Recently i have had a pretty bad squeak in my front end and finally got around to taking it in to have it checked out today. They said my ball joints were trashed, and that my inner/outer tie rod ends would also need to be replaced in order to get a good alignment. Their estimate was almost $800 ($360 labor, $60 alignment, $350 parts). I really cant afford to drop $800 into my car right now. The car is a 94gt with 185k on the clock. I was wondering if i should really save up and get it all done, or should i just get the parts for cheaper on my own and have them installed. I could get the parts for about $75 on ebay. I dont really drive my car that much (round trip to work is less than 10 miles), and im sure she isnt really going to last too much longer. do the cheaper parts just wear out quicker or are they prone to failure? any advice would be great.
thanks,
ryan

 

The bulk of work like this is almost always labor. If the parts on eBay are cheap, and have no idea of the quality, they would might be potentially dangerous. If they are OEM parts, they will be fine, but can you get them installed for less cost? If so, how much less? Is it worth the trouble to have all the parts shipped to you and have a tough time getting them replaced if the parts turn out to be defective or wrong.

This is not likely to happen, but would cost you much more in time/expense to address such issues. With limited parts, I find it is a better deal to let a shoppe order/install the stuff, unless you can do it yourself. Not only will you avoid the trouble of all the ordering, but have a guarantee as to the repairs.

Your car should last MANY more miles and is worth this repair, assuming you don't have any other major issues happening.

Jazzer

 

Listen to Jazzer. He's the man...