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Ball joint job on my 2011 Ranger: rent the $180 tool or order the $40 one online
Two weeks ago my Ranger started clunking over bumps so I jacked it up and found the lower ball joints were shot. Here was my fork in the road: rent the proper press kit from the parts store for about $180, or order a cheap amazon press for $40 and roll the dice. I went cheap. The C-clamp style tool arrived in three days, and on the very first joint the screw threads stripped out and the cup slipped sideways and chewed up the boot I had just installed, so now I had a torn boot and a joint that was half pressed in. I ended up driving to the parts store anyway, rented the good kit for $180 (they refund it when you bring it back), and had both sides done in about two hours with zero drama. The cheap tool is now a paperweight on my bench and I am out $40 plus a $25 boot. So here is my question for you folks: when a job needs a special tool, do you always go rent, or is there a cutoff price where buying the cheap version makes sense to you?
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