bakulatp

A little less than 5 years ago I had my 2007 regeared from 4.10 to 4.88 by Axleboy in St Louis.

Costed me just under 2100 bucks for both axles plus a Flashpaq.

Well last week I had a situation on the highway.... scared the piss out of me...

Made it back home and did some research on here and you folks told me to open the rear differential...Found part of a bolt on the magnet and several others missing from the ring gear..... called Axleboy, towed my jeep out there and waited for them to get to it.

1400 bucks to rebuild the rear???

And thats after he said they'll give me 10% off since they were the last ones in there even though it is out of warrenty....
The jeep is my daily driver and I only off road occasionally and its minor stuff...

These bolts should not back out when installed properly.....especially after only 60,000 miles....

I have another shop quoting me 700- 800 bucks to do it.... much more reasonable...

Anyone out there have some insight and advice for me? ...

karls10jk

The full rebuild cost is accurate- there was metal floating in there which could damage the bearings so everything needs to be replaced.

As for the bolts backing out- shouldn't have any issues regardless of what ratio you're running. It's more an issue with your installer or anyone else who may have put a wrench on those bolts. I wonder if they didn't properly tighten it down from the start and they've slowly been working out since then.

resharp001

I agree completely with Karl. 100% those suckers shouldn't back out...and from what I've seen, it costs more to regear in your neck of the woods than anywhere else on the planet. I'd be pretty pissed off myself. Around DFW you're looking around $1250 - $1500 for a full regear with front/rear master install kits. I dont't think I'd pay a shot that already F'd it up one time $1400......but I've seen the quotes from your area and they seem high. If you're seeing something more reasonable, I'd consider it....if you think you can trust them. At the end of the day, this stuff isn't rocket science. If you think the cheaper shop will stand up to their work, I'd try em.

nthinuf

I had 4wheelparts regear my old dodge pickup way back when. The rear lasted about 4 years before some bolts worked their way out.

One guy at the shop doing the rebuild suggested that loktite was not used on the bolts. Another said that he had seen installers re-using bolts instead of installing new ones, but did not think that was the case with mine. Both might be worth looking into.

resharp001

y, no loctite would seem like the most obvious explanation......and sad thing is really no excuse for that...or reusing bolts for that matter

There's a shop around town here that advertises regears in 2hrs for $1100. That sounds great....till you realize that they are not installing any of the brand new bearings that come in your master install kit!!! WTF.

nthinuf

I was sucked in by an ad from a driveline shop over in Houston back in early '09. $850 to install 5.13's in my JK, was out the door in about 2.5 hours. He hashed it up pretty good. A front tire ended up in a ditch along the highway during the 'test drive', along with the associated damage that caused. Then when it was time for the oil change, all kinds of metal shavings came spitting out of the front diff. And after sending him pictures and asking about the warranty, of course he stopped responding to calls and emails...

That was my lesson on finding a respectable local shop rather than driving a few hours to save some money, makes it difficult to get the jeep back there for warranty work. Assuming you would trust them to touch it a second time...

Riptide9

Same thing here 2 weeks after 4.88 install. Luckily I caught it before any damage occurred

jtphoto JK

If the ring gear bolts were Locktite and torqued to 132ftlbs like specified it should NEVER come loose.
Poor workmanship and procedure is no excuse for such a critical piece.

resharp001

I think that part of the issue could be that almost no shop uses a torque wrench like we tend to do ourselves. These guys slap stuff on with impact and call tight good enough. They don't take the time and care that you would do when performing a job yourself on your own jeep.

Boy, speaking off.....time for me to change my rear diff oil. I like to open it up and check it out every time rather than a drain/refill. Will have to make note of my bolts after regearing a year ago.

bakulatp

Thanks for all the replies....

I picked the jeep up yesterday and towed it to another shop.... a pretty reputable place... it seemed all the shop owners and employees I talked to the past few days referred me to them... They simply got my business because Axleboy didn't stand behind their work.... Its a damn shame...

After dropping it off and talking to the mechanic he explained everything that will be done once they tear it down and said he will always back up his work.... they are human and things can happen, and if they do they'll eat the labor costs and take care of the customer...

Here is what I had going on...



And the chunk of metal stuck to the magnet...