Are these repair costs worth it?

[brian0128]

A friend of mine just is looking at buying a 1994 TLC with lockers. The vehicle has 164,000 miles. He had the vehicle looked at by a local shop and here is what they found wrong.

Front axle wiper is leaking. WTF is that? The birf?
Rear shocks leaking oil. $257.95 to replace.
Exhaust leak. $75.00 to weld.
Valve cover gasket leaking pretty bad. $250 to replace that and spark plug tube seals.
New Michelin tires $175 ea mounted.

Cost of vehicle before repairs: $5000

The compression check on the vehilce was in range.

Should he walk away or continue with the purchase?

 

[AFinn]

if either you or "your friend", can wrap your monkey mitts around a banana, than you can take care of these jobs yourself and cut these costs down. the weeping front axel seals are going to be a front axle rebuild, buy or borrow the FSM, spend around $350 on the parts and oils, and a weekend, to do it yourself. it is considered a badge of honor.

with the age and mileage on these vehicles, it will warrant either learning to throw a wrench around your garage, or get used to getting your wallet out and ponying up the dough to pay someone else to maintain it.

these are great vehicles, but they do need a lil tender love and care, and some PM to keep them on the road safely.

 

[ranma21]

That freaking shop charge too much to repair!!

Birfiend rebuilt is due soon if the leaking is bad. Dealer will charge over $1.2k to do the job. Parts for DIY around $350.
If the shop replace all 4 shocks for that price is pretty good. But if it is just the rear. Do not do it. You can score 4 brand new Bilstein shocks on Ebay for that price and it is a very easy DIY job.
As for spark plug, cover and tube seals. The cost for the parts is about $55-$60. And it takes about 40 minutes to do it. I can't believe they charge almost 200 for labor. Again, it is not too hard to DIY too.
As for tire, that is your call. Try Costco for better pricing.

If I were your friend, I will try to get the price down for a little bit more. If not, i will still buy it if no other issues is involve. The reason I say so because I can repair all that myself and save a lot of $$. Most of the cruiser out there will need similar attention unless you buy it from some maintenance freak like us here on mud. If you can't DIY, I will not buy it, it is just too much repair bill. And make sure there is no leak from oil pump and crank seal too. The shop will charge over $500 to do it.

 

[nicholas]

I agree, if you can do these minor wrenching jobs yourself then then maybe consider it. If you or your friend aren't into turning a wrench, then either pony up the $$$ to have the work done or buy something else.

 

[brian0128]

We are deployed to Iraq right now and he found the vehicle online in Kansas. He wants to have it ready for when he gets home to drive from Florida to North Dakota. It's not that he can't do the work, he just won't have any of the tools available or the time to get the work done before the drive from FL to ND.

The big question now is does he not get the repairs done, and then drive from FL to ND and back to FL and complete the repairs when he gets back.

 

[nicholas]

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but the leaky shocks, exhaust and valve cover are not extremely urgent items if you are needing to make that trip (unless the valve cover is gushing out oil or the exhaust is leaking into the cabin). If the tires are unsafe, throw a new set on from costco or somewhere else (although most people don't put michelins back on). Depending on how bad the knuckles are leaking you could throw a tube or so of moly grease into the knuckles to buy you some time to make the trip from FL and back. It's easy to do and you could do it with a crescent wrench. However, if the birfs are clicking, they could already be on their way to a birf explosion.

You should see if a local cruiser guy could take a look at it first though. If it checks out then you should be in good shape.

 

[ranma21]

I think he can drive it with no problem unless the tires are in really bad shape. Make sure to fill up the diff fluid and grease in the knuckles before making the trip. I think he will be fine.

 

[ThePookieBear]

If everything else looks good; tranny doesn't slip, axles good, etc I would go for it. Doing that other stuff yourself is not big deal. Maybe even use the front end needing an R&R to chew the price down further.

 

[BrotherRob]

Personally, I'd look for one outside of the rust belt. Otherwise, I agree with the others, none of the items listed seem urgent. Even if you had to pay for the repairs, it beats a car payment.

 

[gotmud]

Hook up with a club and see how much labor you can get. Anyone who has owned an 80 for more than a year should have the tools and experience to help you out.

 

[Chaldaean]

Front axle wiper is leaking. WTF is that? The birf?
Rear shocks leaking oil. $257.95 to replace.
Exhaust leak. $75.00 to weld.
Valve cover gasket leaking pretty bad. $250 to replace that and spark plug tube seals.
New Michelin tires $175 ea mounted.

Besides the leaking shock, I have done all the same maintenance on my truck (and then some). I bought my rig for $11K two years ago and I still think it's worth it.

I'd agree that the prices (especially the quote for the shock) for repair are a bit high and all the issues (except for tires) can wait until he has time to turn a wrench.

 

[maybe_a_80...]

A friend of mine just is looking at buying a 1994 TLC with lockers. The vehicle has 164,000 miles. He had the vehicle looked at by a local shop and here is what they found wrong.

Front axle wiper is leaking. WTF is that? The birf?
Rear shocks leaking oil. $257.95 to replace.
Exhaust leak. $75.00 to weld.
Valve cover gasket leaking pretty bad. $250 to replace that and spark plug tube seals.
New Michelin tires $175 ea mounted.

Cost of vehicle before repairs: $5000

The compression check on the vehilce was in range.

Should he walk away or continue with the purchase?

Front Axle:

All of our front axle seals leak a little grease. I would evaluate that and make it a weekend project after the big trip, no reason to have the shop take care of this.

Rear Shocks:

If that's the cost for just the rear shocks, that's way too high as the stock shocks are much more inexpensive than that. If they are the original shocks, then they shold be replaced soon, the truck will drive so much better. Get more info on this, check with us on exact price as we (I mean 'mud members) have a parts guy connection at Americcan Toyota in Albuquerque who will sell you OEM parts at very fair prices.

Exhaust leak: Unimportant unless the truck won't pass inspection as is.

Valve Cover Gasket:

This is something I would take care of. If it's engine, belt, or coolant system related, I get it done and taken care of because these are expensive, frustrating, and time-wasting things to deal with during an extended trip.

Tires:

New sneakers on your truck are always nice. Seriously consider looking at some other tires as the stock Michelins, while good, are not a great match for the 80's capabilities. Plus you can get some meaty treads that just make the truck look mean. Do some research on tirerack.com. Don't forget the spare may need to be replaced as well.

Three great recommendations are:

Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor
Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac
Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo

Pricing on used 80s really becomes a personal decision. If it feels like a good deal, it's worth it. We are all so happy with our trucks and I am sure your friend will enjoy his as well. The price of admission can appear steep but the overall enjoyment and reliability of the 80 is top-notch.

Good luck!