mr. ed

Here's my story: I've noticed that the right front tire is wearing differently than the rest (wear more apparent on outside portion of tread). I figured it was time to get an alignment done, or at least have the camber/caster of that particular wheel adjusted. I took the truck to a local tire dealer who also performs alignments and had him look at it. He informed me that they could do the alignment but there was no guarantee that they wouldn't snap the original tie rod during the process (I call it the tie rod but I'm not sure that's what it is. Anyway, it's a piece that runs between the two front wheels and I believe there's a shock absorber of some sort that's part of the assembly).

He told me the newer Dodges have the beefier component but mine has the skimpier one which is prone to breakage. Since breakage of this part would lead to loss of steering control he had me quite concerned. My other concern is that I'm always wary of "add-ons" recommended by service businesses. The cost of the update kit is $489.95, installed. That, plus the cost of the alignment is something I wasn't prepared for when all I wanted was a simple camber adjustment on the one wheel.

My options are: (1) have them perform the alignment and pray they don't break that expensive part which they're not responsible for. (2) go ahead and have them install the new part as a preventive measure since the original one could break at any time. (3) wait for Dodge to come out with a recall since this appears to be a safety issue. (4) find another service business because these people are trying to make more money on a simple alignment (which I hope isn't the case).

Thanks for your thoughts and recommendations....

dragrcr

Sounds like a scam to me. Go somewhere else. Maybe take it to the dealer since they would know if any of the parts need updated ( I doubt it).

mr. ed

Well, I got a second opinion from another nearby auto repair business. This time they jacked up the wheel where the wearing tire is and proved to me that the BALL JOINTS are bad. They had me feel the tire as another guy raised and lowered it using a crowbar. I could distinctly feel the "click" as he moved the wheel up & down. I've got an appointment with the dealer to have them replaced under warranty (I've got about 1k miles left on the warranty). From what I was told a ball joint replacement job goes for around $1,000 (ouch!).

It amazes me that the manufacturer doesn't install grease fittings. That simple, cheap procedure would potentially save truck owners thousands of $$ over the years. They told me that Ford & Chevy are having their share of problems with these components, too, but Dodge seems to be the worst. According to them they've seen the ball joints wear out in as little as 10k miles. I wonder if grease fittings can be installed? That would be a BIG improvement.