Squeeky Pete
 

Since it's been getting colder, the car has the squeeks. when i stop i can hear the car squeek. when i get out of it, it squeeks.

the last time the car was on the rack, the mechanic mentioned the upper and lower balljoints were kinda shot as well as the control arm rubber parts.

call it a phobia but the springs on the car look really really dangerous. i know you guys would probably consider changing these parts easy but since i have no lift nor a spring compressor, i have to take it to the shop.

i'm afraid to bring it in for an estimate. so i come to you fine folk. what is the 'average' cost of parts plus labor to do the front axle rubber parts. any thoughts are appreciated.

Rubber parts that squeak are annoying and can often be treated with rubber lube until the time comes that they get replaced.

My concern would be ball joints. They give lots of warning before they go but IF one goes while your driving......... not a pretty thing.

From your previous posts, I would like to congratulate you as well as others on this board for taking the interest to learn about and work on your cars. But, at your stage of experience I would suggest that you leave spring compressors alone. Watch it done at least once before you try something like that.

And use your jack stands, eh?

Jen,

Check out this thread where you can see what it cost to rebuild the entire front end, including front brakes and rear brakes on a '79 240D.

Figure the labor for all the front end work should be about three to four hours less than what was accomplished here.

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=106747

Jen, from my 2000 Nichols/Chilton Labor Guide, for your Pete,
Front Spring replace, one--1.7 hrs, both 2.8 hrs

Lower ball control arm each 2.7 hrs add .5 hrs for ball joint, add .8 hrs for replace bushing eacg side

Upper Control Arm 1.9 hrs. replace bushings add .3 hrs each side

Hope this helps,
Michael

wow
 

i had no idea it was such a big dollar deal.

however, from the sound of it, it should be a safety issue above everything else. i'll take it to the indy on friday. i'm not sure what balljoints do but the 'joints' part scares me if they are bad. i'm taking your advice and getting it done.

i was planning and saving for another california rockclimbing adventure for next summer. i'll have to say bye-bye to that for now. thanks for your help guys.

Ball joints allow the front wheels to "swivel" when the steering wheel is turned. When they get worn, the front wheel alignment is affected and your tires will start wearing unevenly. And you will hear a "clunk" from the front end when driving over a bump or pothole.

Most of the front-end components are reasonable DIY jobs. You could save some of your rock climbing money by doing the easier items yourself and letting a shop do the rest. The only item that requires the springs to be removed is the lower control arm bushings. You might have a shop do that and the lower ball joints. The upper control arms (which come with new inner bushings and upper ball joint already installed), tie rods, center link, and idler arm bushings are all reasonable DIY projects. Autozone has the necessary tools for loan. You can buy all of the above-mentioned parts for around $275 for OEM quality. Remember, not only does a shop charge for labor. They will charge you list price for parts. So you save twice when you do the work yourself. After the rebuild, you will need a front end alignment.

But if safety is your major concern, you might want to spend all of your rock climbing money on your car.

Jen-

You may be able to buy the parts yourself and supply them to an indy and just pay him for labor. I was able to do that on both my 300D and 240D. I supplied all new parts and was charged about $350-$400 each for labor. ( This included replacement of the rubber lower arm busing, new upper arms, ball joints, all steering components) I really like doing things myself, but since I didn't have the proper spring compressor (and would have have to rent one for about $100) and then spend the time doing a pretty dangerous and messy thing anyway, I thought it was money well spent.

It might be hard to find and indy who will do that since they like to mark up the parts. But there is some value in just handing him a box of stuff- he doesn't have to look up all the part #s and do the ordering.

Rick

Describe the squeak my rear parking brakes squeak every time I set them before I get out of the car. The parking brakes make an expensive sounding noise! :D

You need a lot of patience, a REAL GOOD spring compressor, and the propper Ball joint press tool. You won't get the front end appart without the compressor. And its safer to play Russian roulete than use a cheap compressor., And You will be farming out the lower ball joints without the propper tool.

But you can save a small fortune in labor if you can do it yourself.

It's Terminal
 

I got word from the mechanic today. The whole front end needs to be redone to a tune of 1500 dollars.

apparently all the rubber is worn out or completely gone as in the ball joints have no more boot just the ball sitting in the socket.

dammit.

the car has a bit of rust in the underside as well. dammit.

might be the end of the line. the mechanic said that a good bit of the cost was in labor not parts.

dammit.

I agree, I have about $750 in parts to rebuild my front end with me doing all the work.

Jen,

I was in your shoes a few weeks ago. My upper control arms and tie rods were all shot. I never did any suspension work before and was questioning my ability to do the work. I think at the very least you can replace the upper control arms yourself. This was a very easy job. You can do a search under my name where I posted about it. The tie rods aren't that much harder but can be a pain in the but to pop loose. Do a search under my name and you can find out more about it. I just learned of a tool (you can see it in the post) that probably would have made the job a lot easier.

Neither of these jobs requires a spring compressor. That's why I did them myself. You can at least do some of the work yourself and have the mechanic do the rest. That will really cut down on the bill. I know I would never attempt the lower ball joints because that just seems beyong my abilities.

Good luck.

Scott

Yes the lower control arms require special tools that are very expensive for 1 time use. And the coil springs are another issue altogether. Not for the faint of heart I must say. Do everything bu the LCA and pay the shop to do that one . OH.......the Lower ball joint on a 116 is in the steering knuckle not the LCA, and that needs dissassembled for the tools to fit, fair amount of labor there too. I think the 123 or the 126 is simmular but I never looked at one of those close up.

W123 front suspensions seem to need major rebuilds every 200K or so and $1500 is about the right price, as others have said its quite a bit of work and lots of special tools are required.

Did you save the number of the guy that offered you $4500 for your car?

When it comes to the suspension I really believe in not fixing it if ain't broke. The most important thing to check for when it comes to a suspension joint is play & rust. If they aren't excessive I don't think the joint needs to be replaced. If a boot is cracked or missing, the joint can be lubed and resealed with a little bit of ingenuity. Squeeking can also come from the shocks. Those have to be replaced to get rid of the squeeking.