| From | Message |
TheDon
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
1/19/2004
19:42:09
|
 Subject: RE: BALL JOINTS
IP: Logged
Message:
'99 Dakota V6, $200 for one ball joint ($78 part, $124 labor). It failed state inspection at the dealer. They did ask me to keep on the lookout for a recall notice. Weird thing is, I never noticed it, neither did Sears two months ago when they put new tires on.
I will certanily be following up with NTSC, and doing the 'dirty' test myself from now on.
Thanks folks!
|
ken hasler
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
1/27/2004
17:20:49
|  RE: BALL JOINTS
IP: Logged
Message:
got a nail in my tire asked the guy after he fixed my tire if they do balljoint replacements
the answer was yes but have fun finding balljoints to do the job!!!!!
why i said then he replide "moog has shipped all
the balljoints they had to the manufacture!!!!"
OWNER 98 DAKOTA 4X4 W/75,000
|
jimc
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
1/28/2004
15:39:34
|  RE: BALL JOINTS
IP: Logged
Message:
i put a balljoint on my 98 durango a month or so ago and it was lik $30 bucks at autozone and it has a lifetime warranty
|
msnbcnnbcbs
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
1/30/2004
12:46:44
| RE: BALL JOINTS
IP: Logged
Message:
I have a 99 2WD V6 with 31k miles. Ball join problems aplenty.
Had it taken to the dealer several times under warranty. I got the usual five star take-it-bending-over service. "unable to duplicate", "vehicle within spec", ect.
Ive had 2 aligments done by two different shops that both tell me the ball joints are in real bad shape and need to be replaced.
Im now out of warranty, and the popping in the front end is getting much louder and more violent.
290$ is the quote i have from the dealer per upper control arm + labor.
for those of you who havent done so, please report this to the NHTSA. it just takes a few minutes. Call 1-888-327-4236, tell the person the complaint,youll be asked for your VIN#, name, address, ect. theyll send you a form in the mail that you'll have to sign, and lets get the ball rolling on this problem.
make chrysler pay for this one.
|
Ricky
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
2/01/2004
12:23:26
| RE: BALL JOINTS
IP: Logged
Message:
I've got a 1992 Dodge Dakota 4x4 5.2L 318 V8. I can't find any ball joints anywhere except for JC Whitney, and they are regular OEM ones. Does anyone know where to find upgraded ones for my truck at? Parts are very hard to find for this truck.
|
Rod
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
2/01/2004
14:13:18
| RE: BALL JOINTS
IP: Logged
Message:
I did not read the 60 something posts, so if what Im saying was already posted... sorry.
The govt has been investigating the ball joints on the 97 and up durango for about 6-8 months. There is a decent possibility that the durango/dakota ball joints will go into madatory recall. I have "dangerous" ball joint according to my local tire kingdom.. hopefully the investigation pans out and us dakota/durango owners will have one less thing to b!tch about.
Peace-
|
Scott
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
2/12/2004
23:09:12
| RE: BALL JOINTS
IP: Logged
Message:
Took my '01 QC 69K in to the dealer for an oil change got a phone call 2 hours later saying I needed ball joints, front stabalizer bar and there was some sort of intermidiate shaft that was loose. I had gotten the extended warranty when I bought the truck new. best money spent. $1300.00 to fix it all.I have to say maybe something is coming ot of the investigations because dealer didn't bat an eyelash at fixing the problem.
|
Timberwolf
GenIII
2/13/2004
15:49:24
| RE: BALL JOINTS
IP: Logged
Message:
There is no "stock" replacement for the upper ball joints. You have to buy the entire upper A-Arm assy because they are rivited on. The aftermarket products (ie.Moog, TRW) are bolted on after you drill out the rivets on the old ones. The lowers are press-in. Don't worry if they say they will only fit up to 1999, they will work on any 1997 and up. Autozone sells Perfect Circle (Spicer) and Napa sell Balkamp(?), TRW also makes them to fit Dakota, but I can't remember who sells them. This should help if you can't find the Moogs. The main thing is to make sure the uppers are greaseable, the stock ones aren't. The lowers are all greaseable because the fitting is built into the lower A-Arm. You WILL need a BJ press to do the lowers. Autozone will loan it to you with a $100 deposit.
