So my wife took her blazer (2001 4.3)in for an oil change. Normally, I'd do it myself, but being in Iraq...well, you know the deal. Anyway, the stealership gives her this laundry list of urgent repairs...many of them suspect,all of them exaggerated in terms of urgency and dire consequences of not taking care of themposthaste, and all of them, of course,overpriced. Most of them, she couldn't even adequately describe, but she's emailing me a scan of the "advisor's" chicken scratch, so I'll know more tomorrow.

Anyway, the big one was the guy said she needed engine mounts...yes, all of them.... or else when the rubber shears "any day now", she'd end up buying a transmission. Now, that's absolute horse#$%$^, and I'd like to castrate the guy for preying on ignorant women, but I wouldn't mind replacing them anyway, but not with factory mounts, and certainly not at stealership rates. I'd do it myself in an afternoon if I was home (military folks have access to really nice shops on base), but that's not an option. I've got a place in mind to have it done, but of course I need parts...any recommendations?

 

i replaced both of my engine mounts with the local auto parts store stockers. i have had no problems out of them. i drive my truck pretty hard from time to time. especially when a honda thinks that his car is bad a**. i am not saying that i street race, just saying that i show imports a little american muscle from time to time. but you should be okay with your local auto parts stores off the shelfers.


THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOU GUYS HARD WORK OVER THERE. IT IS APPRECIATED

 

Two wheel or four wheel drive? Summitracing.com has them in red and black HERE for $41 and change a piece.

 

those look good. i should of changed mine out with those. maybe next time.

 

I used NAPA motor mounts when i replaced mine and they have been perfect so far. Do you have a local mechanic she can take it too for another opinion on the laundry list. I hate it when shops try andtake advantage of woman because they think they can get away with it! Oh by the way thanks for your service to the country!!!!

 

Thanks, all who recommended the Energy Suspension mounts. The laundry list ran to $2200 in parts and labor:

Both "front" (there's a back?) motor mounts: $157 for parts, 5 hours labor. ES mounts are around $45 each.

Upper and lower ball joints, both sides: $256 for parts, 6 hours labor. Moog parts (most expensive aftermarket part I could find for comparison) run $210.

Idler and pitman arms: $240 for parts, 2.3 hours labor. Moog parts are $103.

Incredible. 13+ hours labor and around $650 in partsfor a100k mile blazer that's never been off the pavement (only previous owner was a woman in her 60s) that went in for an oil change (and had no issues when I left three months ago). Too bad they won't prosecute attempted fraud. Well, I guess she'll just have to wait till I get home and take a look, but I'm convinced that this is just another case of a stealership trying to make up for the lack of profit on the sales side of the house by doing anything and everything to boost service revenues. I've questioned her, and the truck has absolutely no symptoms pointing even vaguely in the general direction of steering problems...and no excessive noise or vibration... The "repairs" just seem invented. I add up the stuff he wants to replace, add in the allignment he's pushing, and I come up with one thing. The only thing I can come up with that ties all of those together is vibration...all of them except the motor mounts fit a "I don't know what's wrong, so I'll throw out everything in the book" steering issue. Except there's no steering issue, and no vibration complaint. Wierd.

 

Dishonest shop. Get the oil changed, and get outta there! I've got a 100k mile blazer that does go offroad quite frequently, and of that list I've only done lower ball joints (did 'em at 90k). It's not by chance Precision Tune Auto is it? I went there for an oil change (had a coupon), and they came back telling me I had dirty tranny fluid and needed a flush (I had just flushed/fluid/filter less than 5k previous), bad pitman and idler arms (just needed balljoints), and my coolant had turned orange/brown and needed to be flushed (I think they wanted it to be green..).

These places are only good for an oil change, if you find a good one...

Could be a balljoint issue though..that would give wheel play (shop thinks balljoints and idler arm), would cause a vibration if they're worn (engine mounts)..although if you do have shop BJs, take it to a different shop

 

Actually, it was a chevy stealership...other than that, listening to her description of the symptoms, it's probably just ball joints. The vibration...well, it sounds to me like she's noticing the difference between a 2 liter 4-banger and the 4.3. Regardless, I'm not going to have her do anything with that till I get home and take a look. If the independent shop managed by a high school acquaintance of hers confirms the ball joint diagnosis, I'll order the parts and have them do the work. The crooks at the OE joint ain't getting a dime, and she's not getting any more oil changes from them, either.