2000 Ford Ranger Tire Spindles and Tire Rods

BB2009

MEMBER
2000 FORD RANGER
4 CYL
2WD
MANUAL
96,000 MILES

I have a 2000 Ford Ranger that has about 96,000 miles. I have had new tire rods put on it just under a year ago at a Ford Dealership, and less than three months later they broke again. Now still under a year the same thing has happened but they now say it is not the tire rods but the spindles. And they want to charge $900.00 for this repair as I have already spent over $1,500 on the other repairs. Could anyone please tell me if this is a fair price for this repair and if not please tell me how much it should be. Thanks!

3 Replies

JAMES W.

MECHANIC
2,394 POSTS

First, a question. Did the tierod ends actually break, or just wear out? And what is supposed to be wrong with the existing spindles? $900.00 sounds a little stiff. Personally, I would shop around a little bit. Changing spindles isn't a hard job, but it takes a lot of time plus a wheel alignment.

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Monday, March 9th, 2009 AT 12:23 PM

BB2009

MEMBER
2 POSTS

The first time they told me that the tire rods were broken, then less than three months later supposedly they broke again which they stood good for and fixed. Now it is over six months after that and the same sound and feel when you drive the truck they tell me it is the tire spindles. They said the part was about $600.00 and labor around $400 for a total of $1,000. I took it to a local mechanic and he said he could do it for less than $450 so I am having him work on it. I was just wondering if there could be that much trouble with tire rods and spindles in that short amount of time. I figure the dealership was trying to rip me off and not stand good for the work a third time. Plus I only use the truck for work travel and no large loads or any real stress on it.

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Tuesday, March 10th, 2009 AT 11:28 AM

JAMES W.

MECHANIC
2,394 POSTS

OK, here we go. $450.00 is a fair price for the spindle R&R. In reading between the lines here, this is what I see, keeping in mind, I could be wrong.
Your original problem was worn tierod ends. With almost 100K on the truck, this isn't unusual. BUT, when the original rod ends were removed the tapered seats in the spindles were damaged. When this happens, the spindle sockets will no longer hold a new rod end securely, ie. You can't keep them tight in the tapered socket. The only recourse is to replace the spindles and rod ends with new and srart from scratch. Your mechanic should be able to verify if this is the case. As far as going back on the dealer, that's up to you. Hope this helps and let me know how this plays out.

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Tuesday, March 10th, 2009 AT 11:55 AM