nlink1712

Hey guys! I'm new to the forum and a new Mustang owner. I decided I'm too poor to keep my 06 F-150 so it's going back to the dealer on Wednesday since the lease is up then. To keep myself mobile, I bought an '05 4.0L Mustang recently. The car is stock except for 19" Zinik wheels. It's got 44k miles on it and the guy said it's been serviced regularly. The only complaint he had about the car was the Shaker stereo in it.

I took the car to my mechanic a few days ago to have them inspect it. They told me it needed the following:

Air Filter - $56 parts / $0 labor
Serpentine Belt - $52 parts / $70 labor
Oil Change - $23 parts / $3 labor
Ball Joints - $342 parts / $112 labor
Rear Shocks - $102 parts / $30 labor
Brake flush - $0 parts / $90 labor
Power Steering Flush - $0 parts / $90 labor
Coolant Flush - $0 parts / $90 labor
Battery - $103 parts / $7.50 labor

Total - $678 parts / $492.50 labor = $1,170.25 + tax


This is way out of my price range. Are these ninety dollar flushes really necessary? And if so, can I do these myself? Where can I find instructions on how to do these?

I'm sure I can find an air filter and serpentine belt cheaper than that.

My main question is whether I can use these GT500 Cobra Front Lower Control Arms on my car. http://www.stangsuspension.com/store...idproduct=1515

I also found OEM LCA's at VarsityFordParts.com for $236 for the pair and rear shocks for $64 for the pair. I haven't done much mechanically before and am not sure if I'll have a problem trying to do this myself.

Thanks in advance for any assistance you can provide!

nlink1712

I saw the BMR LCAs for $400, are there better prices out there?

CalmLikeaBomb

56 dollar air filter? They better be putting in a brand new K&N. Damn!

GrayPony

Here's what Ford says... (manual trans)
http://www.genuineservice.com/genuin...en/QCMFullView

[IMG]local://upfiles/39336/197B44E0998A46BB9F0F5FDA0F75474B.jpg[/IMG]

tangtacular

400 for BMR LCA's?????? are they gold plated? http://www.brenspeed.com/mustang_200...uspension.html

nlink1712

The front lower control arms with the ball joints.

nlink1712

If those Cobra LCA's will fit I'll use those cause they're cheaper than the OEM arms.

nlink1712

Also, everytime I hit any bump in the road, the wheel jerks and the car wants to veer. What can I do about this?

danbevsv6rumbler

where in oc are you located? i've got a 4.0l v6 and i've had a heck of a time finding others with one in my area (garden grove).

i think you could save a BUNCH of money doing a lot of that yourself... especially the air filter, oil change, collant flush. heck i even know how to do all that stuff... it can't be THAT hard. unless saving time is what your after... Although, Sunset Ford took 3 hours to change my filter and perform a visual inspection... and there weren't exactly THAT many people there. I figured it would be so routine that performing such service would take no time!

danbevsv6rumbler

oh and the bumpsteer thing is something you have to get used to in our lowered cars. I came from a '91 ranger, and yeah the bumpsteer is noticeable, but I wouldn't say its that bad. Of course there are also kits sold to reduce bumpsteer... but I'm not sure how well they work