$4,200 quote from 4WP - do I have better options?

[WhiteNight]

My 2017 Ram 1500 Sport 4x4 has gone over 125k miles and during the past months, I've noticed ride quality has gone downhill, particularly over dips & bumps, jostling me and the wife around like crazy, and my mechanic told me to ditch the cheap 2" front level kit I have in there and that if I want my existing Firestone Destination X/T 35x12.5R20s to fit, then I should install a lift kit. I got good advice from Nick@GotExhaust to go with the Eibach Pro Kit w/Zone UCAs. I needed to find a local installer so I went to my local 4WheelParts to quote out the labor and they wanted to inspect the truck first to see what they were working with (understandable).

$198 later and they quote me $4,240.49 for work needed BEFORE/IN ADDITION TO a lift kit & UCAs (includes labor, alignment, shop supplies, and a 3/36,000 service contract).

Parts that need replaced are:

- front sway bar links (bushings cracked)
- front lower control arms (bushings worn)
- front hub assembly (stiff, tight)
- rear upper arms (bushings cracked)
- rear lower arms (bushings cracked)

This is for OEM or similar replacement parts + labor.

1) do these repairs sound normal at 125k miles? (I don't tow or haul heavy and drive mostly highway)
2) is the price fair? Labor is $185/hour.
3) instead of OEM/similar parts, is there anything better you'd definitely recommend? Again, I do plan to remove the 2" spacer lift and have a kit installed.

Thanks in advance for any & all input. All this stuff is alien to me.

 

[Jeepwalker]

Is there another shop around you can get another price..to see where they might be at on price?

So the labor includes what you wrote down PLUS the lift kit? And you're talking about the lift kit with the springs/shocks/and UCA's right?

Did he give you an idea of how much labor was involved (what he figured?).

The most expensive front hub from Mopar on RockAuto.com is $188. Now...maybe he'll get them from Dodge and they'll be $250 or $280 ea. Lower control arms aren't that much.

Seems high, but it all takes time. Plus he's probably got to figure you coming back a time or two (the warranty). I would think a shop which does that stuff all the time should be able to do it pretty efficiently.

 

[Jeepwalker]

I would say to be 100% certain there isn't any misunderstanding who's paying for what parts. Unless he gave you a written quote and it's all there in black and white.

 

[Burla]

Some guy wants to put a 4 grand lift kit in order to keep some used 35's and this makes sense to you? There is no shortage of people who will spend up your money if you let them. So my question would be how did the truck feel when you first put the level on? Did you use bils and what level? How did the truck drive after you put those 35's on? I have been in 4x4 clubs my entire and there is a large % of people who spend up money on lifts and then hate them, so my other question have you ever had a lifted truck? I'm not saying don't get a lift, but there is so much absent here I don't know where to start. You list would take a 8 hour shift at best, so I would ask a ton more questions. In all honestly the bid probably isn't that far off with current conditions, but I am more curious about using a lift as a strategy for a better ride then OEM.

 

[chri5k]

If you are after a better ride, a lifted truck ain't it. Simple physics works against you. Being higher off the ground means any bumps, rolls, etc. in the road surface move your body further since it is higher off the road. Their ain't no way around it. Sure you can put in a lift with softer springs but that on the delays the inevitable by a few milli-seconds.

If ride comfort is your goal, replace the worn suspension parts and return the truck to stock including tires. The only real benefit over OEM might be better shocks that you can adjust to suit your taste.

If you just gotta have the lifted truck cool factor then you will have to deal with the ride that comes with it. There is no free lunch.

 

[DILLIGAF]

If you are after a better ride, a lifted truck ain't it.

Thats 110% wrong there buds. My lifted Ram Handles and ride smoother then the factory garbage set-up.

 

[Jeepwalker]

You really notice the "Jostling around like Crazy" on uneven rural roads...with a lift, and off-roading. Like pointed out above. You sit further away from the roll-center. I've experienced that for sure. But on smooth level roads, you don't notice as much.

What happened to me (another vehicle) is once I noticed the "Jostling around" (using the OP's words)...then I seemed to lock onto it more and more and it finally wore on me and became fatiguing. Obviously everyone's different how they feel about it.

