I brought the truck in for an oil change and diagnose a coolant loss + overheat.

Original thread here: http://www.thedieselpageforums.com/t...ad.php?t=45049

Among the many things they found on top of the 'head gasket failure' (for which they quoted $8k:
  1. Inner / Outer tie rods w CA$1,050.00
  2. Upper / Lower Ball joints CA$1,480.00
  3. Front Brake Pads / Calipers / Rotors CA$1,150.00
  4. Stearing Gearbox leaking + has play CA$795.00
  5. Pitman arm worn CA$458.00


And a few other things ...

I just did the calipers / brake pads / rotors. I knew going in that those were almost done (and they were... I was about to hit the anti wear tabs any minute). But I was quite surprised to find no play in the steering / suspension that I could tell... Like at all. The tie rods seemed fine, No play that I could sense. if I wiggled one wheel even barely moving it the other wheel seemed to move with it... Did that on both sides, I couldn't detect any play whatsoever, side to side or up and down...

I'm also not an expert either though. Anything I could be missing? My understanding is that these parts need replacing when they show signs of wear. IE when there's play in the system or if their damaged.

Also, if the shop was really trying to make allot of money off of me... What's the chances the head gaskets are ok too? Seems unlikely to me. I've pressure tested before and aren't losing fluid except under load it seems... How do I confirm?

Thanks