Mornin'
I have a 2003 F150 with almost 100,000 miles on it..my front end has been squeaky and creaky for about a week so I had it checked out..the rubber boots are dried out and are cracked..they gave me a price of over $1300 to replace the upper and lower joints..when I told him I couldn't afford that,he sprayed some white lithium grease on them to try and keep them from squeaking..when I asked him how long the ball joints would last without the rubber things on them,he told me for a couple of years maybe..can just the boots be replaced?Will spraying grease on them do any harm or good? Thanks in advance

 

Hello Sandra,

One of our guys here used to have a ball joint problem with his old dodge, he said he ended up having to replace them 4 times in the 2 years he had the truck. Now granted this was a dodge and caused him quite a hassle. However, he said a few times which it was squeaking they did that however after some heavy rain or snow and that grease started to wear away, the squeak came back and he was forced to replace them. Not sure if this is a similar situation with your F150, just figured it would help to get another opinion out there! Best of luck hopefully you'll find a solution!

 

$1300, were they gold plated, upper Ball Joints with the upper Control arm are $40 and $82 for the lower at Auto zone. A jack, jack stands and simple wrenches and sockets and a 3 pound hammer and about 2 hours you are done. You need to find a different shop.

 

I could see the price they quoted if they were going to use genuine Ford parts. The prices listed on Ford.com are:
Upper Control Arm - (4X2 - 130.54 per side) (4X4 - 180.22 per side)
Lower Control Arm - (4X2 - 279.86 per side) (4X4 - 711.86 per side)

 

Find a new mechanic... he could completely rebuild your front end twice for that kind of money.

You said that the creaking just started... or did you just notice? How is your steering and general ride?

Again, find a reputable mechanic, maybe someone can refer you to one. At this point you probably could even take it to one of the chain stores to get an estimate (Firestone., Goodyear, Pep Boys, etc.).

You should find a mechanic you can trust and build a working relationship with them.
They will appreciate repeat business. I have given the same advice to my three daughters none of which have mechanically inclined husbands... works out well for them. Of course dad's shop is always open when they're in town. ��

 

$1,300 for ball joints only? That's an insane insult. As stated already, find a different shop. No you can't buy just the boots.
.

 

I would suggest you have them replaced.
But check around at different shops.
You should be able to get the job done for about half of the price you were quoted.