With spring temperatures, I've discovered a lovely squeal whenever my front driver-side tire turns. The lower ball joint has play, so I am pretty sure I know my culprit. Now my question: Have a shop do it (I've read plenty of the nightmare stories to be a bit worried) or risk it and go DIY. For context, in Norway, there is no loaner program for a ball joint press (that I am aware of), so I would have to buy one. Generally, I avoid the shops to do cost, but I can afford it, if that's the best option. I don't have a lot of free time until May, but I also don't need it. Just looking for opinions. So, DIY or no.

 

If you don’t have access to or want it invest in the proper tools then a competent shop is your best bet.

 

I think my worry is, I will buy a press, then not be able to get them out/in, then have to take it to a shop anyway. I'd be more apt to give it a go if I could loan the tools.

 

Get/Rent the master kit for ball joint removal, beyond that, it's a walk in the park and documented countless times.

 

You can rent the tools from many auto parts stores

 

In Norway?

 

Buy them on Amazon and return then when you are done?

 

Amazon is tricky at best here. Only maybe 1 in 100 products will ship here, often at twice the cost; very little is shipped for free. I found a kit from Germany that is around 140 dollars. That's my best choice at the moment. After thinking it all through and reading the various write-ups on ball joints, I will give it a go.

 

Upper and Lower ball joints on a D2 (if original to the car) are a pain in the ****.

I have a shop do them for me.

I don’t know if those here who are saying “it’s a walk in the parK” -- have you actually done this on a D2? It’s easy on other cars -- but I find these huge D2 ball joints are frozen in there so good they are nearly impossible to remove. Every single time.

Note: If you do them, you will likely 99% of the time, need to very soon replace your axle seal so just do that too. All the banging will cause the seal to go bad.

 

Yeah, perhaps it's not a walk in the park with a lack of tools. But yeah I hear you, I came from coupe bmws so I wasn't used to truck sized parts on my first d2 ball joint job . But with access to tools and room for everything, it's doable as a first timer.