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Mechanic sent me a text today. They got the car back together this evening and took it for it's first test drive. Said she drove beautifully! One more test drive and final inspection in the morning and I should be able to pick her up around noon
Dropped the E-class off this evening as well. Was my first experience with a German car for longer than a couple days and I have to say, a few things impressed me (steering feel namely) that made me appreciate the love some guys have for them. I don't think I'd want one out of warranty, but it was great for the 2 weeks I had it. Final verdict? It's no LS, but it's no Honda either.
Alright, the LS is back in my hands! She feels like she's running/driving smoother but that could just be in my head considering I've been driving a Mercedes E-class and a Toyota truck for the past 2.5 weeks. But damn does she feel good
The total damage for everything, including the E-class rental, was $3850.37.
Parts = $ 780.49
Labor (includes trans and brake fluid services)= $2491.28
Rental = ~$550
Remainder = sales tax + fees
All-in-all I feel the price was reasonable given the repairs and services performed and I will definitely be taking the car back to Bearden Automotive if I need any work in the future. Great shop with great techs!
Not at all, right under $3K but I also found killer deals on used parts ($340/shipped for the diff, $280/shipped for the axle) so that would really be the deciding factor for anyone else to use this as a comparison.
Also, the procedure calls for pulling the engine which is 25+ hours in labor alone. Luckily one of the techs at this shop was confident he could do it without pulling the motor so only quoted 20 hours. They got it done @ $115.75/hr. If your shop goes by the book on hours or charges more per hour, expect more in labor.
Play in the inner CV axle is expected, but would you consider this excessive? There are absolutely no signs (sounds, clunking, steering wheel feedback, etc.) which would lead me to believe it's bad other than grabbing it with my hand and moving it.
I really appreciate everybody advice here in advance. I went to the stealership to replace front rotors and brake pads. They told me I need new front axles. Please review these pix and comment.
If the boot is not ripped I would just get the clamp replaced and add some cv axle grease. I recently did the same thing to the GS.
First, I’d like to thank you for your quick reply. Would you recommend getting the axle out and add grease? Or this can be done while it’s in place? Stealership would charge me $350 just to re-clamp!
To install new boots $1500 for both! Charging me 7.5 hr for labor + parts! Outrageous
If the boot is not ripped I would just get the clamp replaced and add some cv axle grease. I recently did the same thing to the GS.
That's what I did on an old car of my wife's back in the day. The kit I used didn't even require replacing the clamp. It had a special hypodermic needle type thing with grease and all you did was pierce the boot and inject the grease. Afterwards, you applied a seal (I can't remember exactly what it was). That lasted for several years without issue before we traded it in,.
First...dont take it to the dealership. Find yourself a good independent mechanic. Dealership will soak you. $375 to re-clamp it? I paid not much more than that for a new axle on my old ES300 last month.
No way those axles need replaced. Only reason you need to replace an axle like that is if the boot is torn, all the grease is gone and the vehicle has been driven on the joint with no grease. You would know if that happened because grease would be all over the place. What you have there is the smallest little beginning of a leaking CV joint.
01-29-18, 08:35 AM
