I think I just got screwed. Advice?

Let me start with I do not INTEND to sound like a dick...

Your parents decided to surprise you (very nice of them).
They took your truck to someone they trust and has helped your family out (sounds like he would stand by his work).
They got a quote from the mechanic which they agreed on.
The work was done to THEIR satisfaction.
THEY paid for it.
THEY are not complaining (you are).
Do you know if the mechanic ran into issues with the job, which made it take longer?
You are very hung up on Moog. A lot of people have said their quality has dropped.
There is a loose nut or bolt or whatever floating around. I have worked on many vehicles with a random bolt floating around left over from years past.

At the end of the day give your parents a big hug, thank them, and get over it! Maybe they realized it could have been done cheaper, but also realized they should throw the mechanic a bone since he has helped your family.

You sound like a kid who was given a pair of shoes to replace your worn out and threadbare ones, but is pissed off because they were not Nike’s.

Nonstop said:

You sound like a kid who was given a pair of shoes to replace your worn out and threadbare ones, but is pissed off because they were not Nike’s.

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Lolol riiiiight?
If I told my parents my truck broke down or sounded funny at 18 they’d tell me how do my feet work? How do my hands feel?
Good?
Then walk down to the parts store with those feet I gave you and use them hands to fix your truck.
I’d have loved a surprise fix on my truck even if I thought I could do it cheaper / better / faster.
I mean it’s like getting my car painted ... I’d love to paint my truck but I know I don’t have the skills or the patience. So I paid a guy. He said the paint was like 1k And used Nasons paint from our well known local paint supplier. So I priced the paint because I’m a curious fellow. Suffice it to say it wasn’t a grand but oh wells
And his labor wasn’t cheap, again, oh well.
This guy is going to paint my truck. Paint it right and stand behind it.
And I’m ok with paying him what he wanted for a job well done.
I did notice he isn’t actually using a nasons clear coat on it, though the base is Nason. I’m not running around saying the guy screwed me outta 3k. But like an adult I asked, hey bro? What clear is this?
He kindly responded it’s the clear coat I like to use it’s about 30 bucks cheaper a gallon and sprays nice and even and it lasts. Now if I had known I’d have gladly paid the extra 30 for the Nason clear... but guess what I trust the guy and never even thought about the discussion until reading your “issue” and trying to put my self in your shoes.

I don't really feel that way about OP.
I think I'd be pissed if a shop said they were going to use a specific brand and didn't, but charged me for it.
And I think the fact that he came here and was worried about being disrespectful to the shop is a sign that he's not a dick.

I also know how it feels to think your parents might be getting ripped off.
It was hard to watch my dad hang it up after fixing stuff his whole life and just take it to the dealer or wherever. I fixed some of it, but I honestly don't have the time to.
So when you see some dealer or shop try to overcharge someone you love, it can be upsetting. I get it.

For like 10yrs, I'd load up my snowblower and drive 40mins to blow out their huge driveway for them because I thought it was silly to pay for a plow and I wanted to help them.
He'd offer to pay me, I'd turn it down, it was quite the heartwarming story.
Then he bought a little front end loader tractor to play with and now he has fun and I'm off the hook. Haha....
But my point is that you want to take care of your parents, and I think that's mostly what this is about?

KilgoreTrout said:

I don't really feel that way about OP.
I think I'd be pissed if a shop said they were going to use a specific brand and didn't, but charged me for it.
And I think the fact that he came here and was worried about being disrespectful to the shop is a sign that he's not a dick.

I also know how it feels to think your parents might be getting ripped off.
It was hard to watch my dad hang it up after fixing stuff his whole life and just take it to the dealer or wherever. I fixed some of it, but I honestly don't have the time to.
So when you see some dealer or shop try to overcharge someone you love, it can be upsetting. I get it.

For like 10yrs, I'd load up my snowblower and drive 40mins to blow out their huge driveway for them because I thought it was silly to pay for a plow and I wanted to help them.
He'd offer to pay me, I'd turn it down, it was quite the heartwarming story.
Then he bought a little front end loader tractor to play with and now he has fun and I'm off the hook. Haha....
But my point is that you want to take care of your parents, and I think that's mostly what this is about?

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Exactly what I was thinking too about the op. I've got moog springs on the rear of my camaro. Bought them off Amazon and got new rear shocks and fuel filter from Napa. Bought some diff slip additive too. Took it all to the shop and had them install the springs, shocks and fuel filter. Then he serviced the rear end because it was leaking and put in the additive for $250 which I thought was a fair price. So it's not unheard of to take your own parts in and pay them to install them. I could have done it myself but, I thought the $250 was well worth not having to **** with it. Lol

KilgoreTrout said:

I don't really feel that way about OP.
I think I'd be pissed if a shop said they were going to use a specific brand and didn't, but charged me for it.
And I think the fact that he came here and was worried about being disrespectful to the shop is a sign that he's not a dick.

I also know how it feels to think your parents might be getting ripped off.
It was hard to watch my dad hang it up after fixing stuff his whole life and just take it to the dealer or wherever. I fixed some of it, but I honestly don't have the time to.
So when you see some dealer or shop try to overcharge someone you love, it can be upsetting. I get it.

For like 10yrs, I'd load up my snowblower and drive 40mins to blow out their huge driveway for them because I thought it was silly to pay for a plow and I wanted to help them.
He'd offer to pay me, I'd turn it down, it was quite the heartwarming story.
Then he bought a little front end loader tractor to play with and now he has fun and I'm off the hook. Haha....
But my point is that you want to take care of your parents, and I think that's mostly what this is about?

