Laguna02Stang

My mechanic says I need a new rear end which would entail about 50 parts and $5k. Is this about right? I have a thumping noise from the right side that increases with speed and is much more noticeable on left turns. I don't hear anything at under 20 MPH. It sounds like a tire is... delaminating... but apparently that is not the problem. The mechanized said the rear end is too loose to narrow down the problem. So... new differential, new axle bits... ideas? Comments? Random jokes?

dawson1112

The random joke is the clown telling you that its going to cost 5k to fix it.


Run, dont walk to a different mechanic.

Camster

5k should buy complete 2002 GTs all day long.
Put your spare tire on the right rear and give it a try.

proeagles

What he says^^^^^^^.

Urambo Tauro

LOL The only way a "rear end" would cost $5000 is if it covered much more than just an axle. For that price, I'd expect new control arms, shocks, rear wheels, brakes, brake cables, ABS sensors, bumper, trunk lid, spare tire, lights, fuel tank/pump/sending unit, oh and that tank better be FULL.

Laguna02Stang

Well it does include all new suspension parts. I guess I need some ideas as to what might be wrong. Could it just be a failing wheel assembly?

Urambo Tauro

I don't disagree with the mechanic's assessment, only his price. He's got the upper hand here of actually having seen the car in person.

My first suspicion, like yours, is a bad tire. But it's also true that at nearly 15 years old, the axle could very well be in need of new bearings, which you might as well turn into a full rebuild with new seals and clutches. You can't really tell without opening it up if it's also going to need hard parts (axle-shafts, gears) replaced, so I'm sure he's trying to cover his a$$ by giving you an estimate to cover all the possibilities. But that estimate still sounds way too high, considering the relatively few things that could be causing a "thumping".

I'm really not sure what he means by "50 parts". I guess if you break it down, that's pretty close to the number of parts in a differential. He might just be trying to scare you into letting a pro handle it.

If it were me, I'd rotate the tires to see if the problem moves to a new area. And while the car's up in the air, check the axle for excessive play/runout.

Camster

I'd almost inclined to say that the mechanic either wants to make a home run,or he wants you to go away-he doesn't want to get involved with it.
How many miles on this car? No way that I'd drop 5k on an 02.(a few years ago,I dropped 3500 on a 02 Taurus,and very shortly another 1k....a mistake to get that invested in a high mileage ride.Something else always goes bad.

Laguna02Stang

Well it has 120k. And unfortunately I "healed into" the car after 8 hernia operations. Only car that I can drive without pain. Granted, if I drove another car long enough my body might adjust, but I'm not going to try. Plus I like the car. I just don't want to spend $5k on it when a $100 wheel assembly is the only problem. There is mustang specialist about 10 miles away I'll probably to it to next week. Thanks for your help guys! Any other ideas?

Ogre

Maybe he said &5K, but meant to say $500. I'd ask again with a parts/labor break-down. Or you could go somewhere else to get a quote. $5k buys a nice "new" Mustang...