F350 Repairs

So I took my truck to a local Ford dealer because it was having a small issue. I will admit that I know more about my Miata than my F350 but I also know this site has a ton of smart people on it.

So I had the guy send me a quote for the repairs and I have no way to validate what he is saying. Here is what he sent me,

1. REPLACE FRONT SPINDLE BEARINGS $47.92
2. FRONT AXLE STUB SHAFTS $471.20
3. 4x4 hubs $595.44
4. Front axle u-joints $115.96
5. Inner dust seals $61.96
6. LABOR $ 720.61
7. TOTAL $2013.09 PLUS TAX..

Does this look right?

U joints look pricey although aftermarket heavy duty ones could be that expensive if there are 2. If that is for one side I would look into aftermarket HD replacements (probably an improvement) for similar or less $

Other parts could be on par price wise if they are ford parts.

Was the minor problem in the wheel bearing area? That quote is pretty much replacing everything. It might just be bearings, seals and the U-joints "while your in there" or everything got chewed up and may need it.

Personally I would feel you would have a major problem to have to replace all that, but who knows.

What year F350 is it? that would give an idea as to what axle it has.

Go over to ford-trucks.com Sounds normal if neglected, they need normal servicing from what i've seen posted.

44

I don't know if that's normal, but I agree about FTE. One of the best brand-specific forums I've found.

You must have a 98.5-up Stupid Duty. Those are notorious for eating hubs and U-joints. It is a chitty design when the outer bearing is sealed to the hub and the inner is seperate. Plus it is a 4x4, they ALL eat axle joints. This does sound very like the "while we are here..." Becuase nothing sucks worse then having a tech tell you told you so and pay me twice when it should have been once. BTDT to a few cheapass customers.

If that quote is both sides, seems reasonable to me given that is probably a full days job, even though a good flat rater can prolly have all that done by lunch while sipping on the morning coffee in one hand and eating a donut in the other.

The more I look at this one Motorcraft site it looks like those part prices will do ONE side. The hub is 472, nothing MC on the rest, so I have to figure probably at least double the price of aftermarket. Plus I am sure there are a few design revisions of some of those parts which ups the price, especially factory parts. Labor for one side like that would be about 8hrs, most dealers here are ~$100/hr. NFW, would I pay that.

Brian

Sorry for the slow response. I just on the net again.

Thank you all for your input. I am taking it to a different shop in the morning.

......I was right about this site being full of smart guys....

Sultan wrote: Sorry for the slow response. I just on the net again. Thank you all for your input. I am taking it to a different shop in the morning. ......I was right about this site being full of smart guys....

Something like this, it always pays dividends to get more than one quote if you can. As far as the seals and bearings go, it's much easier to replace them if you're there. The cartridge bearings have a finite sevice life, and they're not servicable. If they're near the end of predicted life, based on mileage, it's definitely easier to do the job a catastrophic failure. It's always a mess when an outfit comes in on a dolly because a suspension or drivetrain component died an ugly death at 75 mph on the Interstate.

The stub shafts, U-joints, and lockout hubs can probably be replaced with upgraded aftermarket stuff for less.

DILYSI Dave wrote: The stub shafts, U-joints, and lockout hubs can probably be replaced with upgraded aftermarket stuff for less.

Unless the aftermarket fails twice in 3K mile like they did on my Excursion causing $4500.00 worth of damage...

I am torn on what to use on later Ford 4x4 front suspensions. Nothing is worth a crap.

John Brown wrote:

DILYSI Dave wrote: The stub shafts, U-joints, and lockout hubs can probably be replaced with upgraded aftermarket stuff for less.

Unless the aftermarket fails twice in 3K mile like they did on my Excursion causing $4500.00 worth of damage... I am torn on what to use on later Ford 4x4 front suspensions. Nothing is worth a crap.

My personal philosophy is when in doubt, factory always fits. Even if the OEM parts are junk.

Case in point, the BR body Dodge trucks. The 2500/3500 4x4's eat track bars, happens when you leave a 1500 series suspension under it. When I was working @ the dealership, they were $312 retail. When I worked for Advance, you could get the TRW for about $150, but it was a bigger POS then the OEM piece. You would be replacing the TRW within 6mo easily. It was well worth the extra coin to get the OEM piece until a few years ago, when Rare Parts came out with a far superior, even better then OEM, piece for about the same money as OEM.

Also, I just had a front hub break on the wife's Avalanche last Sunday @ 11pm. First place I stopped, after trying to get a AC Delco through my contact @ the Ford dealer, $291, was NAPA. I got the top of the line part made by SKF, $145. It looks exactly like the OEM part, same finish, part look and feel, etc. So, some shopping around got myself an OEM or near OEM part. And don't even get me started on those NT, Made In China series E36 M3 bearings Advance sells for $120.

Most of the time, you get what you pay for.

Brian

Sorry for taking so long to respond as I have been on vacation.

So I took the truck to a local shop. Thier shop truck is a F350 just like mine. Anyway they replaced the hub and I was out the door for $800! Of course the dealer charged me $100 to look at the truck....

Autozone track bars for Dodge Rams are junk. I just warranty mine out every 3 months as preventative mainenance. Check the oil, check the tire pressure, install new track bar.