CV Joint Cost

Hiya All:

I need to replace a CV joint in my 96 Civic, and figured I'd do both while
I'm at it. I had planned to do it myself.

I called Honda to see what they're getting for this and he wants $181 labor
and $479 parts for two remanufactured Honda full axles.

With a labor to parts ratio like that I'm tempted to just let the dealer do
it. What do you guys think? Is it a total pain in the rear? I'm guessing
that it'd take me 5 hours at least simpily because I've never done it
before, and I tend to be methodical and thorough. $181 / 5 = $36.20/hr. I'd
be saving/earning for doing it myself. At that rate I'm starting to waver
and lean towards letting the dealer do it.

Someone please tell me it's really simple and I'll be happy if I did it
myself!

Thanks!

 

If you're handy at all then I would recommend doing the job yourself. You can
usually find remanufactured axles on ebay for a song. I think I paid around
$60(shipping included) for a half axle for my '88 Accord several years ago.
If you have the required tools the job ain't that tough to do.

 

The hard parts are caused by tool challenges: removing the axle nut and
separating the ball joints to get the old axles out. A rented impact driver
is the best way to get the nut loose, and a ball joint separator tool (NOT a
"pickle fork"!) make the job a painless way to spend a couple hours per
side. See http://tegger.com/hondafaq/disconnect.html for tools that work.

I lean toward remanufactured axles even though they may not last as long.
They run about $100 US per side, with a $75 US core charge. $200 is a lot
better than $479.

Mike

 

I second that notion... if nothing else for the experience.