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82sbshortbed said:

Exactly what I was thinking too about the op. I've got moog springs on the rear of my camaro. Bought them off Amazon and got new rear shocks and fuel filter from Napa. Bought some diff slip additive too. Took it all to the shop and had them install the springs, shocks and fuel filter. Then he serviced the rear end because it was leaking and put in the additive for $250 which I thought was a fair price. So it's not unheard of to take your own parts in and pay them to install them. I could have done it myself but, I thought the $250 was well worth not having to **** with it. Lol

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I don’t think it’s the original question that ruffled feathers
It was more the continuation of why we weren’t seeing it his way correctly and attempting to word it again to sway those of us that disagreed.
I have parents whose stuff I work on EVERYTIME there’s an issue.
I don’t let my mom or my dad take anything to the shop.
But if they did because they didn’t want to bother me. I wouldn’t nit pick the shop they went to??
I can think of one time when he (pops)had the radius arm bushings replaced. He told me the price was like 600 or something. I thought it Crazy he didn’t ask me. I coulda done it for under 100 just cost of parts.
But hey it was his choice.

And did the original quote come with ball joints or wasn’t it only for the control arms?
I guess the best way to settle some of this ambiguity is to post the quote
And the final bill.

Dad: Hey (insert your name).

Son: What's up old man.

Dad: I got your truck fixed for you.

Son: Get the **** out.

Dad: Yep. Just thought I could help you out a bit. Surprise.

Son: You old bastard. You didn't have to do that. **sigh(sarcastic)*** Well lets load up and see how this pig rides. While we are on the road beer and steaks are on me. Then we are firing up the pit!

That would pretty much be the conversation between a father and son that have respect and apreciation for one another.

But to the OP if you are hurt by what they did for you and the money you could have saved. You can always give them back the money they spent. Go buy what ever parts you want to use. Put them on your truck, slap the **** out of the mechanic that is standing behind his work and go about your merry way. Just remember if you have a good standing with them cherish it bc they won't be around forever. Parents will mostly do things to try and make their kids happy and show affection.

I've read through this thread and I can agree to a point with the op. I was in his shoes at that age, young, not too terribly bright (shawshank redemption Lol) not a lot of knowledge on the subject and I had a dad that was a full time mechanic. I was the youngest of 6 kids and had "junk" to drive to school and work and when it would break down, I'd either have to have him fix it or take it somewhere to be fixed. A few times I felt my dad overpaid for repairs on MY stuff, but it was people he'd done business with for many years and he trusted these people to do the job right. Even if in my own mind I disagreed, I never let on to my Dad I felt he was being "jipped" at the garage. But you know what I did get, trust AND an education. I trusted my dads opinion and his gut. In our situation though, it would come back around. Because my Dad was one of the best Diesel mechanics around, people he went to also came to him. Does it suck that the price is steep? Sure. Is the vehicle running, driving, and in better condition than when it was brought in for repairs? Then it's a win. And it sounds like the shop is a place that stands behind their work. Back when I worked at the John Deere dealership, I remember sitting in on a meeting one time and the owner (and this was several years ago now) said it was at minimum $15,000 just to unlock the doors every morning. Do the math on that one on what it takes just to run a business all year long. At the time we also had one of the lowest labor rates around too, and we were literally stacking tractors up to work on. And sometimes I felt the parts mark-up was excessive, but it also pays the bills. Sometimes we'd use A&I or John Day parts over John Deere parts and I can tell you, there were numerous occasions where the "off brand" parts were of waaaaay better quality than the name brand stuff! So on to the education you take here is don't get hung up on a "name" and remember this for the future, and make sure it doesn't happen to you again. And even if you try not to, sometimes you're still going to pay more for a service than you'd like. I've been a full time diesel mechanic myself for almost 20 years now and my Dad has since retired. And that big family I came from? Always seems like there's something to fix, and my brothers and sisters still go to our Dad first. You know the difference now? He brings their problems to me to fix, and he gets to sit in a chair in my garage and drink my beer and watch and visit while I do all the work. And when he asks me if he can help, I give him the same exact response every time.. "You've earned the right to sit in that chair and supervise" and he gets this weird smile every time I tell him that. Don't muddy the waters with your parents, but someday repay them for the favors that they do for you as a kid growing up.

Enough already!!

crpntr78 said:

Enough already!!

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You ok, brother? Having a hard time listening to guy's feelings?
Want to talk about it?

If it helps any, I don't think my dad has ever said he loved me. Lol....

crpntr78 said:

Enough already!!

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I giggled

Beating that horse is inhumane.

crpntr78 said:

Enough already!!

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I totally get what everyone's trying to say. I've never had a bad relationship with my parents nor am I trying to muddy the waters. All I was trying to do was make sure the shop didn't rip them off and lie to us both. I already got everything all worked out and now I have a truck that I can safely drive. The shop seems to think the parts they used are of similar quality, and everyone else on here says Moog is just a name. So I honestly don't care anymore I'm just glad it's fixed. But yeah...dead horse.

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Roger that. Glad it is all worked out in the wash.

The88 said:

Roger that. Glad it is all worked out in the wash.

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Agreed! Now, go put some miles on that truck and have fun with it! What better way to thank the parents! Good looking truck by the way.

Have you started a build thread? If not, do, so we can see what the truck was like when you started on it, and what's been done to it.

Suspension replacement counts. We want to see some pics man, but in a build thread.