link, he'd have to unhook the inner tie rod ends anyway! And then when he'd put the new center link in, he'd have to re-connect the inner tie rod ends.

So since you're replacing the tie rod ends, all he'll be doing is removing the new ones from the new box and installing them instead of the old ones.

You might want to have him replace the tie rod adjusting sleeves, too. Got mine for $10/ea (need two, one for each side of car) from Summit Racing. You can buy fancy performance ones for $50/set if you want, too.

I'd guess the bulk of the work will be the balljoints, and re-aligning the car. He'll basically have to start from scratch with an alignment.

 

thanks for the tip! I do have the sleves too, it's like doing a whole front end job. I did have 1 mechaanic look at it and they wanted 350 just for the center link and idler bar. I think he's trying to rip me off.

 

Have you considered doing the job yourself? To replace the parts you listed, it's really not that bad. I know it's getting cold for you guys up there, but you're only looking at an afternoon, two days tops if you mess something up. $350 for that IS a rip off IMO, but then again I do my own work.

Click the link in my sig to see what kind of job you're looking at, and reconsider. I'm sure you can find a bud to help you out with it, and you can rent the needed tools from AutoZone.

Good luck!

Ed

 

Wow, $350?? I'll do it for $325. Yeah, that's definately getting ripped off. It wouldn't even take him a half hour to put those on!! And hourly work is what, around $65? It might be, too, that he didn't want to do the job, and just gave an insanely high price?

I agree with Ed... just make sure you have the correct tools (like a torque wrench), and remember you'll need an alignment asap.

 

Unfortunally I had the same problem when it came time for my suspension rebuild, I went to a Tuffy auto and they wanted to charge me 950 something to do inner/outer tie rods, lower ball joints, struts/shocks, upper strut mounts, springs, poly trans mount, and poly control arm bushings.. Needless to say I walked right out of there.. The only reason I went there was beacuse I had lifetime alignments.. So I go to a local shop around my house and he quotes me "about 250". In my head I thought, wow Tuffy really was trying to rip me off. Ends up the guy keeps the car for like 5-6 days, and comes up with 580$ by the time it was all done anyway! Still better than $950, but labor is too costly, so I'm starting to learn things on my own now.. Then I bring the car back to Tuffy for my alignment and it's the same guy I went to that other day, and he gives me an attitude saying "ooh you can't do that! You can't just have someone else tighten everything up and then make me have to loosen it again!" I really wanted to punch that guy in his face.. I told him I wasn't gonna get ripped off for 950$ labor your crazy, your either giving me an alignment or my extra money back that I paid for the lifetime (60$, 2 years ago) and he refunded my money.. Careful where ya go, some people are just out for money.