Just got back from a local garage...

"RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars" (rallydarkstrike)
08/29/2018 at 16:30 • Filed to: Shop Prices

...getting my driver’s side front wheel bearing replaced and the ball joint replaced there as well. Both the original parts after 145,000kms of faithful service.

The cost? $384.00 CAD......maybe I am crazy but that seems somewhat expensive? I’m not a mechanic, so maybe I am not understanding the amount of work involved, but isn’t it basically just unbolt a bunch of stuff, press out old bearing, press in new bearing? And the ball joint would be twist old joint off, twist new one on while they’re already in there with everything unbolted ? (Simplified, obviously, but the gyst of it?)

I was quoted around $300 before I had the appointment so where did the extra $80 come from? It’s a small shop and the waiting area has an open doorway into the garage. My car was only one of two in there this afternoon and I really didn’t hear much going on (couldn’t see in from where I was sitting) ....what gives Oppo, or does this sound about right? It’s not like 2009 Hyundai Accents are complicated...

DISCUSSION (30)

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/29/2018 at 16:36

Some ball joints are riveted to the wishbone and a PITA as a result. Does still seem on the high side though.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
08/29/2018 at 16:42

Pretty sure they aren’t riveted on with the Accent AFAIK.

Urambo Tauro > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/29/2018 at 16:43

Is your receipt itemized? What’s their labor rate per hou r ?

Ash78, voting early and often > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/29/2018 at 16:43

A couple hours with good tools. And owning good tools. I don’t think this seems bad. But they’re not going to come back at the end and say “Much easier than expected! No rust at all...that’ll be $200.”

Front suspensions can often require taking a lot of shit apart just to get what you need, so it can add up. And they might be replacing a control arm, since most modern ball joints are manufactured into the arm itself, as far as I’ve seen.

Wacko > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/29/2018 at 16:44

well at 94$ an hour price of everything goes up fast

guessing dealer rates by the time i finish this sentence will be at 116$ an hour

shop-teacher > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/29/2018 at 16:44

That doesn’t seem unreasonable to me. As for why the price difference between your estimate and the final bill, that’s something you should take up with the shop.

Sovande > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/29/2018 at 16:45

What is the breakdown on the bill for he repairs? How much were parts? How much was labor? Labor in my area would be $120-$130 an hour so the charges sound pretty legit to me.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/29/2018 at 16:48

That seems about right. I was quoted $175 for an inner tie rod, and in the past a wheel bearing is in the $250 range.

Textured Soy Protein > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/29/2018 at 16:51

Parts cost at least on RockAuto is way cheap, like $25 on the low end, which I’m sure the mechanic is charging you more for. But if you figure most mechanic shops charge a decent amount of money for an hour of labor, you can easily end up with a few hundred dollar repair bill for what is a seemingly uncomplicated job.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/29/2018 at 16:55

That doesn’t seem unreasonable. With a new ball joint, there is also an alignment to be done after it is all back together.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
08/29/2018 at 17:03

I don’t think so, from what I was reading regarding my car, no alignment is required if a ball joint is replaced with the way the suspension is set up....?

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Textured Soy Protein
08/29/2018 at 17:04

I did go for the more expensive parts...the ball joint has a lifetime warranty and the bearing was a 3 year warranty rather than one year. The receipt is out in the car, but I think parts were like....$160?

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
08/29/2018 at 17:05

OK, I could just be over-reacting then. As stupid as it sounds, I’m not used to what things cost in repairs because my car has been incredibly reliable so I rarely have to experience them other than normal maintenance!

I know I had a bearing done on my old 2002 Subaru years back, but I can’t recall what that cost me...

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Sovande
08/29/2018 at 17:06

Parts were around $160 if memory serves. The receipt is out in the car so I don’t have it with me to look at.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > shop-teacher
08/29/2018 at 17:07

I did take it up with them before I left but honestly couldn’t stay long as I had to head off immediately to another appointment....might stop in tomorrow, but I’ll see.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Wacko
08/29/2018 at 17:07

Could very well be - this was a smaller local shop. I stopped going to the dealer because they were astronomical....

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Ash78, voting early and often
08/29/2018 at 17:09

From my research before the work was done, the joint is pressed (I think?) into the control arm, but I saw the parts guy arrive with the parts from NAPA as I was in the waiting room and it was a two-fist sized box (presumably the bearing) and a palm-sized box (presumably the ball joint), so pretty sure they didn’t replace the whole control arm.

I get my car undercoated every year before winter hits because Nova Scotia Canadian winter weather / road salt. The underside is actually incredibly rust free for having now done 145,000kms or so. I’ve owned the car since it was at 54,000kms.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Urambo Tauro
08/29/2018 at 17:10

I’ll have to get the receipt later and check. I know parts were $160. The receipt is in the car and we are in a heatwave here so I dread going back into the melting inferno that is outside to get the receipt, haha!

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/29/2018 at 17:14

Seems like it’s worth the money.

Here’s what a guy had to do (with some hilarity) to get the wheel bearing off on the Hyundai Accent he fixed himself:

And I suspect this is reasonably close to the DIY experience other non-professional mechanics would experience.

Urambo Tauro > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/29/2018 at 17:25

I can easily find cheaper prices than that, but if they used h i g h - q u a l i t y OEM or equivalent parts, then yeah that’s right about the amount of markup I would expect to see here.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
08/29/2018 at 17:37

Probably, pretty funny video! His would be the Accent generation before mine though! :)

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/29/2018 at 17:39

Yeah but it gives you an idea of the kind of stuff you go through to replace a front wheel bearing. And that in turn will make you feel better about paying a mechanic to do a job like this.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
08/29/2018 at 18:03

For sure!

Sovande > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/29/2018 at 18:08

So probably two hours labor at $110 an hour? Sounds like a good deal to me.

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/29/2018 at 19:33

That’s not out of line at all. I mean that’s only like $80 in freedom bucks anyway...

but seriously, doesn’t sound too out of line. Half for parts and half for labor a couple hours will easily break $120.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc
08/29/2018 at 20:11

Cool, thanks for the 2 cents. Guess I was overreacting a bit from what everybody else has said. :)

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/29/2018 at 20:23

Yeah, it’s not a bargain, but I wouldn’t say you were bent over either. They have to pay the bills too and make some money. Seems fair. And you’re likely not dealing with crap autozone cheap parts that will fail in a few months, and that’s worth a bit of a premium.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc
08/29/2018 at 20:59

The parts could’ve been cheaper, but they offered either the cheap ones or the more expensive ones with a better warranty so I told them to go with those.

pip bip - choose Corrour > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/30/2018 at 04:51

parts & labour then it would’ve needed a wheel alignment.

not unreasonable IMHO

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > pip bip - choose Corrour
08/30/2018 at 07:17

Thanks!