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CV joint freeplay


50Traveler

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A few weeks back I took my 44,000 mile 1990 Reatta to the shop so they could find a newly annoying intermittent soft clunk.  Two trips and $1300 later the noise is still there and it has now been traced to some side to side movement in the front right cv joint.  They are suggesting that I live with it because these parts are the original and they were much better then what they could get to replace it.  The mechanic and manager both took rides with me and described the original shafts as solid steel and the new ones as plastic filled steel tubes.  I have been going to and trusting this shop for almost 25 years, but noises like this cheapen the smooth solid feel of the car and I need to get some feedback.

 

Thanks all,

Justin

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I say this is a bunch of BS. If there is excess play in the CV Joint you should replace the entire axle and be done with it. For the mechanic to say a worn original CV joint is better that a new or rebuilt one tells me that he wants to stay in your pocket so he can hit you again for a repair down the road. Be wise and find you a mechanic who is willing to fix your car for a reasonable price. $1300 to diagnose a clunk in the dirvetrain is highway robbery in my opinion.

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Ouch. What was the $1300 charge for? The worn axle will potentially damage the transmission over time besides being annoying. And I'd think it is also dangerous if left in that state. I've seen at least one wreck where a CV axle separated, though don't know the exact circumstances that caused it. 

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Ouch is right, but $1,296.22 bought an oil change and a brake line repair, PLUS: front struts, coil springs, upper mounting plates, and a sway bar link plus labor.  It went back a week later to weld a heat shield in place and replace some suspension grommet at no charge.  The discovery of the CV problem happened after I brought it back Friday morning because there was still a noise that they could not hear.  I demonstrated it to both mechanic and manager.  When I swapped out the snows for the summer tires I did notice that the plastic accordion strut covers were crumbling apart and were partly missing.

 

Today the leather was cleaned and protected and the carpets shampooed of any mechanic prints.  I love a clean car, especially my Buick spacecraft.

J

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