New tie-rods and pitman arm price...what is reasonable?

[ATL]

i did pitman and idler on my truck, it wasnt fun at all. but id do it again before paying 500-600 in labor. its nothing complicated, but its tough. you gotta use like a 6" pipe wrench and pull on it with every bit of strength you got. or atleast this is how i did it. i didnt remove the steering box, so i couldnt use pullers.

if i was to do it again, id just pull the steering box out, put it in a bench vise and wrench on it there. its more work than not removing the box, but the work is much easier than if the box stays in the truck

 

[skyl3rm]

Had mine done a few months ago and it was like $700

 

[fire730]

Ive changed more inners than outers on NBS trucks/SUVs.

$600 for labor is insane. What is the rate? I charge like 4 hours tops to do inners and a pitman arm. The pitman arm is a pain but they sell a puller at Autozone for pretty cheap. You cant get to the main nut on the pitman arm but if you unbolt the steering box from the frame you can move it around to where you can get to the nut to remove it and take it off with a puller. You will need an impact to unbolt it since you have no leverage with the box unbolted.

 

[DenaliAK]

Labor at that shop is $105/hr.

Not sure how that compares to other shops around town. Hoping to get into another shop tomorrow. I'm destroying my newish summer tires and need to get the alignment/canting fixed ASAP, which I can't do until I fix the front end.

 

[Bikeboy80]

Labor at that shop is $105/hr.

Not sure how that compares to other shops around town. Hoping to get into another shop tomorrow. I'm destroying my newish summer tires and need to get the alignment/canting fixed ASAP, which I can't do until I fix the front end.

Damn, I wish I could charge that rate for an hour of my time! Most of the shops around here are somewhere around $75/hr.

 

[ATL]

average shop rate in ga is around $90/hr

 

[DenaliAK]

So, that other shop was just full of all kinds of shit.

I need a new Pitman arm. That's the only part they got right. Also need a new idler arm. With replacement, labor, AND an alignment it will cost me $734. That's much better than the $900 without alignment for parts I apparently don't need. These guys said the tie rods actually looked pretty good.

Does that sound about right? The price on the pitman arm is still high, but that seems to be the local going rate. I've checked around a bit. I have to get this done this week, so I'll eat the $50-60 I could save if I ordered it myself.

 

[purple 'hoe]

1.6 Hours for Idler Arm
1.3 hours for Pitman Arm
1.0 Hours for Tie Rods
1.0 hours for an alingment

Plus your parts. So that seems pretty close. Your looking at almost 500 in labor dude. At a GM Dealer it's about 100 per hour. At least that's what we charge

 

[LSUz71]

Give me 700bucks and i'll
Learn how to fix em! I'd never willingly give that much mlney to a shop!


Sent from the future.

 

[scottg918514]

I just got an OEM Pitman arm for $45 and Tie rod end for $40. So parts x 2 would be $170. Labor rates are high and to replace the Pitman arm on drivers side you need to take steering box out. I believe you would have to take the idler out on pass side. Tie rod ends are easy. But with all steering work you will need front end alignment afterwards, this can run $50-$100.

So $270 parts and alignment, plus $90 per hour for 6 hrs = $810

So est isn't far off and they charge more for parts.

 

[Doverpoint]

1A Auto has a front end suspension package for $139.95 and includes:

FRONT Suspension Kit includes:
(2) - FRONT UPPER Ball Joints - LH (Driver Side) & RH (Passenger Side)
(2) - FRONT LOWER Ball Joints - LH (Driver Side) & RH (Passenger Side)
(2) - FRONT INNER Tie Rod Ends - LH (Driver Side) & RH (Passenger Side)
(2) - FRONT OUTER Tie Rod Ends - LH (Driver Side) & RH (Passenger Side)
(2) - FRONT Sway Bar End Links - LH (Driver Side) & RH (Passenger Side)
(1) - FRONT Pitman Arm (4 Groove Design)
(1) - FRONT Idler Arm

Not sure of the quality of the parts though, the description say's OEM replacements. Has anyone bought parts from A1 Auto before?

 

[dropmech]

I'll let you know. I ordered that very kit.

