What kind of preventative care can I do for a newly bough high mile (170k) Liberty?

[yellocoyote]

As a band-aid solution until you can fix the driveshaft, just remove it. You can still easily operate in 2WD that way.

 

[thegreatgate]

READ THE RESPONSES TO YOUR POST!!!

You don't need an entire driveshaft. Repeat: You DO NOT need an entire driveshaft!! Unless that Jeep you just bought did some serious wheeling or was damaged the driveshaft is fine.

Your issue is almost certainly the rear CV joint, which - as TomMudd said - is a 15 to 20 minute repair and the part will run you around $80. And since your cousin would likely do the labor for free you will be up and running for less than a hundred bucks!

Now...if you choose to pay for a part you don't need that's your decision. But please respond to the responses indicating you at least read them. Thanks.

Bob

Part looks like around $180 with tax at O'Reilly's....I see it on Amazon for $85 but I was hoping to get the part in today

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[TwoBobsKJ]

Part looks like around $180 with tax at O'Reilly's....I see it on Amazon for $85 but I was hoping to get the part in today

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O'Reilly's gonna be more expensive for sure - if your timeline requires you get it today/this weekend then you may be forced to pay that much.

Many here on this forum have used DriveshaftParts.com for the front CV - here is a link to the part and it goes for $70 and includes everything you need to replace the rear CV joint on the driveshaft. They also sell the front CV joint for $85. And as you can see it is more robust than the rear one hence the higher price. Heck, you can buy both and still pay less than you would for just the rear CV from O'Reilly's... :disgust:

Let us know what you end up doing!

Bob

 

[thegreatgate]

Let us know what you end up doing!

Had it towed to a shop by noon. They just closed at 6pm and no word on what the problem is.

I tried to explain to them that the part they are gonna buy is probably gonna be $180 from O'Reilly's and I can get it for $80 on Amazon with next day delivery.

They obviously didn't understand (was hoping they would let me know before close so I could have the part delivered by tomorrow morning through Amazon).

My prediction is they'll call tomorrow morning and say it needs the CV joints on the front drive shaft. Labor is $100 to put in and the part is $180.

I'll tell them to hold off 'till Monday so I can order the same part for $80 through Amazon.

Long story short the Jeep probably won't be ready until Monday or Tuesday.

I should have taken it to the place down the street that is a little faster. :favorites68:

 

[tommudd]

Too bad you're not here, I keep at least one repair kit on the shelf at all times. :yawn:

 

[thegreatgate]

So I got a call from the shop and the drive shaft is "really loose".

I ask if it is repairable and they said no.

Anyways, the scrap yard had 3 different sizes of the re-manufactured drive shafts... A 16.5 inch...another size (can't remember)...and a 19 inch which is the one I have

Unfortunately he didn't have it in stock ($250)...But he said that is no problem just give me an hour and I will rebuild yours (ie put the CV joint on one end).

"OK, how much will that be?"

"Same price. $250."

"That exact part is on Amazon for $80 or O'Reilly's for $170"

"Well, do what you have to do. If you want it today then that is the price"

I negotiated him down to $225 and took it cause I wanted to be set today (wife's ride, she works, and is complaining because she hasn't seen her Jeep since I took it in for a wheel alignment on Thursday. :whip:

OLD:

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NEW:

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Not a bad business to be in. It is $250 for the "rebuilt - re-manufactured part" ONLY IF YOU GIVE THEM THE OLD ONE....So they take your old one and slap a $70 joint on the end and paint the rest, and sell it right back for $250....Someone brings another bad one in and they pay them $250 for your bad one + give them the old one which is worth $250 - a $70 part. :shrug: Wash, rinse, repeat.... At least technically I didn't give them a free $250 part

Too bad you're not here, I keep at least one repair kit on the shelf at all times. :yawn:

Not a bad idea. p:

 

[yellocoyote]

So I got a call from the shop and the drive shaft is "really loose".

I ask if it is repairable and they said no.

I'd gather that this statement from them was a complete line of BS. Both ends are reparable.

If you would have removed the driveshaft from the jeep, you could have driven the KJ without any problems (keep it in 2WD only). Then you could have taken the time to buy the replacement part yourself and either installed it yourself (which is very easy to do), or could have gotten someone more mechanically inclined to do it for you for far less money.

But money spent now - glad it ended up working out for you anyway.

 

[streetglideok]

Lot of guys, and alot of shops wont touch CV joints these days. I hate the grease as much as the next guy, but I rather get the extra labor of rebuilding a joint, or rebooting one in some cases rather then a shaft swap.
Now was the $70 part an amazon price, or oreillys price? I can give a little industry insight here. We dont get much of a break on parts prices from parts stores. Sometimes we get no break. It varies on the item, but for the most part, its a little less and no sales tax. As such, they do have to mark the price up to help cover operating costs, etc, as well as the labor covers some of that. Reason they dont buy from amazon? Warranty and liability. I have a bad part or theres a problem with something with Oreillys, I take it up with them and their parent Ozark Dist. and I have warranty reimbursement in hours. Amazon, itll take weeks or longer to see anything, if you ever do. Some shops put on your stuff, just remember, if theres a problem, you are the warranty.

 

[yellocoyote]

Now was the $70 part an amazon price, or oreillys price?

