A while ago the dealer told me:

1. Lower ball joints had play
2. I need an alignment (I agree with)
3. My rotors may be warped (vibration when stopping)
4. Tread on tires are bad (LF,RF,LR,RR = 7,7,6,4...32nds) & that I need new tires.

Don't know if this is good or not but the brake pads: 8,8,7,7...mms

What should I replace and what should I "live with"? And in what order should I do this stuff, keeping in mind that money is definitely something I have to worry about?

Thanks.

 

money is a problem? hmm.... for the season and safety and price of body work after you crash into something i'd say tires then rotors. dunno how bad your alignment is. dunno what there idea of play is.

 

I would do ball joints and rotors just to keep you somewhat safe on the road. Alignment usually comes after tires anyway so in whatever order you do this make sure tires and alignment are together otherwise you'll pay twice for an alignment.

 

Remember if you buy the parts do a lil DIY, it will be a hell of alot cheaper then the dealer. I know you can't change tires or do alignment but everything else you should be able to. Even a small mechanic would be cheaper then the dealer.

 

Thanks for the advice guys.

The tires: is 6 or 7/32nds of tread bad enough to warrant replacement? I think the 4/32nds tire I probably should replace since we get a lot of rain/snow. Would it be a bad idea to replace that one tire and leave the others alone? I'm watching this recent thread on tire recommendations too 'cause more than $100/tire is too expensive.

The rotors: I still have pretty good stopping power. There has not been any instance (yet) where the brakes didn't give me the security that they would do their job. It's just a small vibration when I come to a stop. Steering wheel doesn't shake that much at high speeds (60mph). They couldn't test my rotors because of the snow [abs kept kicking in].

Alignment: If I let go of the steering wheel, the car veers to the left a little. And if I'm on a highway curve that goes to the left (so the right side of the car is inclined) it's a lot more prevalent and braking multiplies that by 10. The dealer said this is just an alignment issue. I personally can live with it but I don't want the fact that there's misalignment to break anything.

Ball joints: I wish I understood what these do. But basically the dealer said that these (the lower ones) have play and that this is bad. How important are ball joints because the dealer quoted me $600?

I think I can knock out rotors with a DIY but still they look expensive. I'm at the point where I realized I'm going broke...so right now I need to get stuff fixed before it turns into major stuff needing to be fixed.

 

If my tire tread wear is 7,7,6,4...32nds what is the best placement of these tires for the safest operation 'til I replace the 4/32nds tire?

 

Well I got a second opinion from a credible shop. I'll do a side-by-side comparison:

Ball joints
Dealer = lowers have play
Shop = lowers have play

rotors/brakes
Dealer = may have warped rotors
Shop = no problem with rotors/brakes

Tires
Dealer = uneven tread wear (7,7,6,4)
Shop = good, even wear, excellent condition

So basically this shop just said I need new ball joints while the dealer said ball joints, rotors, and tires. Alignment I know I need regardless. So for the moment I'm getting the ball joints done, but then I worry if my rotors/tires are actually bad though.

 

You get one thing fixed and then it's another. The shop that replaced my ball joints said my struts are beginning to seep. :sigh: Something makes me wonder why that wasn't noticed less than 2 days ago.

The steering at least feels stiffer now though.

As for the tires, since I have conflicting views on the condition of my tires, I'll wait it out. Come Spring time I'll re-evaluate them, and replace if necessary & then get an alignment. I'll leave my rotors alone since they said I had a good year left on them.