BmoreCherokee

on rockautodotcom they have u-joints for $14 a piece - just called a local shop and they want $532 to replace my 2 front U joints.

Anyone know how much time is involved to replace the front u joints?

I know most shops charge $80 - $90 per hour but $532 when parts are $28 just seems absurd.

jfiedler

hey man, i see yourin baltimore too. why dont we do it ourselves!! save your cash. that is very high

OttawaXJ

30 minutes for each is the most i've spent on it doing it myself.

They're trying to rip you off, just like any mechanic. Its like getting pissed at a shark because it bit you.

Ninja Falco

do it yourself. I took mine to a local napa repair shop and they changed a drive shaft u joint I brought in for $40. I watched the guy do it and it only took him 10 min with a vice, hammer and socket. I could have done it myself. Watch a video on youtube.

OttawaXJ

Get a ujoint press.

If you hit the ears on the shafts it severely weakens it and they WILL break when stressed, not when.

freegdr

your paying for what the flat rate book on labor says but a half an hour to 45 minutes is all they take if you dont stop for beer lol

blue_on_blackXJ

Good gawd thats insane! At my shop thats about 7 hours of labor! I did a front driveshaft in about half an hour including taking the damn thing off. Find a vice a couple sockets, and your good to go. Look on youtube like someone else said, it's not that hard.

freegdr

that has to be for axle ujoins think about it

OttawaXJ

Are you arguing with yourself? lol

But yeah, I did 30 min per side and that includes a couple scotch on the rocks per side.

Only trouble is you cant test drive it when you're done.

freegdr

who us lol

Turbo X_J

There is no such thing as a parts=labor formula. What you are paying for is this instance is 99% labor i.e. shop, tech, tools, insurance, electricity, etc....... Depending on mileage & driving habits the vehicle may also require unit bearings as well, it's silly to put the old hubs back on if you have over 100 k on them, you can add ~$100.00 each side net for parts. As posted above if you have the mechanical aptitude just replace them yourself, if not I would get at least 3 estimates and go from there.

rodgerdodger

That is insanity! You can do it yourself with a simple workbench vice, it is really easy. Although it is usually recommended to balance the driveshaft after replacing the u joints.

Hommersimpson

Do it yourself..... Period..

TY:
The Save Labor managment

caged

it's even easier than you think.
the hardest part is removing the hub bearing from the axle. but there is a trick using a socket extension and just turning the steering wheel to pop the hub apart. you can google/youtube for reference.
then it's just as simple as a large socket that is just bigger than the u-joint cap and one just smaller and using a hammer, just knock the joint into the larger socket.
then sand the inside of the ears and file any rough spots, apply some grease to the ears and caps and use a vise to press them back together.

use the youtube video as a reference. watch a few to learn all the tricks.

Joe Green

I asked Brownfeld Automotive in NYC to check out my u-joint on driver front axle while I went to work. I knew it was bad, but he thought it was something else. He said he'd call me and let me know what he found. His receptionist called the next morning saying they were done. They did both axles and threw in brake pads. The bill: $890!!! They dropped it to $800 immediately by removing labor for the brake job b/c there wasn't any needed. The result: I paid to get the little guy out of jail, but the department of consumer affairs is going to have a field day with this shop before I'm done. I'm spreading the word online, naturally. The guy has (had) a bullet-proof reputation and he came recommended by a co-worker as a reliable, honest mechanic. I think he saw my out of state plate and couldn't resist trying to pull one over on me. There are no u-joints, as in the parts themselves, listed on the invoice, no hours of labor, just a $680 labor total, $55 for brake pads and tax. I spent 15 minutes or more following him around the shop trying to make sense of what he was charging me for. He brushed me off and told me it was a huge job, my axles were bound in the diff and that I don't know all the things that can happen. I asked if the spindles were ok and he asked why! It's like he forgot his own story about the spindle being so stuck in the diff that I was concerned about their condition. Not listing the parts is illegal and I'm totally going to the mat to either get my money back or waste so much of his time that he loses the equivalent. I know, DIY DIY DIY, but I have a bad back and nowhere to work on it... Doesn't mean I need to get ripped off, though. I know it's the city and I was prepared to go up to $600 total, but I wasn't given a chance when he skipped the estimate part entirely.