infernicus wrote:
Mechanics, especially those in [modern] chain stores don't normally want to touch modified vehicles.
The DEALER wouldn't touch it, either. Not many offroad shops anywhere within a couple hours drive of here, or I'd go there (not that I even offroad anymore, but they are the only ones that understand lifted vehicles)
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Man, I would really do the U-Joint first. Did you actually see the splines on the CV? Before I spent $650 on it, I would make sure that it's 100% what they said.
I didn't see them personally, but I believe it. I've been feeling and hearing bad noises from what I thought was the front end for quite some time (and kept putting off getting it fixed). I suspecting the CV before even bringing it in. I didn't say anything to the techs at all, so they came up with it independently. I believe they were replacing the entire half-axle, but I'm not positive what parts are included with a CV. I'll find out what the cost breakdown is when I pick it up (I don't want to delay things any more than they already have been - they've had my jeep since 8am Monday)
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Sometimes places like that try to jip you; say you need something when really you don't. Do you not have a local shop there you know well enough that can work on it for you?
Agreed - some places will definitely try to jip you. But consider that they tried to send me home without doing any work at all, and I had to beg them to take another test drive. If they were in it for gouging me, they would have at least tried instead of saying "nothing wrong, come pick it up"
I'm still looking for a local shop, but there aren't really not a lot of offroad-friendly places around Boston. I used to just go to the dealer, but then realized that once you change out your suspension, they have no idea what to do (and anything wrong, they just say "it's your suspension's fault, we can't fix it"). NTB was at least willing to work on it, but after installing my upper control arms, they F'd me over by not properly aligning it and ruining my tires (after having them re-check the alignment after my tires for destroyed, they said "alignment is fine", and then I drove from NTB directly to Sears and they showed me just how off it was). Sears has to be able to do every kind of car, so they at least have to use some intelligence when working on them, and I like that it's close enough to work that I can drop it off and bicycle to work from there.
I've had the U-Joints done before (at maybe 40 or 50k, which is about 40 or 50k ago). Could very well have gone bad again, I suppose.
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Se7enLC get the parts yourself (like Tom said) and you'll savee $$$ that way; even more if you're able to do it yourself.
Not sure that's true. Most shops will charge double-labor or more if you bring your own parts in, so buying your own parts is a wash unless you do it yourself. Also, since they already had it disassembled to find out the problem, I'd have had to get it towed home, then order the parts online (paying freight and spending days waiting for them to arrive).
Considering that it was a highway-only noise, if I'd tried to do it entirely myself, it would have been hard to diagnose without taking it all apart and visually inspecting. I wouldn't really know what to look for, even. I think this will be $500 well spent to not take a vacation day and have my jeep out of service for a week waiting.
I don't do much for maintenance/repairs myself, so the 45 minute job would end up being more like 4+ hours spread over a whole week, with a lot of frustrations, a huge mess, and a lot of time spent on forums asking "does this look right?"
I'll do the electrical work, installed hitch, stereo, etc. I do oil changes on the motorcycle, because they are stupidly expensive at a shop (over $100), but 3 qts of oil and a filter is practically free, and you don't even need to remove anything from the bike except the filter itself and the drain bolt. I bring the jeep into a shop for oil changes, though - because they only cost $20-$50, and it's more of a pain (dealing with skid plates, etc).
Thanks for all the helpful suggestions! I'll let you know how it turns out when I pick it up (today, hopefully)
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Jeff 2005 Jeep Liberty Renegade
4x4, 6spd, Leather, Sunroof, trak-loc, skids/rails, hitch+shackle, hooks, Alpine/iPod, Thule, GPS, CB, Frankenlifted w/ 31" MTRs
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if you can't do the job yourself.
They didn't charge me anything for them test driving and looking under the Jeep to see if it was the wheel sensor. 
) BTWm they're SUPER close to where I live. 
The only reason I know what I know about Jeeps is reading and learning from the best on here 