 

[WhiteNight]

I'm back. I haven't done anything to the truck but put another 15,000 miles on it. Struts & shocks are leaking and the truck squeaks over every bump.

I obviously don't know crap about suspensions. Someone give it to me straight: what's the best overall solution here? I want to get back to OEM ride quality or better and get rid of the cheap 2" level kit, put a new set of the 35" Firestones on (which means I need a little bit of a lift), while fixing the following:

- front sway bar links (bushings cracked)
- front lower control arms (bushings worn)
- front hub assembly (stiff, tight)
- rear upper arms (bushings cracked)
- rear lower arms (bushings cracked)

I just need someone to tell me exactly what I should buy. Eibach Pro-Truck Lift System or Bilsteins or something else? I need the correct upper & lower control arms for whatever shocks & struts or lift I put on this thing along with any other part you would recommend in order to do this right. I know some say no to spacers for a wider stance, but I have no problem paying for a quality set that won't cause more problems.

Anyone willing to help, I'd be very thankful for your guidance.

 

[hunterdan]

I'm back. I haven't done anything to the truck but put another 15,000 miles on it. Struts & shocks are leaking and the truck squeaks over every bump.

I obviously don't know crap about suspensions. Someone give it to me straight: what's the best overall solution here? I want to get back to OEM ride quality or better and get rid of the cheap 2" level kit, put a new set of the 35" Firestones on (which means I need a little bit of a lift), while fixing the following:

- front sway bar links (bushings cracked)
- front lower control arms (bushings worn)
- front hub assembly (stiff, tight)
- rear upper arms (bushings cracked)
- rear lower arms (bushings cracked)

I just need someone to tell me exactly what I should buy. Eibach Pro-Truck Lift System or Bilsteins or something else? I need the correct upper & lower control arms for whatever shocks & struts or lift I put on this thing along with any other part you would recommend in order to do this right. I know some say no to spacers for a wider stance, but I have no problem paying for a quality set that won't cause more problems.

Anyone willing to help, I'd be very thankful for your guidance.

You could probably get a quote from Nick @gotexhaust and get a price on just about everything you need. Otherwise, go to rockauto and get mevotech ttx front lower control arms, upper and lower rear control arms, new hubs and order suspension Maxx extended swaybar links. I'd go with the eibach kit over the Bilstein and whatever uppers Nick recommended.
You're looking at about $1000 in suspension and hub parts not including the struts. Installation isn't that hard. Basic hand tools, floor jack and jack stands for the front. Rears are stupid easy. All in, under 2k in parts with the struts/springs. Watch a few YouTube videos, pick up some tools at harbor freight, save a ton of cash. Do the work, then take it for an alignment.

 

[Gero]

Does anyone else have a hard time believing all these bushings are bad? Mine is a 2017 and all of my bushings look great and have no play at all. I just changed the front end links and the old one also looks great.

 

[rzr6-4]

I'm back. I haven't done anything to the truck but put another 15,000 miles on it. Struts & shocks are leaking and the truck squeaks over every bump.

I obviously don't know crap about suspensions. Someone give it to me straight: what's the best overall solution here?

Granted I grew up turning wrenches but in my mind suspension stuff is fairly simple to work on. Either you can spend a couple grand on an entire lift kit and do it yourself, either figuring out how to do the alignment as well or paying for that part once you have it installed, or you can take the time to diagnose exactly what worn parts are causing any problems.

Just because a bushing has a couple cracks doesn't mean it's totally shot, you may not need to replace the entire front end like you seem to be thinking.

I'll be damned if I pay someone 4 grand just to install some parts so I would be figuring out how to do it myself, if you're not going to do that then you're kind of just at the mercy of the mechanic, get multiple quotes but beyond that you're just going to have to deal with whatever they tell you.

Also, I am with Dilligaf, a lifted truck can ride better than OEM but that said you have to know what you're doing, both in terms of part selection and installation. If you spend $1000 on rough country trash then don't expect good results, but I have about $3k into my steering and suspension, once I get a couple more things freshened up on my steering it will 100% be better than OEM.

