I have an '89 Cadillac Deville w/149K miles on it.

The front struts seem soft and make noise when going over bumps in the road.
I'm looking to replace the struts and also see that the left front lower ball joint is worn.

I've been told the front struts can only be replaced by the dealer for ~$2500 ???
The car is not really worth $2500 - anyone has done this work can vouch for is it a dealer special
or something most garages w/good mechanic can tackle? are the struts super expensive?

I think the ball joint is not too bad probably just drill out the rivets and replace it myself if I had
a pickle fork to separate the joint from the control arm.

Thanks,

Charles

 

KYB makes fronts and rears for your car - I think you can find all 4 for under 4 bills...

Replace the mounts (check KYB for those too) and get it aligned afterwards...

You will need to compress the springs - the worse part about the job - unless the mounting bolts have rusted - then it is a bear... You'll have to cut the nuts to remove the struts -

See if the local parts store will let you use a ball joint press for that ball joint - works lots better than the big fork method - and makes installing the new ball joint a lot easier too - then you won't bend up the arm.