|
98DAK 318 4BY
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
2/13/2004
18:11:00
|  RE: BALL JOINTS
IP: Logged
Message:
Just replaced lower balljoints (and inner tie rod ends) at about 3 months back (85,000 miles). Spent around 75 bucks per ball joint (MOOG parts) and I had to bring the lower control arms into a machine shop to have the old balljoints pressed out and the new ones pressed in (that was like 40 bucks for both). The parts were easy to find (in stock at the local auto parts shop) but if you can't find them ask your local tire shop where they order parts from and give them a try. The funny thing is I had a tire shop tell me that I needed to replace the balljoints around 40,000 miles but I didn't notice any slop for a long time. I don't have the specs in front of me but I know that there is a given amount of play that is "acceptable." For those that want to try and do the work on their own I would recommend picking up a copy of the Haynes repair book or a shop manual for your vehicle. The work took me about 6 solid hours (on a scale of one to ten I would say my mechanical abilities are an eight) but because the lower control arms have to go to a machine shop give yourself two or three days. After you finish the job you will need to get an alignment before you do much driving.
|
bigdawg
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
2/13/2004
21:14:20
| RE: BALL JOINTS
IP: Logged
Message:
what is the average price to have ball joints replaced?
|
98DAK 318 4BY
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
2/15/2004
15:57:42
| RE: BALL JOINTS
IP: Logged
Message:
I got two est before I did the work myself...between 6 and 8 hundred but that was also for replacing the inner tierod ends, so I would guess 4 to 6 hundred but it depends on where you live.
|
stevedaretard
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
2/15/2004
18:33:49
| RE: BALL JOINTS
IP: Logged
Message:
The popping noise is normally the upper a-arm bushings. If they are not completely shot, you should be able to just crank on them a bit to get rid of the noise. The ball joints in dakotas usually have to be severly worn to make a pop. Most techs sell you balljoints bc of the boots being torn, which is a weak point of the dakotas, especially on the uppers. The boots being torn allows debris in the balljoint causing premature wear. Most customers never know and are shocked when they get the estimate. The only sign I ever see is that it tends to produce a squeeking noise when water washes out the grease. The dealer can replace just the balljoint, they are available. Having used to be a dodge front end tech, I always tried to sell whole a-arm assemblies myself for two reasons. Number one is that replacing the whole arm pays more in the labor book and requires less work. Number two is that am replacing everything that can cause a noise and saving myself a recheck. I consider myself a good technician and don't like to rip my customers off, but I have to cover my ass. With dakotas and durangos the balljoints and bushings are so prone to making noises. I spend my time and diagnose the noises correctly and fix them, just for the car to come back weeks later with similar noise coming from another component and it is expected to be fixed for free.
Sorry if I am one the technicians that ripped you guys off, but I don't even see much of the money you pay. All your raping is normally done my a parts manager marking prices too high and service managers charging $80 an hour for labor.
Well I hope I provided some useful information and I would not be surprised if these balljoints do start being recalled soon, but I am not a dogde tech anymore so I don't know whats going on with that.
Later
|
Owain
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
2/16/2004
18:08:25
|  RE: BALL JOINTS
IP: Logged
Message:
Well, my 97 Dakota x-cab 4wd, 5.2 just failed inspection due to my left upper/lower balljoints, ps hose and total front brakes to the tune of over $500. Guess what, the locks on the doors don't work. Bizarre that after 171k miles the right side balljoints are great and original. Go figure.
|
beebop
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
3/08/2004
17:11:12
| RE: BALL JOINTS
IP: Logged
Message:
bought my 00 v8 quad cab 2 by in oct 03 with
30k. i use foot steering and can't afford to have
wheels fall off. just read 3 pages of posts and
still want clarification. i've heard no sounds
and feel no anomalies, but want to no whether
i'm fairly safe if i have no wheel wobble and no
boot tears. some shops hear about this stuff
and call them bad without true problems. what
should i see that tells me i'm truely in jeopardy
when i have mine checked. thanks...a hands
free driver.
|
bopeep
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
3/08/2004
17:57:17
| RE: BALL JOINTS
IP: Logged
Message:
You should be fine then.
