Front end work & shocks, $1800

[mohacky]

Hi, I have a 95 Roadmaster Estate Wagon.

I took it to a local repair facility to address my "drifting" problems. They did a thorough inspection and said I needed that I need extensive work done, $1800, and that they didn't think it was worth it given the blue book value, etc. Please note that I am not a mechanic and have almost no tools. I just love the Roadmaster.

They said I needed the following:

Inner and outer tie rod ends, and adjustment sleeves
steering stabilizer, front shocks, and rear air shocks

All this for $1800. He said it was a safety issue and that the car should not have passed inspection. I'm wondering if my Roadmaster days are over? Can I substitute the air shocks for something cheaper? Any advice is greatly appreciated, thank you.

Gary

 

[silverfox103]

Shop around, not an $1800 job: maybe $1000.


Tom

 

[Large Car]

That price is outrageous you can probably rebuild the entire front end with good parts for half that including shocks.I am getting ready to do mine with a quality PST kit that someone on here suggested and with good shocks and my mechanic said about $500 with the alignment
About $500 in parts but you can get OEM for less.

 

[mohacky]

What kind of kit did you get for your Roadmaster? Is it a 95? Thanks. Any info. or link you can provide is really helpful thanks. Maybe I have a shot at keeping my wagon! Thanks.

Gary

 

[paart]

Gary,
Find a different shop.
Yes, worn front end parts are a safety issue, but consider the following:
1/ Anything is possible, but I have never seen a need to replace all four tie rod ends at the same time. I usually replace them in pairs, inners and outers.
2/ It would be very, very unusual for the adjustment sleeves to require replacement. They don't wear out! They can become rusty and difficult to remove, but I've never had any that I couldn't loosen. Physical damage, from perhaps an accident is the only reason that I can think of for replacement.
3/ Funny that the idler arm wasn't mentioned. It typically wears out faster than other steering parts.
4/ Are the shocks physically leaking? If not, you may be able to get a little more time from them. The front ones are more critical. The rear air shocks can be replaced with standard shocks. It's a "non-issue" unless you load the car heavily.
5/ The steering damper is next to useless. Many forum members (including me) remove it, and fail to notice the slightest difference in steering response. It was only installed with the "variable effort steering" option and wasn't used otherwise.

You need to have someone look at your car who is both honest and knowledgeable.

 

[Large Car]

I am going to order the Poligraphite super kit from PST might be a little stiff for your liking but they have a standard super kit for $360 which replaces just about everything.No sense chasing around a problem get it the way it came new in one shot.I am sure you can find a shop that will install it and align it a lot cheaper than that first one. Like I stated before I was quoted $500 with alignment.Stay away from the big chain shops that try to scare you into spending your retirement so you don't kill yourself and everyone else on the road.In the name of SAFETY (translation commission )

 

[mohacky]

Paaart & Large car, thank you-

Excellent info that I can use to state my case and find someone reputable and knowledgeable.

The front shock was reported as "leaking." This all happened after I blew a ball joint on the front passenger side tire. I was doing 70 mph. Scared the crap out of every occupant in the car (family) but the wagon didn't budge. I was able to limp to the shoulder, albeit with a lot of sparks, smoke and noise. The ball joint was replaced by the same mechanic who said it was fine a week prior. He charged me $400 and said "I was good to you..." Maybe something else happened in that 7 days that made it weak, but I'm going to try a different mechanic now. Gut instinct. A friend recommended one that he will vouch for, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

I hope I can get back on the road with this info. you guys have provided. If anyone has parts numbers for the rear shocks (not air) I'd be grateful. I'm looking online and just not qualified to tell the difference between the many options. I will do my best, but all the parts look Greek to me! I've got a lot of money tied up in the wagon by way of brake lines, power steering lines, bypassing the ATD module, wiper motors, alternator, transmission service, etc. Too much info. probably, but I'm getting near broke!

