2001 Honda Accord: Ball Joints and Bearings

In January of this year I purchased a 2001 Honda Accord, 60k miles.
Before I bought it I had a mechanic look at the car, and he determined
that the "Front Left Ball Bearing" needed to be replaced, along with 2
tires.
So the dealer agreed to make the fixes before I drove it home. They
replaced the Bearing, and put 2 new tires on the car.

Now its the end of March and all has been fine up to this point.
Saturday I started noticing that the car had a squeaking sound coming
from it as I drove. It sounds like metal squeaking and was coming from
near the tire area. It was especially noticable when going over bumps
or small hills. Any sort of up-and-down impact driving, and the noise
would come back.

I brought the car back to the dealer (I'm under warranty, thank
goodness) and they put it up on the bay. They said that the squeaking
sound is coming from bad Upper and Lower Ball Joints in the front and
it needs to be replaced.

My questions are:
--> Do you think this assessment is accurate giving the sounds I was
hearing? Online I read people usually hear clunking sounds, and have
trouble steering. I had none of that. It drives great, just the
squeaking is getting louder and more consistant, on highways too.

--> Does it seem weird that the car was in fine shape when I bought it,
and just 2 months later the ball bearing is this bad? They told me
this is standard maintenance type work on a car, and it's quite
possible no one could notice it back in January.

--> Do you think this is related at all to the Ball Joints I had
replaced, or the new tires?

Thanks!

 

My 2002 Honda Civic EX makes a squeak noise if I drive over a large
enough bump... I've been told that this is most likely not a big deal -
the steering/handling is not effected at all, and there is no other
noise than the "squeak". I've read that the springs are probably a bit
corroded and are making the noise when they are compressed. Now mind
you, it doesn't make the noise all the time as I drive, just when I hit
pot holes or speed bumps.

If your squeak happens more often, it very well could be something
serious... I'd be interested to hear what others think.

 

No such thing as "Left Front Ball Bearing". Perhaps you mean "Left Front
WHEEL Bearing".

Squeaky lower ball joints are common.

What you're reading online is wrong. Squeaking can be a SEIZING balljoint.
Clunking has little to do with Honda balljoints. You CAN get clunking from
stabilizer bar link balljoints, such as those on many Toyotas.

Power steering boost will mask a seizing balljoint, and all you'll get is
the noise and no increased steering wheel effort.

Even a loose balljoint can be completely missed by most owners, as they'll
have got used to the vagueness of the steering. Keep in mind that a car
with rack-and-pinion steering and worn balljoints will track better than a
older car with perfect balljoints and a steering box.

Different from all of that. Coincidence. This is what warranties are for.
Guess that dealer's sorry he picked up this particular vehicle.

 

I wanted to post an update of where the car is at, and hear what you
thought.

The work on the upper and lower ball joints on the two front wheels is
being fixed (and luckily covered by warranty). I was told by the
mechanic that after doing this, one must do the wheel alignment,
otherwise I would have steering problems. Turns out the warranty never
covers wheel alignment, and does not cover taxes on the whole job.
Also turns out, mechanic told me that the WHOLE job, inc tax and labor
and alignment and all the upper and lower ball joints on the front 2
tires.... would have been $700.

What!?

I was shocked, considering I purshased the car mid-January, and now we
are in Mid-March. That's actually just two months later.

So, please tell me: Is $700 for that whole job what could be expected?
He said its not something I would need again for another 90k miles.
Also, how much is wheel allignment on its own, usually?

The positive side to this, is I only have to pay $140 out of pocket,
for what warranty won't cover. And I got a free rental car duing this
whole saga.

But still, if I didn't have that warranty..... $700???

What do you guys think?

 

Are you sure the upper ball joints needed to be replaced? Under normal
usage, those typically last the entire life of the car. And if this version
of Accord is like my '93 Accord, the upper joints are integrated into the
control arms, thereby requiring entire arm replacement. Replacement of the
lower ball joints is not as unusual. And unlike the upper joints, they are
not integrated into the control arms.

A wheel alignment is recommended after having suspension work like this, and
doesn't cost much--about $50 or so.

 

They do wear. Mine wore out. Not to the point of falling apart, but there
was noticeable play.

The last balljoints left in my front end that are original are the tie
rods. They do not appear to be worn. All the others either seized or got
loose.

Just like mine. I replaced both whole arms in order to get the new bushings
as well.

I just bought an entire bushing set for the rest of the front end ($305
Cdn). You should see the old damper fork bushings. After 15 years, they're
sagging badly and are actually delaminating.

This time I plan to take photographs of the job, unlike when I did the
rears last year.

 

Does it sound like then, to replace upper and lower ball joints on both
front tires, plus labor, plus tax, plus wheel alignment - would cost
$700 ? ?

And if this happened 2 months after you bought the car (granted, used),
would you be as concerned as I am? Or should I just go with the flow
on this one?

 

it's very unusual for the ball joints to be gone at only 60k miles.
unless it was either in a crash or the boots were ruined by someone
using the incorrect tool, but again, there's no real reason to
disassemble these joints at only 60k.

get a breakdown on costs - parts + labor. get second or third opinions,
including from independent honda repair shops. $700 seems excessive, if
this work is needed at all.

 

Something is wrong. I recently had to have a steering rack replaced under
warranty. I dropped the car off and then picked it up later with no money
out of pocket. It included all parts and labor, including an alignment.
You eigher have a truly crappy warranty or someone is lying to you.

 

I'm glad someone responded. I too thought something was
weird about having to pay taxes on a warranty item, for one
thing.

To the OP: If you're in the U.S., I think you should consult
American Honda's customer service about this, with tact, not
pointing fingers just yet, but to see if they too
immediately report what the dealer did sounds fishy and
deserves some scrutiny. There's a toll free number etc. at
http://automobiles.honda.com/

 

Thanks guys, for the advice.
This is actually not Honday warranty. It's Penn Warranty, and was
given to me for free for a year by the dealer I bought the car from.
Does that make a difference in your opinion?

I picked the car up, and the ball joint problem is fixed. He said he's
never had a warranty come through there that paid the taxes on a job.
Total price for the whole thing came to $550, which was less than the
700 I originally thought. He lowered his labor rate so I wouldnt have
to pay the difference (his labor rate is normally higher than the
warranty's labor rate). So in the end, I paid $80 for the allignment,
and $50 for taxes on the whole job.

Yes, I'm in the US - east coast.

 

Ah, jeez, no idea. I'd be reading the fine print of the
warranty's terms.

I know I didn't pay a cent (not for taxes, the repair, or
the rental car) the one time my 91 Civic had a Honda Company
warranty repair (auto seat belt problem).

 

Sure does. You need to read what is, and isn't covered by the warranty.
I think you will find the warranty is not worth much more than that paper
it is written on. That is why the dealer gave it to you for free.