I'd say you are probably right. Since I'm a senior in high school, he probably sees me as one of the idiot kids with rich parents (lots of them that live around the area where the shop is, luckily I'm far from that ), who has absolutely no idea what he is talking about and decided to take advantage of that.

So I'll go pick it up tomorrow and bring it back here, and then I'll probably take it to this mechanic I know and let him look it over and tell me what is wrong. Then I'll order the parts needed online, take them to him and get him to put them on the truck if its not something I can do myself, and finally take it to a different place that I know that does alignment that I should have gone to in the first place. The guy there said he could get someone to give me a ride back if I needed it while they were working on my truck, and said just if or when I was ready to swing by and drop it off and they would be happy to help out, a lot more pleasant to deal with than this other place.

Instead I took it to the more convenient place and this is what I get... lesson learned.

The truck has 152k miles on it (bought it at 142k), and I never got it aligned or had the ball joints replaced, so its about time that I do so.

Won't be doing any business with this place again.



[EDIT]

And dieselman, thanks for the link to that site. Good prices, looks like I will order from them if I do in fact need to have these parts replaced.

Thanks to everyone who helped me out here, looks like ya'll saved me a lot of $$$$.

 

I say rent the press and do it yourself. You'll know what you're doing by the second side, and you'll know how to do it in the future. If you have a decent set of of wrenches and a couple hammers and bars, you'll be fine.

 

Upper Ball-joint = 2.1
Lower Ball-joint = 1.6
Pitman arm replace = .9

Those are all severe maintenance #s too.

 

Too bad you don't live close to me, I could get you out in less than 2 and half hours and deal with the spot welds on the lowers. Use to get about 200 labor for putting all four balljoints in and 39.95 for the alignment at the shop I worked at.

I would see many of the 94-newer dodges(1/2,3/4,1 ton) that needs lower balljoints between 125,000 and 150,000 miles the uppers took a little longer just depending on how the truck was used. The lowers can have movement as long as its up and down, and no more that 1/16 of an inch. Any side to side(upper or lower) they must be replaced because it affects camber and toe.