alright, thanks for all the help. I've learned a lot from this site.

 

i did the 3 inch t/s lift on my 01 durango and do some snow plowing with it... and my ball joints keep going, rack and pinion and my hubs.. what can be done to fix this and or what is causeing it

 

First of all you are only supposed to go 2 inchs and not 3 inch on the lift.

Second it already applies more pressure to the already kinda crappy built ball joints so they can fail prematurely.

Third, the D isn't set up for being a snow plow! You need a solid axle and not an independent suspension for the weight of the plow and the torture you put the front end through trying to plow.

 

THIS is your problem

 

I'm going to go out on a limb here and ASSUME something...

This "lifetime" alignment Firestone is offering. Is that or is that not a scheme to sell you front end parts when not needed?

I'll say this, this truck has original everything and 204K miles. I know everything's wore out. It's gotta be. There's no way 204K miles and nothing replaced is gonna let me get a good alignment out of it.

I do want to spend the money and have the front end rebuilt. Tie rod ends, ball joints, whatever. I do hope nothing's badly bent up. The tires on the front of this truck look like the surface of the moon. It NEEDS something.

So with these Firestone shops, there's a couple around me, I called one, they'll check it all out for $19, tell me what's needed, they're willing to ONLY change out of spec bits, I can get the four shocks done, and then the lifetime alignment is $149. It sounds good, I think they will be my stop for all that, and then I'll hit up NTB for the Michelin LTX's I want. What is the general consensus on experiences with the Firestone shops as far as trustworthiness? It'd be nice if I can do this one time and not have to go back several times. Anyone have experience with the Waco TX one on Lake Air in particular? Guy on the phone sounded down to earth enough for me...

 

Shops are only as good as their local workers and local reputation. Firestone in one place may be great and in another suck.

My front end BJs, TREs were $880ish. Michelin LTX MSs were $660 installed. Bil shocks were $69 ea plus install. That $1750 will get you another 80k on rubber and 160k on hardware. That is 1.5 cents per mile over the 160k mileage (2 sets of rubber over that period.)

IndyDurango

 

So true....there are 2 Firestone shops near me. One is pretty good, as long as I remind them I was an ASE and GM certified tech for 11 years (keeps down on the BS explanations for extra work). The other one is a few miles down the road and I wouldn't let them check my washer fluid!

As for flat rate; it is the worst idea I have ever seen! I've worked at 2 dealers and 3 independent shops since 1996, and have done my share of work on all makes. The labor times for some jobs are over-inflated, but most are too short. They don't let you do the quality of work that people expect from a dealership. I personally didn't care, I did the work I would want done to my own vehicle. For example: I don't want to pay someone to replace my leaking oil pan or valve cover gasket, then look under the hood/car and still see it covered in the old oil and dirt. Unfortunately, my pay stubs showed the difference between me and the other guys.

As for alignments, they suck....period. We would get a few that were easy, mainly cars, but trucks, especially 4WD, took more than we got paid for the job. Most shops pay the tech 1 hr labor for alignments in my experience. The newer $40k machines are helping make this time more fair, but it still cuts it close. It all boils down to the condition of the truck and the alignment adjustment components. I found that if I showed/explained the reason it took longer than expected to the customer, there was never a complaint. Thorough, polite and professional communication on both ends is the key.

There are some real crap techs out there, and I've cussed out a few coworkers in my day for their work ethic, but most are not. They are simply trying to make enough to pay for the tools required for this job (mine are at about $35k not including the tool box), and still be able to put food on the table. BTW, the shop takes about 80-85% of the labor charge, and parts are marked up anywhere from 100-400%. So when you get the bill, direct the anger to the people making the money, not the techs. If you were able to, you'd see that the techs are driving old cars with high miles, living paycheck to paycheck; while the shop owner and managers enjoy their new cars, boats, vacation homes, etc.

I've rambled enough now, and am not arguing with anyone in this thread, just adding a little more insight from someone who was a tech.

 

hydra you said stock height is to be set at 73mm. From what to what do i measure to find my current height to reset it? I dl'd your manual but it said it was broken and could not open it?

 

I had a 2000 D, and i always thought it was strange that the rubber stops touched the control arms. their not supposed to? it don,t matter now cause she is gone, but i wish i had joined this forum back then. thanks Hydra.

 

Bow<-----No the control arms are not supposted to touch the bumb stops unless full depressed. If your is doing this then the height is not set correctly.


Cummingetit<------I uploaded the PDF on post #4 and it describes how and where to measure from with pictures. You basically measure from the ground to the center of the Tortion Bars lock into the control arms. It is a hex cut hole in each control arm.


Is Firestone just selling a gimmic promotion to get people to into their stores to sell them work? Well kind of, that's what every buisness does.

Is it your choice to have the work done there? Yes.
or you simply go home and fix the problem parts that they so freely showed you and return for another free alignment. You don't HAVE to have the work done there, they really don't care either way as I have seen in many of the stores. You just tell them that if they tell you theres a problem, that you will fix it and just set it close if they can, you will be back.