I have a 2012 JK Sport with a small lift and 33’s that is driven off road a few day a year and around town on weekends. I have about 106,000 miles on it. I had a small leak and I took it to my local shop where they discovered a leak in the cooling reservoir and that my left front u joint cap is missing. They recommended replacing both front axles and seals at a cost of $3281.77. This seems extreme to me but my mechanical knowledge is not great. I am a disabled retired veteran and I can’t keep putting that much money into the Jeep. Would really appreciate any advice for moving forward with this

 

They are taking advantage of you. unless the alxe seals are leaking, there's no reason to replace them. if they are leaking, that is a different story, but still, not to the tune of that much money. A shop should be able to replace the u-joints in the front axle shaft for a small fee. at 106k miles, i wouldn't even worry about the other axle shaft. Worst case senario is could get brand new axle shafts and shove them in place. Couple hours of labor max, IMO.

For what it's worth, in order to get the front axle seals replaced you do have to remove wheels, brakes, unit bearings/axle shafts come out, remove tie rod (at least from one side), drain the diff, remove the cover, remove the bearing cap bolts and pull out the carrier assembly. hammer out old seals, press new ones in and reassemble. for an actual shop, couple hours of labor max and about $50 in parts for new seals??