Ball joints

[tmaheras]

My mechanic is telling me that i need my ball joints replaced on each side on my 88 560sl. He says that the parts cost about $400 per side. Does this seem right! Thanks

tim

[maheath]

That's not a bad price from an indy. To replace the upper ball joint, you need to replace the entire upper control arm, $306+ retail. The lower ball joint is only $36.50+ retail. These retail prices are from 2003 and they've probably gone up at least 10%. You can find the lower ball joint for ~$25 (buy only Lemforder), but it's not easy to replace and requires special tools. For a shop, the labor is probably an hour each side. That's probably less time than you'll spend cussing at it.

The upper control arm is very easy to replace yourself and when I bought mine, the cheapest place to buy it was Caliber Motors. I bought mine last November for $250 each. Independent parts suppliers charge more than $300 each.

If you're interested in saving money, buy and replace the upper control arms yourself. A pickle fork is the only special tool you'll need to remove the upper ball joint. Let the shop deal with the lower ball joints.