Thanks again,

Gary

 

[paart]

If he only replaced one lower ball joint for $400, then he was better to himself than he was to you. But then there could have been other repairs involved that we aren't aware of.

Except under special circumstances, lower ball joints don't fail without showing excessive wear prior to the failure. They are very easy to check for wear. Manufacturers have been installing special visible wear indicators on the joints for many years.

 

[The Roadagon]

Did the guy that quoted you $1800 for the front end job,was he wearing a mask? It really upsets me how some mechanics are still determined to
rake certain people over the coals. Also the guy that changed the one ball joint , he got that backwards,he was really ,really good to himself.
Try Angies list for local mechanics,that may help your situation. Good luck.ed

 

[BiG_TaNk]

Yes do like these guys said, find another shop.. I had my whole front end done a few years back with a rear brake job and it cost around $950 Here is the description on the invoice,

-install customer supplied front shocks - $85
- RH Front Link Pin - $52
- Install both sides - Inner + outer tie rod ends w/ sleeves, - $495
center link +Idler arm - w/ alighnment..
- Rear brake job - Install new shoes+ spring kit - two wheel cyl + bleed system - $179

 

[RhodeKill]

That's an outrageous price for that work. The front shocks are pretty simple to remove on these cars and like several people have said already the adjustment sleeves are not really a wear item. Maybe most of that $1800 is going to finding a part that doesnt exist, since I wasnt able to find a replacement for the steering stabilizer, even from a dealership. Tie rod ends are like $20 a piece online, maybe $40 each for expensive ones in the store.

If you have a friend that does decent side work or knows their way around cars I would suggest paying them to do the work (if you trust them with your car), and then getting a professional shop to do a proper alignment right after. All the parts you described are not terribly difficult to get to or remove/replace with the exception of the rear shocks which can be a b*!ch to get to.

Whatever route you take, good luck!

 

[danadalaw1978]

Wow! $1800? That's what I paid for my 96 RMS! This is why I don't take my vehicles to shops, most(not all) of them can't be trusted. There are a lot of good mechanics out there, you just need to go by word of mouth in your area, and look at their work if possible. You can get your ride practically rebuilt for $1800.
Adam

 

[ilgoldstein]

Here is something no one else has addressed thus far -- whether to repair a car when the cost of repair exceeds its book value. As far as I'm concerned, I'll put $2,000.00 into a $1,500.00 car if I like the car enough. When I'm done, I'll have a car with one or more systems that are not going to give me trouble for a long time, and a car I know about.

Your Roadmaster days are far from over. Rebuilt the front end and you are good for another 100,000 miles.

 

[paart]

I think I'm willing to put a few more bucks into my Roadmaster.

Yesterday I met up with an old friend that I had not seen for awhile. He works in the parts department of the local Cadillac dealership. A customer came in with headlight not working on his 3 year-old Caddy. His bill to have it repaired was $645.

The more I hear of this sort of thing, the more I think I'll keep the Roadmaster for the foreseeable future.

 

[The Roadagon]

There are alot of folks that dont know much at all about cars and fixing
them . They get very frustrated whenever something breaks. They so
dislike doing anything to them,except getting from one place to another.
They will just hand over whatever money is asked just so they wont have
to deal with the problem. ed 😕

 

[RhodeKill]

Here is something no one else has addressed thus far -- whether to repair a car when the cost of repair exceeds its book value. As far as I'm concerned, I'll put $2,000.00 into a $1,500.00 car if I like the car enough. When I'm done, I'll have a car with one or more systems that are not going to give me trouble for a long time, and a car I know about.

Your Roadmaster days are far from over. Rebuilt the front end and you are good for another 100,000 miles.

Amen to that. I always have older cars and the way I look at it is that I never spend nearly in parts for them per month or year (however you want to look at it) than what a new car payment would cost me. Minus the state car tax since they're old and worth very little in the book, and the consequent lower insurance rates and I'll gladly put up with a car that needs a little something now and again over something new. Then again, I always do my own work so there's a ton of money saved there too.