Ball joints went bad - shop wants $700+. Advice needed.

[formaldegid]

First, a small intro: I moved to the US 5 months ago, bought a used Protege ES 2,5 months ago, it's the first car I ever own. I'm all new to the auto world, but willing to learn as I finally got a chance. So if i write smth stupid - dont be too hard on me
So, the Pro was good to me so far, I sometimes heard some screeching noise from the brakes but was thinking it's dust/snow/salt/mud getting to them, given that the dealership told me they'd changed the rotors/pads before putting the car on sale.
2 weeks ago the car began to shake slightly (more like pulsating back/forth, but no jerking) during acceleration and low speeds. The shaking dissapeared after coming to 40mph and higher.
2 days ago I began to hear the rhytmical metal-on-metal scraping/grinding noise from the right side wheel, synchronized with the weel rotation. It increased when turning to the left, dissapeared with the right turn. I jacked the car up, checked the dust shield for contact with the rotor - it was ok, jerked the wheel to see if it plays - nothing. So I decided to take it to the shop today, and after inspection was told that my brakes are ok but they found my ball joints were bad - and for our cars it means the control arms have to be changed. 770$ - thats how my estimate looked (parts, labour, alingment). I'm really not ready to pay that much now.
What do you guys think I should do?
I want to get it to another shop first and get the second opinion and then the estimate - how about that?
Thanks in advance.
Max

 

[Dpwhitehead1]

dont bother.. oh man. you're close to me sort of. like an hourish.. order some replacement control arms. i used ebay ones on my last protege. no issues. and have someone local install them.pm me if you want.

 

[slavrenz]

I would order some replacement control arms on RockAuto.com, and find somewhere that will install them for you. Shouldn't cost more than $400. $770 is crazy!

 

[formaldegid]

Thanks for the responses, guys.
Yeah, I will probably go with aftermarket, order them, and find a shop willing to install them while waiting for delivery.

 

[Wagonbacker9]

the job isn't that hard, you could do it yourself....

 

[Joost27]

yeah the hardest part is lining up the bushing that is closest to the back of the car, and even that isn't hard.

 

[slavrenz]

yeah the hardest part is lining up the bushing that is closest to the back of the car, and even that isn't hard.

I just install that bolt first, then the bolt in the front, and the ball joint last. Otherwise, that rear bolt does become a pain in the ass to line up.

 

[Wagonbacker9]

I had to remove the front bolts to put the tie bar in... now my bushings are prb worn to s*** at 95K miles.... but getting it back in was a breeze. (granted I didn't replace the parts, but if there was tension on it it would have moved)

 

[Joost27]

I just install that bolt first, then the bolt in the front, and the ball joint last. Otherwise, that rear bolt does become a pain in the ass to line up.

Now that's thinking with your dip stick.....Jimmy.

 

[gino]

Just talked with the owner of the shop that does my heavy work. He'd charge $200 tops--closer to $85 a side--to pull old arms on two wheels and replace, not including parts.

Lotsa thieves out there passing themselves off as wrenches...

 

[Wagonbacker9]

that sounds pretty reasonable, but the job isn't that hard... theres even a DIY you can use. its written for replacing a wheel bearing but you could us part of it for this relatively easily

 

[slavrenz]

Just talked with the owner of the shop that does my heavy work. He'd charge $200 tops--closer to $85 a side--to pull old arms on two wheels and replace, not including parts.

Lotsa thieves out there passing themselves off as wrenches...

I assume that's just the labor, and not the cost of the control arms?

 

[formaldegid]

Quick update: I got a pair of aftermarket control arms for $140 total and one of the guys on the forums helped me with installation. Got around 50 miles on them, everything's ok so far.
BTW, this $770 quote included OEM control arms, which are around $250 a piece (checked at onlinemazdaparts.com). so the price for the labor and alignment wasn't that bad, it were the parts that were expensive and I didn't want to pay that much.

 

[frankjuda]

after doing ball joints you dont need to re-align the car they are just trying to take advantage of you... i just did mine and didnt need to do the alignment the only time you need to do the alignment is when you do tie rods or suspension work but not for the ball joints

 

[slavrenz]

after doing ball joints you dont need to re-align the car they are just trying to take advantage of you... i just did mine and didnt need to do the alignment the only time you need to do the alignment is when you do tie rods or suspension work but not for the ball joints

Um, don't post stuff like this unless you know what you're talking about. The control arms are as much a part of your suspension system as your tie rod ends. And yes, you do need to get an alignment after replacing the arms/ball joints. You may get lucky and keep your alignment pretty good, but it's still gonna be off.

Exactly what system do you think ball joints are part of? Heating/Cooling?

 

[frankjuda]

the ball joint is bolted to the sub-frame/ cradle there is no adjustment for a ball joint in an alignment... i would know i work on cars all day everyday and do 40-50 alignments a week

 

[Wagonbacker9]

the ball joint is bolted to the sub-frame/ cradle there is no adjustment for a ball joint in an alignment... i would know i work on cars all day everyday and do 40-50 alignments a week

Ball joints are located on the control arm, and in order to replace one, the entire control arm must be replaced. There is an adjustment at the back of the control arm, so... you do in fact need an alignment after doing one. Ask me how I know.

(I just did one last week.)


Just for the record, a pair of arms can be had on rockauto.com for $158 shipped. And assuming all goes smoothly, it'll take you an hour per side to do it with hand tools. About half that if you have an impact gun and a torch.

 

[breiland]

Are there any specific tools you need for this job? I'm going to be needing to replace mine soon.

 

[Wagonbacker9]

a ball joint seperator makes the job easier, but a sledge hammer will do the job. I've got a driver's side control arm up for sale here if you would like a deal on one.

 

[mazda3gboostin]

is it common for these to go bad i musta replaced mine like 2 or 3 times last year they keep going bad