Labor Index ? 2.5 hours for a lower ball joint replacement

[rock88hard]

Does anyone know how long it would take to replace a lower ball joint?

The shop tells me 2.5 hours, the warranty company tells me 9/10 of an hour according to some national labor index.

Does anyone know of a reputable labor index?

Best,
Tim

[insite]

front or rear? if it's front, it can be done in under an hour. if it's rear, an alignment is required; this generally takes another hour.

[rock88hard]

Thanks!

it is the front left. according to the warranty company, the dealership claims they need to replace a control arm whenever they replace this.

according to the dealership, the extra 1.5 hours is diagnostics.

[insite]

Originally Posted by rock88hard

Thanks!

it is the front left. according to the warranty company, the dealership claims they need to replace a control arm whenever they replace this.

according to the dealership, the extra 1.5 hours is diagnostics.

you are correct that the ball joint is not servicable; the entire control arm must be replaced. not sure what the 'diagnostic' time is. maybe get them to clarify that.

[Cloudsurfer]

+1 on the 1 hour. If they already know its bad, what is the "diagnostic" time for?

Patrick

[mikefocke]

include diagnostic time in the quote. That is one of the reasons they are so high. So ask to see the book and read the fine print.