Good Morning!
I just got back from my 25,000 miles service on my 2008 V6 Coupe. Everything looked good, except...the lower ball joints have too much "play" in them. I'm still under warranty, fortunately, but is it unusual to have to replace the ball joints this early? I don't drag race the car, and I drive primarily on paved roads. Does anybody have a similiar experience?
Respectfully,
Fritz

 

first I've heard of them going so quickly

 

Yeah. My uncle ran a Ford Service Shop at a dealership for 30+ years until they closed the dealership. He concurs, and seems to think the shop is drumming up warrantly business. I may have to go for a second opinion. Although, I'm not paying for the service, so...

 

Mine were replaced at 40K, but if it wasn't that I have a long, satisfactory history with this dealer service department I would have suspected a scam. I still think there might have been an incorrect diagnosis by a green tech. The shop manual caustions not to use a tool when checking play, for example, but I suspect they still do.

I ordered GT-500 LCA's with heftier ball joints, a direct drop in replacement for the factory stock version, and saved about $200 over the dealer's price on replacements. Still let them do it, but using parts I bought from FRPP.

=Vic=

 

Do the heftier balljoints improve handling or cornering?

 

Not that I can tell, but I presume they will last longer under hard use.

=Vic=

 

I had to replace them at 48k miles to pass state inspection.

 

I had mine replaced at 75k.