Go for it. That guy is a hack!

 

Midas will rip you off if you give them a chance. Took my truck there for an exhaust leak where the pipe meets the manifold. I knew that it leaked there as I had been under it and found the leak. Took it in just to see what they would charge to fix it. Well, they told me that there was no leak there and I didn't know what I was talking about, however, the muffler and cat are bad and for only $1100 dollars they can get it all fixed up. i told them to go **** themselves. Took it to a smaller shop and they found the leak that I told them about and agreed about the cat and muffler. I paid them $300 and they fixed everything.

Moral of that story is never believe what Midas says or agree to pay their prices. Take it to a smaller shop and get a second opinion before doing anything more.

 

lol, Extreme 1+

 

as stated before all the parts are pretty cheap and any one with a good tool box should be able to do them at home

the shock are esy to do and you can get new ones at napa for i think they were about $25 for some ok ones. on the front take the lower bolt out it has a captured nut on the back so it cant spin and on the top theres a basket held to the spring purch with 3 nuts. to them off and they pull right out. dont bother trying to get the nut off the top of the shock just cut it off and by a new one. saves time and easyer way to do it.

u joints are pretty easy if you have it that far apart i would look into doing the axle seals at the same time.

 

hey, so i took my truck, and that list of parts/things wrong with it that i got from midas, to the dealer today to see what they had to say. They wer like..what does "does not meet vehichle design specification mean?" I told them..that when i was buying it, they they kept telling me that their mechaninc had looked it over, just like they do every car before they put it on the lot. and i asked them....so why didnt your mechaninc that you speak highly of, why didnt he find these problems wrong with it? and why are the tires all worn off ont he edges. he said " well i dont know"

so whatever...i take my truck there sunday night and leave it there for them to put new tires and for them to "look at it and see what they find wrong with it."

What do you guys think? should they fix it fro free? or should i have to pay a mechanic to fix it after the dealer told me their mechanic said evrything looked fine.?

 

Many states require a $tealership to warranty vehicles for 30 days after sale, I'm sure thats the only reason he offered it at all.

I got both front axle u-joints, and upper/lower ball joints all replaced by Meineke back when I first bought the truck (plus a necessary alignment) for just over $800. If I had known what I know now, I might not have done the labor myself since I don't have much for space and I can't afford to have the truck sitting for more than a day, but I definitely would have purchased the parts on my own. They used good parts, all Moog and Brute Force (the Moog ball joints have Lifetime Warranties), but of course they charge more than a little extra when you have them supply the parts. Was it a rip off? A tad, yes. But that was back when I first started learning all this stuff, and didn't know any better.

Not sure if you want Sensa-track shocks. They are the cheapest and usually some of the crappiest shocks around, usually advertised as a car shock.

The shocks you could live without for a bit, and are definitely replacable yourself as long as you have a basic wrench set. Ball joints and u-joints are a little important, as well as pinion seals.

If the truck drives fine, straight and true after those important parts are replaced, I'd wait on the stabilizer as well as the shocks. Replace them piece by piece as you can better afford it. They are also the easiest that almost anyone can do themselves, as long as you have a basic wrench tool set or the means to purchase tools as needed, and you can get it done in one spare weekend.

 

yea, how hard is it to replace shocks? and what is a good pair of shocks ( f and r) that would be a better choice? its funny..the guy at midas said "these shocks are one of your more expensive ones..you could probably get soemthing a littel cheaper... so i migth want to do it myself. but...i got to school...everyday.so i have to have a vehicle to drive. what about the springs

 

The front springs hardly ever wear out. I don't think I've ever heard of a front spring in a Dodge Ram wearing out aside from ones that are used for excessive off-roading or some other extreme condition.

There is one bolt down low at the bottom of the shock, three for the shock "tower" that holds the shock, and once thats out, a single top bolt to disengage the shock from the shock tower. The hardest part will be getting those bolts to move if those are your original shocks, as they might be rusted in there. Use lots of PB Blaster on all the bolts/nuts for perhaps a few days before you commence the project.

 

is this for the front and rear??

thanks

 

No, that was just for the front.

The rear leaf springs have been known to sag with age/heavy usage/combination of both. I replaced one of mine because I had about an inch sag on the driver's side, and I'm a little OCD like that about my truck.

I have never examined the rear shocks as closely as I've examined the front, but I believe they are even easier than the fronts (someone correct me if I'm mistaken). Two bolts is all that holds them in there, IIRC.