questioning repair costs

ngathai · 09-14-2005, 09:47 PM

Since I havent crawled under a hood/vehicle in many years...I need to ask those of you who have...

garage wants the following....does it sound right?

leaking front pinion seal $126 + 1.5 hr labor @ $55 per

leaking rear differential cover $77 + 1.0 hr labor @ $55 per

Bad right outer CV boot $238 + 3.0 hr labor @ $55 per

Bad left front axle seal $220 + 3.0 hr labor @ $55 per

I figure it'll cost me between $1,000 to $1,100 to repair it all. Is any of this something that I could "hold off" a bit on?...if not It's gona take a huge bite out of my wallet

Is this out of line?...or is this something I could do myself with the factory manual as guide?...considering I havent done any mechanical work on a vehicle in years...& I do mean years.

thanks for any replies

98 ZJ 5.2 w/Quadra-trac

K&N fipk

FlashLCD33 · 09-14-2005, 10:05 PM

Leaking diff cover is easy, need a little bit of fluid and some sealant.

Dalmask · 09-14-2005, 11:03 PM

CV boot's also an easy one. About 1 hour (2 if you like to take your time) and $75. Just a matter of pulling off the hub bolt, tire, caliper + rotor, ABS sensor, and about three other bolts and the whole axel slides right out.

-Ryan

Meerkat · 09-15-2005, 06:26 AM

Their labor rate is about 5 to 15 dollars lower than average, but they seem to be making up for it charging for material.

The leaking front pinion seal could be let go for a while (as long as you keep an eye on it and keep the differential full). It is also the most difficult repair on your list.

The differential cover is a very easy repair. Depending on the type of gear oil you use, your cost to repair will vary widely. Parts required are gear oil and silicone RTV Make-a-Gasket.

The CV boot is IMHO grossly overpriced. You can replace the entire half-shaft with CV joint for around 50 to 60 dollars in parts.

The axle seal is also very high. Seals like that cost anywhere from 5 to 15 dollars for the part, normally. It can be a physically demanding job if the parts don't come out easily.

One problem you face is a lack of tools. You don't even want to perform a repair as simple as the differential cover repair if you don't have a torque wrench (required for all these jobs).

If you aren't prepared to perform these tasks yourself, I suggest looking for an alternative shop. Let them know you are there because the last shop tried to overcharge you for the repairs (but don't tell them what the charges were), and they should be more reasonable in their estimates.

HTH

njrealtor55 · 09-15-2005, 08:07 AM

i doubt the dealer uses a torque wrench on the diff cover when re-installing it.

techs at dealers are not as exact as most people think

**FPKites** · 09-15-2005, 08:13 AM

The only bad part about fixing a leaky diff cover is potentially getting covered in gear oil...stinky stuff.

I've never needed a torque wrench for the bolts on my diffs. Just make sure it's flush.

PumaZJ · 09-15-2005, 08:46 AM

holy crap, dont pay that!

front pinion seal = one pinion nut and a seal replacement. the parts shouldn't cost anything over $5 and labor shouldnt take anymore than an hour.

rear diff= about a $2 tube of RTV unless you bent the cover somehow, highly unlikely. Also shouldn't take anymore than 20 mins to seal up.

axle seals, CV boot= probably about $30-$40 in parts depending on where you get it. For a shop with the right tools it shouldn't really take any more than 1.5-2 hrs to get both sides done.

Meerkat · 09-15-2005, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FPKites

The only bad part about fixing a leaky diff cover is potentially getting covered in gear oil...stinky stuff.

I've never needed a torque wrench for the bolts on my diffs. Just make sure it's flush.

I torque everything unless otherwise specified.

///BHRpowered · 09-15-2005, 03:48 PM

CV boot seems alittle high, but at 55 an dollar I would say screw it, In this area the going rate is 79-120 per hour

zjay · 09-15-2005, 08:07 PM

Wow, 3.0 for 1 CV boot!? I like getting 1.5 because unless the hub is rusted to the knuckle, I'll do it in 20 minutes. (once it's inside). I've gotten as low as 1 before.

I just looked on Chrysler's tech site, looks like you probably have a 181 FBI front axle, only choice for the front I saw. In the removal instructions for the seal, it says to remove the front diff. I can't look up labor times here at home, though.