|
MikeMT
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
3/08/2004
21:12:48
| RE: BALL JOINTS
IP: Logged
Message:
Why the hell are you hands free, moron? Idiot..
|
I wonder
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
3/09/2004
16:00:42
|  RE: BALL JOINTS
IP: Logged
Message:
Some people don't have any hands - still feel the same way ?
|
J J Shay
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
3/10/2004
10:09:28
|  RE: BALL JOINTS
IP: Logged
Message:
I post this as a non member for information to all those with Dakotas. My 98 Dakota V8 318 4x4
CC failed the yearly Virginia State Vehicle Inspection due to bad Ball Joints. It has 19,800
well cared for miles on it. We take it to the dealer for oil changes and inspections. We did our homework and read the articles in various magazines about how good and the awards that were won for Chrysler for the Dakotas. Why weren't these ball joints picked up by those critics back then. We were shocked and dismayed and let down when the service writer came out to tell us the ball joints were bad and it failed the inspection. They could repair it to the tune of $740 for the three as the fourth was just not as bad. Why would anyone want to change just three.
Granted we were no doubtlooking at over a $1,000
bill by the time they were through. They placed a REJECTION sticker on the windshield which gave me only 15 days to have it repaired. Do you realize what it is like going around for estimates with a rejection sticker on the windshied. It is like presenting the canary to the cat or a piece of meat to a shark. They all knew we needed something and quick or we couldn't drive. We took two days to get estimates and opinions. Who these days believes a dealership.
We got estimates from $200 for the two bad ones to $759 for the four plus a $59 wheel alignment.
None of the estimates or bad ball joints matched those of the dealership. One garage stated he would have passed the truck as none of them were quite that bad. He would have suggested that I get them repaired as soon as I could though.
We needed help and that is how I found this site
by checking the web. I wrote Chrysler, Dodge the NHTSA and the Virginia State Police, who monitor the inspection program, as we still feel we are being taken advantage of "ripped off" if that is the term. The dealer service writer stated that the bad ball joints were something that maybe only a Dodge mechanic may pick up on as they know what to look for and how to check for it. That brought a lot of laughs when told to these various mechanics who gave estimates. The way the bad news was presented to us made us almost afraid to drive home. When asked if we drive, off road, was the expression, I told him we are 70 years old, senior citizens, and the only off road driving we do is from the road up our own driveway which is all paved.
Chrysler replied there is no recall for ball joints. Dodge stated the same thing. NHTSA stated it is under investigation. The Extended Warranty we purchased at the dealership through Co$tGuard, states front end but apparently some loop hole clears them from paying for ball joints.
My understanding, and I have yet to clarify it, is that it must cause an accident or be damaged or do damage before they will pay. Idiotic. And me too for purchasing it. As I see it the only way to delay the action is to have them replaced before your 3 yr warranty gives out. I was hoping the CBS special may have done something but still no recall. We need the truck and have to have them replaced at our own expense. This all makes for a worse deal than we got when we purchased the truck. The dealer is very non caring about it or so it seems. The business manager even told us the extended warranty is null and void as it expired. It took many phone calls but we finally got some one at the company and they verified that the policy runs until 72,500mi. and another two years. Why' I don't know as they won't pay for anything anyway, and why could't the business manager find this out for us when we were there. I hope some of this helped some of you. Thank you and sorry this is so long.
J J Suned7@aol.com
|
NoProblems
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
4/06/2004
00:11:23
| RE: BALL JOINTS
IP: Logged
Message:
First of all, who has a 98 dak with less than 20K? Are you sure you need this truck since you drive it less than 5K a year?
I've got 50K hard miles on my 2000 Dak and the front end is perfect!
|
Disapointed
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
4/06/2004
12:11:08
| RE: BALL JOINTS
IP: Logged
Message:
I am trying to locate upper ball joints for my 2000 2WD Dakota. I would much rather get them locally from Autozone.
They cannot get upper ball joints for my 2000 but if I look up a 97 model I have the option to buy one.
Will the 97 upper ball joints work on my 2000 Dakota?
|
| | <<Previous Page P 4 Next Page>> |
