Noisy Rear end
I have a 2002 Ford Thunderbird. It has about 39000 miles on it. My wife is the primary driver so I don’t often drive it. When I did finally drive it a few weeks ago I detected considerable noise coming from the rear. It sounded like a bearing, but the question was, which bearing? I checked out the TB FAQ at
http://forums.thunderbirdforum.com/. I immediately saw that I was not alone. I have the complete
service manual set for the car and studied up. I figured I could replace wheel bearings if I bought the special puller for the hubs. I also figured I could to the half shafts if I bought the special tool to deal with the axle clip. I might even be able to deal with a differential remove and replace, but figured an overhaul would best be left to a specialist. I then went on a quest to find someone who could pinpoint where the problem was. I called Currie Industries noted for bullet proofing Ford 9” rear ends. They offered to rebuild the rear end, if I did the R&R . They then recommended I take it to a nearby place that specializes in 4 x 4 and truck lifts. I took it there and they test drove it. The guy said he couldn’t hear it but then told me he didn’t care for cars, just trucks. He finally said he thought he heard it but I had my doubts. Back at the shop he said he would charge $387 to remove the differential cap and take a look. If it needed a rebuild there’s be another $600 in labor plus about $500 in
parts with another $350 if the ring and pinion needed replacement. I asked about when and how long. He adjourned to the back for a powwow with the boss. He came back and said three days and they could do it the following week. Here’s where it fell off the track. He said he’d need $500 up front for the
parts. He also told me there was no guarantee that an overhaul would make the noise go away. I took this to mean they didn’t have a clue what was wrong, but just to humor me they’d rebuild the differential for $1400 - $1800. Such a deal.
I then took it to a local Ford dealership. They wanted to write it up but I talked them into test driving it first. The service writer seemed pretty sharp. He said it’s the right rear wheel bearing and estimated about $300 plus
parts. Ok let’s narrow down what the
parts are. This is where this fell off the track. Ford doesn’t sell just the bearing. They make you buy an assembly which includes the bearing the hub and suspension knuckle for the low low price of $1050. Total estimate $1400 per side. This, in spite of the fact that the
service manual clearly describes the process for pressing the hub out of the bearing and then pressing the bearing out of the knuckle. What does Ford gain by purposely making their cars so expensive to fix? Could it be they’re jealous of Ferrari?
I decided to double check by going to another Ford dealership. In this case the service writer admitted he didn’t know enough to pinpoint the problem so he got a mechanic to test drive it. The mechanic said the differential needed rebuilt. They estimated the labor at $900 plus $500 for
parts plus $400 for a ring and pinion. I pressed him to give me an estimate on the wheel bearings. He said $400. I asked if that included the bearing. He said it did. I asked him to check with the
parts department to make sure. Surprise surprise, the assembly would be $1140 and the estimate jumped from $400 to $1400 per side.
My next step was Tustin Transmission, in Tustin, Ca. They said they would need about 2 hours to diagnose the problem. The diagnosis involved a test drive plus an inspection up on a lift. They estimated $900 labor and $350 for
parts plus another $300 for a ring and pinion if it turned out to be the rear end. The estimate for a wheel bearing was under $400. I took the car to them on Monday morning. By 10 am they called and said it was the right rear wheel bearing and they’d be done by that evening. That afternoon they called and said I needed brake pads all around. They offered that for $500. I told them to proceed. I picked the car up the following afternoon. The total bill was $866. That’s for the wheel bearing, all new pads and turning all four rotors. The work is warranted for 12 months. They knew what they were doing, they did a proper diagnosis and they fixed what was wrong. If I need anything else done they are absolutely first on my list.