 

[Adamcr68]

Granted I grew up turning wrenches but in my mind suspension stuff is fairly simple to work on. Either you can spend a couple grand on an entire lift kit and do it yourself, either figuring out how to do the alignment as well or paying for that part once you have it installed, or you can take the time to diagnose exactly what worn parts are causing any problems.

Just because a bushing has a couple cracks doesn't mean it's totally shot, you may not need to replace the entire front end like you seem to be thinking.

I'll be damned if I pay someone 4 grand just to install some parts so I would be figuring out how to do it myself, if you're not going to do that then you're kind of just at the mercy of the mechanic, get multiple quotes but beyond that you're just going to have to deal with whatever they tell you.

Also, I am with Dilligaf, a lifted truck can ride better than OEM but that said you have to know what you're doing, both in terms of part selection and installation. If you spend $1000 on rough country trash then don't expect good results, but I have about $3k into my steering and suspension, once I get a couple more things freshened up on my steering it will 100% be better than OEM.

I share your opinion, the front lower control arms & front sway bar, I did replace the original as it had a lot of rust, are still stock but the rest of my suspenion is after market.
My truck drives/rides much better IMO, my boss has a 14’ and is a leave it stock kind of guy, was surprised how good my truck handled when I let him drive it.

 

[hunterdan]

Does anyone else have a hard time believing all these bushings are bad? Mine is a 2017 and all of my bushings look great and have no play at all. I just changed the front end links and the old one also looks great.

It's a 2017 with 125k. The rubber will deteriorate from age, miles and dirt/debris on the the road. The rear control arm bushings are already pretty soft and known to cause wheel hop issues. Add some age and miles on to the bushings, and it just gets worse. Sure some cracks in the rubber isn't exactly an issue, but at 125-140k miles it's probably time to start replacing those components.
As for the end links, the bushings get mashed down during installation, to an extent. As long as they're not split or making noise, I wouldn't worry about them. Actually tempted to take mine off and drive a few days without mine to see how it rides/handles.

 

[62Blazer]

On a side note, no way I would have 4 Wheell Parts do this work. First of all, you don't need an off-road shop to do this. It's basically just replacing parts. Second, I've been around a couple different 4WP shops and no way I would use them for anything. Maybe the local one to you is good, but the ones I've dealt with do shoddy work and were expensive. I'll buy some parts from them because sometimes they have the best price, but no way I would let them touch my vehicle. I've been a member of off-road clubs in a couple different areas and nobody in the clubs would let them work on their vehicle.

 

[WhiteNight]

Thanks all for responding. I did chat with Nick awhile back and he recommended an Eibach Pro kit and Zone UCAs. I just DM'd him again, hopefully I can give him that business.

I have a full-time career, part-time job, am a full-time grad student, serve in my state guard, and am working in a political campaign right now...so for those recommending I do the work myself, I appreciate it, but I'm going to let someone who knows what they're doing do that for me.

If I'm going to spend some money, I just want the best outcome.

 

[Jeepwalker]

Yes, I can believe the bushings are bad. I look at the ones on my rear lower control arms and yeah, they're astonishingly poor looking, and need replacing too. I'm glad you brought this up b/c I forgot about them (I should get on them soon). Front lower CA bushings are a common item to replace on this forum for quite a while too...so that doesn't surprise me either.

As for the rest of the work, the price seems high to me. But then I'm not in FL and I do all my own work ...so. And if the shop WAS going to use OEM control arms, you can just price them out at Mopar and see how much they cost. Lot cheaper for the same Mopar stuff off RockAuto I'm sure. There must be some south-of-the-border shops who can do that work for a fraction of the price. I agree with the shop. Don't use cheap ...or even parts-store grade front hubs. Use Mopar, SK or something high quality.

If you want oem ride, why not go with Mopar OEM shocks?? If they last another 140k miles ...seems like a decent value to me. Probably trade the truck off before you wear them out.

I'd forget the lift. You'd be straying further from stock and your goal of keeping the stock ride. Cost you more in fuel economy and likely won't ride as smooth. IDK why guys get wrapped up in the whole 2" front lift thing, except for like off-roading or farm use. Just costs lower fuel economy and ruins the CVs faster. I kind of like my truck raked in the front! Really you probably ought to start looking at 2500's if you want larger tires and lift.