 

[Yukon&Tahoe]

I had a quote on my 2004 Silverado for Idler, Pitman Arm, Allignment (& Labor) at the local Tires Plus for right around $450 a couple months back...... $900 seems a bit pricy!!

I did not have tie rod ends included in that.... amd that was the "best" parts quality price on there scale of "economy, mid and best" parts price range.

Good Luck

 

[TheFuzz]

You guys have to remember that he's in Alaska...everything is more expensive because the logistics of getting stuff there can be pricey. Labor is more expensive because...well...it can be. Less people that can do the work = fewer qualified shops = labor cost goes up. Alaska is a beautiful place but things that we take for granted in the lower 48 can get pretty spendy up there.

AK, glad you got it worked out for less money. $900 was high even for Alaska prices!

 

[Doverpoint]

I'll let you know. I ordered that very kit.

Ahhh, so you were the one that got the last kit in stock!

Yes, please do let me know, and then i will pull the trigger on getting the same thing. Are you installing yourself or are you having a mechanic do it for you?

 

[Doverpoint]

Just got a quote for over $900 to replace. No idea if that's high, low, or about right. Including shop time.

Anyone have any idea? And how hard would it be for someone who doesn't even know what a pitman arm is to replace....lol?

what did the tire wear look like? scalloping?

 

[DenaliAK]

Tread was worn on one side of the tire pretty badly and almost no wear on the other side. Not sure what scalloping is, but it was clear they were getting most of the weight on one edge of the tire. Brand new AT tires, too. Kinda sucks.

 

[southboundchicken]

Ahhh, so you were the one that got the last kit in stock!

Yes, please do let me know, and then i will pull the trigger on getting the same thing. Are you installing yourself or are you having a mechanic do it for you?

i can almost guarante you that those parts are "made in china" junk. you guys can save money by continuing to feed the chinese all you want but not me i'm going with better quality stuff for my rig even if the parts themselves are comparable in quality i still refuse to send my money to china. i'm in the process of changing out the pitman arm, idler arm and idler arm bracket on my 02 z-71 pick up and this is what i have found: for moog or similar quality parts such as dana your gonna spent about $100 for the pitman arm ,$100 for the idler arm, and $100 for the idler arm bracket. for those of you replacing your idler arm you need to know that there are 2 pieces to this assembly the arm and a bracket and they should both be replaced at the same time. fortunately i scored a 50% off coupon for my parts so it only ran me a little over $150 for all 3 parts that would have easily run me $300

 

[dropmech]

i can almost guarante you that those parts are "made in china" junk. you guys can save money by continuing to feed the chinese all you want but not me i'm going with better quality stuff for my rig even if the parts themselves are comparable in quality i still refuse to send my money to china. i'm in the process of changing out the pitman arm, idler arm and idler arm bracket on my 02 z-71 pick up and this is what i have found: for moog or similar quality parts such as dana your gonna spent about $100 for the pitman arm ,$100 for the idler arm, and $100 for the idler arm bracket. for those of you replacing your idler arm you need to know that there are 2 pieces to this assembly the arm and a bracket and they should both be replaced at the same time. fortunately i scored a 50% off coupon for my parts so it only ran me a little over $150 for all 3 parts that would have easily run me $300

We can talk about the merits of buying American all day. The truth is, I don't have the cash to buy $500 in parts that I can get for a fraction of the price. If the part fails, guess what, 1A Auto will replace it. It took me almost a year to find good deals on USED parts to lower my Tahoe. If you have the disposable income to buy Moog, have at it. I'm sure the parts I'm getting will work out just fine.

 

[CEN2MENTAL95]

We can talk about the merits of buying American all day. The truth is, I don't have the cash to buy $500 in parts that I can get for a fraction of the price. If the part fails, guess what, 1A Auto will replace it. It took me almost a year to find good deals on USED parts to lower my Tahoe. If you have the disposable income to buy Moog, have at it. I'm sure the parts I'm getting will work out just fine.

you get what you pay for.....I bought this same ebay kit for my 95 Acura Legend....long story short, after almost dying on the highway with the car (because of a bent control arm) I decided to pony up for the OEM equivalent...

$150 for the ebay kit and almost my life vs $1k for OEM parts and peace of mind