A groan and squeak in right front seems to be a ball joint but my mechanic, a one-time Jag owner himself, says they are NOT worn enough to warrant replacement. He lubed lower joints and int. control arm bushings and told me to drive to work in the lubrication. Noise comes and goes.

What think? Am I running a risk of a broken wheel? He says no. How much is a ball joint replace and should I do it all at once?

All suggestions welcomed.

 

Are there certain instances that make it better or worse? turning certain directions, or above/below certain speeds, things like that? Lots of possible things in the corner that it could be, so trying to narrow it down will potentially save a few bucks.

 

Well, we can't see it or hear the noise, and your mechanic has had hands on it, if you can't trust him, who can you trust? A groan and/or squeak can be lots of things on a 17yr old car....bushings, yes ball joint, bearing, shock tower bushings, etc... Does it vibrate or pull?....that's usually the sign of a possible bad ball joint. I say ride it a couple days to see if the grease works in.
So then if you don't trust your mechanic, go get it put on a rack for a second opinion, most places will do a check for free.