I have a well maintained 99 4Runner that needed some attention on the front end. I called the Service Department and after chatting with them, decided it might be time to do the front upper and lower ball joints. Not a cheap job, but necessary in higher mileage cars. Parts were under $200. Lots of labor in this job.
The Service Writer told me that the job would run around $1100. I told him to schedule me the next week. In the meantime, a discount coupon arrived at my home for 20% off Service over $500. Sweet!
I arrived at the dealership and described the issues to the Service Writer I talked to on the phone. I gave him the keys and they sent me home in a Chevy loaner car. The Writer would call me with a detailed price for some additional parts they might replace should they find them worn.
An hour after I got home, I was called and the quote was ready: The $1100 upper and lower ball joint job was now $2200 by simply adding control arm bushings ($150 in parts and no more than 1.5 hours to install). Plus, they advised me my power steering rack was seeping on the right side. That would add $1200 to the job. The part is expensive but, remanufactured steering racks run under $500. New ones retail for $1000 but almost no one replaces these with brand new parts, even the dealer.
So, my $1000 quote doubled to $2000 and the steering rack would add another $1200. I was sitting at $3200! But WAIT! I had that handy 20% coupon right?
Turns out, there is fine print, NOWHERE ON THE COUPON that limits 20% coupons to $150!!! The writer felt bad and offered me an additional for a total break of $250. So I was down to about $3100.
I drove down to the service department to get my truck back. I looked in the alley for my service writer but, he was nowhere to be seen. But, my truck was sitting there, idling, with the door wide open. Not sure how long it was there but, I hopped in and left.
My truck is going into Scottsdale Airpark Autocare. The ball joint job is $1050 and they are 5 star rated.
PS: That loaner car they gave me? My MasterCard shows a $50 charge pending from Hertz for the privilege of driving home and then back to get my truck.