Patsy57

iTrader: (37)

So hard hard is it and how do I do it? Your help is greatly appreciated...
Its the rear U Joint by the way so will i break the seal if I pull the drive shaft on the front? If so how hard is it to replace that seal?

fleetmgr

You can pull the drive shaft and not hurt anything, but unless you have access to a press you won't be doing the u-joint by yourself.

If you do pull the driveshaft, be very careful of the 2 bearing caps that will no longer be held captive once you take the ubolts out.

THE SHOP

A shop should charge $80 plus parts just go that route.

98pontiac

our u joints are a pain in the *** because they have the plastic pins, but taking the driveshaft out is easy as hell, maybe take the driveshaft out and give it to a shop to put in new joints to keep the cost down.

Spartan7

iTrader: (7)

That sounds high. Shops out here charge about $15-$25 per u-joint for labor (if you supply the u-joints, which I suggest you do).

THE SHOP

Sorry, for a 99-02 model it calls for 1.3 mechanic hours average labor being 70$ a hour that comes to 91$, this is Mitchell, All data calls for the same. If you have the drive shaft removed I at my shop would do it for free but once again expect to pay $80 for the whole thing.

THE SHOP

Also I am curious why have him supply the U-joints if he is taking it to a shop some shops will not install customer supplied parts, the other ones will just not warranty it. You can ask them to get the U-joints you prefer.

fleetmgr

If you can find a shop to do it, the logic here is you don't have to pay the parts mark-up. Usually, the shop will mark it up farther than the parts store will.
I just got bit by this recently (no choice, wife was stranded) with an alternator replacement on my S-10. The shop charged $50 above my cost for the same alt., and I don't get any special deal to buy it over the counter.

THE SHOP

I manage a shop, well aware of the procedure your talking about, a alternator is much more costly then U-joints so mark up is there two U -joints with lifetime warranty my cost $9.49 your walk in the store cost $15.72 my mark up price comes to $13.82. Also you can normally ask a shop to match the price.
My point is how is it logically on U-Joints for him to save ten dollars on mark up to sacrifice a warranty?

THE SHOP

Did you get it fixed?

Spartan7

iTrader: (7)

Because not all shops use decent parts, and not all of them are honest. I wasn't trying to insult you, I'm just stating what they charge out here. What you charge is your business.

I prefer to buy my own Spicer u-joints. That way I know what's going in my car. JMHO.