My wife returned from the dealership for an oil change with a list of things they say needs work. The vehicle has 120k on it and they want to redo the ball joints totaling 260 dollars, and work on the steering gear box. That's the big one 910 dollars. I just drove it today for about 80 miles and notice nothing out of order. Is it common for this make and model with this mileage to have this work done?

I don't know by region, but ball joints are like an oil change in my area, they are needed all the time. If you have a jack you can easily assess it... the box is a bit rare, but at 120K its possible.

My wife and I have had a few Subaru’s and a few of those were the Forester.

2010, steering box? Seems off at 120k. I’m assuming you mean the steering rack (rack and pinion)?

Does it leak or have any issues when turning? Any binding?

No issues with steering, ride, or handling that I can detect.

As mentioned, region plays a big roll in your question. You have the road salt/liquid brine, don't know how rough the roads are there.
You could take the list of repairs to another shop, they might charge an hour or so to check it over.

It's pretty easy to tell if ball joints are bad and not too hard to DIY but a little more challenging on a Subaru. Astro Pneumatic makes a special Subaru ball joint removal tool that was just recently introduced.

As far as the rack and pinion, 120k sounds like pretty low mileage to be having problems with it. Tie rod ends maybe, but the rack? Is it leaking?

Dealers are thieves. Do not trust them.

Primary car so I wouldn't try anything like this myself. Region is Colorado so its usually dry. We keep it on the pavement and neither of us hotrod it. She has been excellent in getting it in for regular services. If any leak could be detected on the ground than no. Road salt is used during winter conditions. One owner before us and in the same area.

Ball joints at 9 years and 120K? Not unheard of. Steering box work? More details are needed. First, it is a rack and pinion. Typical steering rack:



Needing inner or outer tie rods or boots at this age/mileage is, again, possible. If it leaks externally (at the input shaft) or internally (fluid fills one or both of the boots), it has to be replaced, typically with a remanufactured one. This is also not unheard of. Whether your car needs all - or any - of this work is best determined by putting it up on a lift and looking at it along with the service person(s), or getting a second opinion. There should never be any visible or detectable play in any of those parts.

I know you said you have had it serviced but Subaru doesn't specify power steering fluid change intervals. Have you ever changed the fluid? It uses Subaru ATF, should be bright red. Reservoir is located on the passenger side.

You can jack the car up so the front wheels hang free and shake it down yourself. Grasp the wheel/tire at 9:00 and 3:00 and shake it back and forth fairly vigorously. You should not feel anything loose or moving. If anything does and you aren't sure, have a helper shake or look. Shake it again, this time at 12:00 and 6:00, to check the wheel bearings.

Front jacking location is the cross member between the engine oil pan and front diff oil pan BTW.

Typically it’s the control arm bushings making noise. My ballpoints have been fine.

Jack it up, grab the tire and try to wiggle it. If there’s noticeable wobble you need ball joints. If not you’re OK. At least that’s how I’ve always checked them.
*Edit - egregore said it better while I was typing slow.

Well, the plot thickens. The tech told my wife he did detect a leak in the steering gear box.

quote:

Originally posted by goose5:
Well, the plot thickens. The tech told my wife he did detect a leak in the steering gear box.

My advice is to follow egregore’s instructions. If you find he’s lying about the ball joints he’s probably lying about the steering box too. Unfortunately women get taken advantage of a lot by unscrupulous mechanics.

How's your PS fluid level?

I'll check it tomorrow. I'm going to take it in for a second opinion. My brother in law works for a Subaru dealership in the Denver area and in his opinion their markup for parts is high.

I am wondering if one of the rubber boots is torn.

quote:

Originally posted by blueye:
I am wondering if one of the rubber boots is torn.

Possible but more common with CV boots. My '10MY has quite a few less miles but all the boots are in tact. I do have the rattle from control arm bushings on bumpy roads though.
Only real problems so far have been VVL oil pressure switches which are pretty inexpensive and passenger airbag recall.