Help! Is this estimate reasonable???
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 84
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From: Santa Monica California
hey, "Ifailedjim," welcome to the "how much is this thing going to cost me" club. BTW the answer to the question is, "how much ya got?" (and then some). Who needs Cancun when you've got Rehoboth Beach and the Summer House? I must be one of the few LA people to have been to Rehoboth -- 5 times! have a friend there . . . .
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Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 210
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From: parsippany nj
I paid about $500 a few years ago to have a new clutch pack and yokes put in mine--of course I took out the diff myself. I spent about that much to do the diff ,new trailing arm rebuild, new shocks ,new spring and new gas tank. If you have some mechanical ability, I would do it myself.
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 4,312
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From: Clearwater FL
The diffs you see in catalogs for $900 do not come with side yokes or a rear cover. Granted you can reuse you old cover, but side yokes are going to run you an additional $200. So now your at $1100. If you buy an exchange unit, you have to add a core charge of at least $300. If you buy recapped yokes, add another $100 to that. So now your at $1500 for an exchange. From what you mentioned before, you diff doesn't seem to be in great shape so you may not get a full refund on your core. I personally don't deduct for bad gears, just bad housing or posi units.
In my opinion, $500 is a lot to pull a diff and replace it. We charge $300. $200 is $200. Will this guy be refunding you any money for your old diff? If not, than he's charging you $800 to install the diff and he'll send it in to get the core money back and you won't see a dime of it back. See how much he'll charge just to swap differentials. You can shop around and buy one, bring it to him and only pay him labor. That is if it's a reasonable price.
One last thing, make sure they don't use Richmond gears in the new diff you get. They have a tendency to whind.
In my opinion, $500 is a lot to pull a diff and replace it. We charge $300. $200 is $200. Will this guy be refunding you any money for your old diff? If not, than he's charging you $800 to install the diff and he'll send it in to get the core money back and you won't see a dime of it back. See how much he'll charge just to swap differentials. You can shop around and buy one, bring it to him and only pay him labor. That is if it's a reasonable price.
One last thing, make sure they don't use Richmond gears in the new diff you get. They have a tendency to whind.
