debating whether to goto jiffy/mr lube vs local mechanic to grease my front end

[Snagglefoot]

What you are describing is identical to my 2008 3/4 ton Chevy. Yes, there are 11 grease points. I said in a post last week, that’s one more than 10, for all the Spinal Tap movie fans.

They all come with zerk fittings. If the vehicle is put on ramps a shade tree mechanic can reach them all. The toughest one to reach is the idler pivot assembly. You definitely need a grease gun with a flexible hose. Those straight steel tube ones will not work. I can reach all of mine without taking off the skid pan, but taking it off will make it easier. To make that job quick, buy an battery impact driver with the attachment for sockets and it will zip them off. Mine is a Dewalt and is one of the most versatile tools I have,

Ok, if you don’t want to do it yourself, take the vehicle to a DEALER or Indy Mechanic and have the job done. I would not have an oil change done at the same time because all they will do is have you go through the quick change lane and have those monkeys change the oil and lube a half dozen zerks and send you on your way. Have the service writer mention 11 zerks. Not 9, not 10....11. That’s one more than 10. Good luck.

 

[Snagglefoot]

Here is a posting to show folks where the idler pivot assembly is. The video is for how to remove it. Don't get me wrong. You don't have to remove it. The video is to show you exactly where it is. You'll notice where the zerk fitting is. Most oil change guys would never find this zerk fitting. Go to moment 4:08 to see him pull it out. Enjoy.

 

[jalikaria24]

What you are describing is identical to my 2008 3/4 ton Chevy. Yes, there are 11 grease points. I said in a post last week, that’s one more than 10, for all the Spinal Tap movie fans.

They all come with zerk fittings. If the vehicle is put on ramps a shade tree mechanic can reach them all. The toughest one to reach is the idler pivot assembly. You definitely need a grease gun with a flexible hose. Those straight steel tube ones will not work. I can reach all of mine without taking off the skid pan, but taking it off will make it easier. To make that job quick, buy an battery impact driver with the attachment for sockets and it will zip them off. Mine is a Dewalt and is one of the most versatile tools I have,

Ok, if you don’t want to do it yourself, take the vehicle to a DEALER or Indy Mechanic and have the job done. I would not have an oil change done at the same time because all they will do is have you go through the quick change lane and have those monkeys change the oil and lube a half dozen zerks and send you on your way. Have the service writer mention 11 zerks. Not 9, not 10....11. That’s one more than 10. Good luck.

hey thx so much for the reply! i wanted to ask for you to grease all of them how long did it take? and how much would you say is fair for a craigslist mechanic to grease all of them?

 

[mclasser]

Are you related to engineer20? Your posts seem very similar to his.

lol I remember that guy

 

[jalikaria24]

Are you related to engineer20? Your posts seem very similar to his.

no not him, i wouldnt make another account. as much as i get called names and shamed i wouldnt need to hide behind a diff account. content is content eh

 

[Snagglefoot]

hey thx so much for the reply! i wanted to ask for you to grease all of them how long did it take? and how much would you say is fair for a craigslist mechanic to grease all of them?

I would think 30 minutes is enough time, but I’m not sure anyone would be willing to charge by the 1/2 hr. I think a charge of one hour would be fair as long as he is cleaning each zerk with a rag prior to attaching the grease gun. Not sure what the going rate is but if I was in the business, I’d put the vehicle on ramps and grease the zerks for $100 CDN. You would be good for a year.

 

[zrxkawboy]

Are you related to engineer20? Your posts seem very similar to his.

Help me out, I can't remember...was engineer20 also ght/Joseph, or were they 2 separate people?

 

[The Critic]

Help me out, I can't remember...was engineer20 also ght/Joseph, or were they 2 separate people?

Two different people.

 

[jalikaria24]

Two different people.

I gotta find this guy. I looked at his posts and seems to be my long lost twin

 

[artbuc]

Engineer20 provided a lot of entertainment. Let’s see...I can buy my part at AZ for $3.68 but I can get it for $2.53 at AAP with my bonus points but AAP is 2 miles farther away but I heard Pep Boys has better quality, but I am not sure if that particular part will actually solve my problem, so, can anyone here tell me what is wrong with my car and where I should go to buy the right part?

 

[mrtrueblue]

Engineer20 provided a lot of entertainment. Let’s see...I can buy my part at AZ for $3.68 but I can get it for $2.53 at AAP with my bonus points but AAP is 2 miles farther away but I heard Pep Boys has better quality, but I am not sure if that particular part will actually solve my problem, so, can anyone here tell me what is wrong with my car and where I should go to buy the right part?

First, you gonna need either 3 or 2 bottles of canned air.

 

[Rob_Roy]

so my truck has the following grease points:
-2 on upper control arms
-2 on lower control arms
-1 on Idler Pivot assembly
-1 on Idler Arm
-1 on Pitman Arm
-2 on tie rod outers
-2 on tie rod inners

i know the control arms and tie rods are easy to get to and i bet any shop would do those properly but i dont think ive ever had the idler pivot or the idler arm or the ptiman arm ever greased or greased in a while so i really want to get those greased. my skid plate will have to be removed to reach those, and i called around to most of these lube shops and they all said they would do it for free to $15 which is pretty fair but the things im scared for is that ill drive up into the shop and they will end up only greasing the easy points like the ball joints and tie rods and then i wont be able to see if the the idler pivot or pitman / idler has been greased once the skid plate is put back on. i was thinking of going to a craigslist mechanic but all of them are rip offs, they want like $50 just to grease the front end???

i was thinking of going to one of these grease shops and explaining to the service guy that i really want them to ensure they grease the idler/pitman etc

is that the best way to get this done and hope for the best or what would you do? i cant do it myself since i dont have a grase gun or a place to do all this

thx

Have an independent shop do it and pay them for their time. A diagram of the grease points would probably be helpful.