Greetings:
I've been lurking for quite a while, been real busy at work (we were
just acquired, CHA CHING!), so I haven't had time to really
read the posts, but the Ball Joint thread really caught my eye.
Here's my story (and I'm sticking to it!):
at about 60k miles on my '97 V8 4x4 CC I needed to replace my
BadYear stock 31's. I went with the Bridgestone Dueler AT's
(very satisfied with the tires, thanx Patrick!). However, when
I had the tires changed, the shop told my that my lower ball joints
were spent along with my idler arm.
I had an extended warranty, so I brought it to the local dealer and
they replaced the lower control arms (said just replacing the joints
wasn't recommended as they never seem to seat correctly) and they
replaced my idler arm.
I then replaced my brake pads and shoes and noticed that my caliper bolts
on the right side are starting to be stripped. I wonder if the guy that
did the control arms stripped the bolts.
So... next time I do brakes I need a new hub. And its time for another
alignment.
I don't know when my ball joints went south, and I don't often offroad.
Usually I offroad only when going to my hunting spot, so I don't
think the ball joint damage was done by the offroading.
What is the lifespan of ball joints? 60k miles seems a little short,
I feel for you guys that are replacing them at less than 30k!
Sorry for the long post,
Travis Sawyer
'97 CC 4x4 318 5spd
'99 VW Jetta GLS 5spd w/leather
'87 Kawasaki EX500 <- time to put her away for the winter!
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