Control arm scrapping, support or subframe?

Looks like the cross member has rusted out. Do you live in Wisconsin, like I do, where they through a pound of salt on an ounce of snow? On Ford vehicles, that cross member is welded to the frame so it's a rather involved job to replace it. On Chryslers it's bolted on. It's still a rather involved job because the engine is sitting on that cross member. It has to be unbolted, then held up with straps while the cross member is removed and replaced.

The labor times shown are 2.4 hours when it's in warranty, and 4.0 hours when it's out of warranty. The 4.0 hours is more realistic because it factors in more difficulty due to rust and bolts that break during removal. Depending on damage, it might be necessary to replace the lower control arm too. They list 1.2 hours for that. I didn't look further, but it's common in the "flat rate" books for them to list a combined time when two or more related parts are replaced at the same time. The total time could be a little less than 5.2 hours.

Due to the cost of these parts, it is very common for the people at repair shops to order these parts from a salvage yard. Parts can be shipped from yards in the south where they don't see rust like this. The vehicle will also need an alignment after the parts are replaced. The only thing we do now is a four-wheel alignment because all alignment computers require projectors or mirrors to be attached to all four wheels to work, but they may list a two-wheel alignment on the bill. All that means is you still get all angles on all four wheels measured, but adjustments that are needed are only done on the front wheels.

Let me know if that helps or if you have other questions.

Oops. They list 3.1 hours for the rear cross member in warranty and 4.3 hours out of warranty, so it's still a pretty significant job. Also, add 1.0 hour if it's an all-wheel-drive model. Those are standardized times. No shop is bound by those, but most do follow those flat rate times so they all use the same labor times when calculating a repair estimate. That way, as long you make sure multiple shops are all planning on replacing the same parts and performing the same procedures, you can compare multiple estimates. The only variable then will be what they charge per hour for labor.

When they do go by flat rate, an experienced mechanic or one who has invested in a lot of expensive specialty tools or advanced training will often get the job done in less than the specified time, but you still pay the same as what's on the estimate. Flat rate is a much better deal for you when rust is involved because it is way more common for the job to take significantly longer than the time specified. When that happens, the shop loses, the mechanic loses because he can't move on to the next job when he was expected to, but you are not charged extra for that extra time. Regardless if they charge you according to flat rate or if they charge for exactly as long as it takes, (which they often do with rust problems), either way can work to your benefit.