jeepMI

Hey sorry if Im not following a rule with my post.

Earlier this week my dad and I picked up a 2000 XJ with 66k miles for $4500. Its in really good condition ( or so we thought). We took it in to firestone today and had them do a full inspection.

Just got a call back from them saying that their estimate for all the things that need/should be done is $4400.

When we were leaving the guys driveway the guy who sold it to us, his phone went of and someone was offering 500 bucks more than wed paid.

So our options right now are to start replacing everything that NEEDS to be done, then slowly do everything that should be done.

My dad and I know next to nothing about maintenance and i doubt we have the right tools to do the repairs.

Also, a big part of it is tires, they all have a lot of tread left but we failed to notice that the tires were mix matched. ( this shows how much we know)

My question for all of you is do you think its worth paying 4500 to get a great running car? Or should we sell it and break even or get $500 more?

Opinions appreciated
thanks guys!

2WDUnderachiever

What did they say needs replaced...?
It's their job to rip you off, you need to be an informed consumer/XJ owner.

Also, drive it with the current tires until they wear out, THEN replace them.
Nothing wrong with non-matching tires.
At any rate, they're much better than my dry-rotted ones... Mine are lots of fun in the rain, let me tell you. =P

jeepMI

Heres a picture of the paper they gave us. Theres 5 more sheets with something but my dad just left with them



I can do simple things like wipers. But also, the guy who gave us the quote is an XJ owner too. He was showing us his today when we dropped it off. What do you think, should we do it or no?

RTorrez1

It all depends on what it needs and what can be done down the road.

Lowrange2

Those prices are ****ing outrageous! Hang on a minute I'll type up legit prices for these things. DO NOT pay for that stuff.

jeepMI

A list of cheaper parts would be amazing! Also, beginner question, would they install all the parts if i brought them in??


And thanks man!!

Lowrange2

Wiper Blades – cost 20 bucks for good ones and you can swap in 10 minutes.

Steering dampener. There’s no way they pulled this off to check it. Don’t need it if it drives fine.

Sway bar links rear - If they don’t make noise you don’t need them. $193?! That’s crazy.

U joints – Do they click or vibrate? If not they don’t need it. $426!!!??? They cost 8 bucks each.

Sway bar links front- Do they make noise? If not you don’t need them. The kits are cheap and can be replaced easily!

Diff Service- $85 + 107. Really? Insane. All they’re going to do is change the fluid. It takes 15 minutes and a $12 bottle of oil.

Sway bar links front – again?! We’ve already replaced them once. They cost twice as much to replace the second time apparently.

Why does the transmission fluid need to be changed? Is it burnt or slipping? Pointless. Don’t need it.

What front axle service, engine maintenance and ignition parts does it need? If it runs fine it doesn’t need it.

Battery accessories? $139… Is the battery dead? Why does it need a battery?

Battery installation - $142!!!!!???? The autoparts store will do it for free!

AC check – Does the AC work? If it does, why check it?

Belts - $30 and 20 minutes. Not $130. If the belts not cracked all the hell it doesn’t need it.

Waterpump replacement?!!!?? WHY?! Does the engine run hot? If not, it doesn’t need it.

Hoses – are they leaking?! Doubt it. Don’t need it.

Coolant system service - $110?! Again, does it run hot? Is the coolant rusted? If so, it may need to be flushed. If not, don’t need it.

Tires - $531. Are your tires all the same size? If so, run em till you need tires. If you don’t like mismatched tires then change them.


They're trying to get over on you. Unless you bought a hunk of junk vehicle that really needs all this stuff then they're just trying to screw you.

They listed out every single wear item and fluid in the entire vehicle. 90% of I'm sure is still just fine.

People that do this BURN me up. Like, I'm actually angry right now. Fo real.

Lowrange2

I wouldn't let them touch it.

Does the Jeep run good, shift good, steer good, stop good, and the AC work?

If so then the only thing I'd have done is have the oil changed and check to make sure the coolant system is not all rusty inside.

Screw Firestone.

94XjSport94

The most difficult thing on that list is u joints and even that's not that bad. You can do all that yourself with help from here and write ups

Black89

Wow did this guy at the Firestone use lube when he tried to screw you two? Don't have them do a thing to your XJ. There's so much on that list that a five yr old kid can do! If you feel your not up to the tasks that actually need to be done then find a more reputable shop and pick away at the most important stuff first that actually needs to be done. Most of that list is them trying to hose you guys hard.

Black89

2WDUnderachiever

You could do all of that for under $1K if you do it yourself... And none of it's crazy hard, either.

Lowrange2

I just ball park added up all the actual parts on that list.

Assuming he changes EVERYTHING on the list including a full tune-up it'd cost roughly $487.00. That includes a brand new $90 battery.

I want to go punch the owner of this place in the face.

F1Addict

Owning an older car/truck can financially ruin a person if they're relying on the dealer or independent chains to perform service and maintenance. 90% of the stuff on that list are things you and your dad could easily accomplish with a simple socket and wrench set. Lowrange said it and I'll repeat, the actual retail cost for everything needed to do everything on that list is probably less than $500.

For example: "Belts $130"... there's only one belt. It runs about $30 and takes no more than an hour to replace, assuming the person doing the work has absolutely no idea what they're doing. It takes me about 15 minutes.

"Steering Dampener $131.49" A ProComp steering dampener costs $34.99 and takes about 20 minutes to replace. Again, assuming basic hand tools, no jack, and no experience.

Unless there are obvious things like a noisy axle or rattles from the engine/transmission, I would perform the things on this list as general maintenance which means they don't all need to be done at once. Start with the oil change and work your way through the list. By the time you get to the end, it will probably be just about time to start over.

F1Addict

Right, and that's if the shop were purchasing everything retail and passing it on to you at cost... which they're not.

Lowrange2

You're right. I used to work for O'Reilly's. The shops that bought parts from us would use the MSRP price and add 25% out to the customer... That worked out to be about 200% higher than we sold the part for.

ALWAYS buy your parts yourself and take to the shop if you have to have the shop do something.

OP, just remember that everyone has to learn how to do this stuff at some time. You'll save THOUSANDS by learning basic vehicle maintenance.