As said in post above:

Many here on this forum have used DriveshaftParts.com for the front CV - here is a link to the part and it goes for $70 and includes everything you need to replace the rear CV joint on the driveshaft.

 

[ridenby]

You can lead a horse to water,but you can't make them drink.

 

[yellocoyote]

So I see.

 

[thegreatgate]

Lot of guys, and alot of shops wont touch CV joints these days. I hate the grease as much as the next guy, but I rather get the extra labor of rebuilding a joint, or rebooting one in some cases rather then a shaft swap.
Now was the $70 part an amazon price, or oreillys price? I can give a little industry insight here. We dont get much of a break on parts prices from parts stores. Sometimes we get no break. It varies on the item, but for the most part, its a little less and no sales tax. As such, they do have to mark the price up to help cover operating costs, etc, as well as the labor covers some of that. Reason they dont buy from amazon? Warranty and liability. I have a bad part or theres a problem with something with Oreillys, I take it up with them and their parent Ozark Dist. and I have warranty reimbursement in hours. Amazon, itll take weeks or longer to see anything, if you ever do. Some shops put on your stuff, just remember, if theres a problem, you are the warranty.

The $70 part was from Amazon...I just checked and looks like the price might have went up..Currently listed at $103 with only 2 left in stock. The good thing was it had 1 day delivery. The O'Reilly part was $180 (and was just for the CV joint kit).

I ended up paying $225 for the rebuild. Technically if I wanted to wait days for shipping I could have spent $103 (price jumped) or $70 from the other guys link which would have been a good week wait.

I paid $225 for the same day service. If I was willing to wait out another week I could have saved $100. I am happy with my choice.

And I concur, it would have been a nightmare if the part was defective or they sent the wrong thing though Amazon...

You can lead a horse to water,but you can't make them drink.

I paid an extra $100 for same day delivery. He had the part. I didn't.

At the end he told me "Here is your new part. it has a lifetime warranty, if it goes bad we will replace it for free. And I've never had anyone come back. Screw that Amazon crap, over here we live, breathe, and sleep autos"

Here is my new part nice and clean:

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For $100 less it'd look like this and wouldn't get here 'till the beginning of September:

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Plus, this whole fiasco began on Thursday when I took my wife's jeep (hers, not mine) for a "quick" wheel alignment. They made the Jeep undriveable. Had to tow it on Friday to the shop. I was sick of letting her use my car and she wanted her Jeep back in a timely fashion. We just bought it and have only had it a few days

 

[yellocoyote]

(popcorn)

 

[tommudd]

The so called Amazon crap is the same thing you paid for from him
all you got for 100 bucks was some paint and had it in a day
As posted before you could of drove it with out the front drive shaft with no problems.
Over here we live, breathe, and sleep autos, no wait JEEPS not autosshyco:
but we work on our own and do it much cheaper :happy160:

 

[thegreatgate]

The so called Amazon crap is the same thing you paid for from him
all you got for 100 bucks was some paint and had it in a day
As posted before you could of drove it with out the front drive shaft with no problems.
Over here we live, breathe, and sleep autos, no wait JEEPS not autosshyco:
but we work on our own and do it much cheaper :happy160:

I appreciate you guys letting me know well in advance that it was an $80 part plus labor fix.

Problem is I repeatedly told the shop when it was towed there on Friday by noon that I wanted to know the problem before they closed at 6pm because if all it needed was that $80 part then I could order it next day delivery through Amazon...

They said they would let me know but 'they didn't get to it' by close so that idea was out the window.

If I could go back in time I would have blindly ordered the part on Friday for Saturday delivery and had them throw it on.

Good news is they said it was $180 for labor which I thought was outrageous for the 20 minute job to take the part off and the 10 minute job to put the part on....Luckily they needed to take the part off so that I could take the old part and go for the exchange. On my drive over I called the shop down the street (affordable and fast). I explained to them that I already have the old drive shaft off and the new drive shaft in hand. How much to put it on?

They said $75.

So when I got to the shop to pick up the part I explained to the guy that I just got off the phone with the shop down the street. He said it would be $75 to put the part on (assuming old part was already removed). I asked for a breakdown of the price and he said it is $180 for everything, and that he "cannot compete with that price".

I said you can't take $20 off the price. He said let's go to the computer to take a look...A few minutes pass..."I'll tell you what, I can do it for $70. Is that good?"

:shrug:

He knocked off $110 in a matter of 5 minutes! I think he had a long day and was confused and thought I said the shop down the street would do everything for $75 (but they were only referring to half the job - putting the D.S. on)...

So I did save $100 there.

Now I could have had my cousin put the part on for free but he is busy. I'd have to track him down. He has never done it before but he is mechanically inclined, and very handy, but he is also extremely slow!

So yes, I gladly paid $100 extra (vs. free) on the labor because by the time my cousin got around to it it might be Christmas.

The other thing is my wife literally just got this Liberty a week ago and it was already taken away from her for DAYS... She was pissed :favorites68:

I didn't even have to ask her if she wanted to wait an extra few days to save $100....I already knew the answer :whip:

But don't get me wrong, I appreciate your guys expertise arty52:

Other thing is my wife's old car was a 93 Geo Tracker that was a piece of crap! This Liberty is fully loaded with cream leather...Complete luxury compared to the Tracker :emotions33:

 

[Dave]

Sounds like it worked out ok for you in the end. That is good.

Dave