Ford Fusion CV Axles - Quote & Questions

[NightShift]

2013 Ford Fusion Titanium AWD 2.0 EcoBoost w/19" wheel package (and otherwise fully loaded minus the heated steering wheel Winter package);

My car began clicking and popping when steering and the road noise & vibration has gotten much worse recently, so I took the car into my local shop that everyone recommends here (which has the most reasonable labor rate & reputable mechanical skills) and they showed me that both of the CV axles are worn out and the boots have began spewing their guts..

The estimate they printed out shows:

Labor: $637.50
Parts: $1,318.59

Automatic Transmission Output Shaft Seal (1) $75.33
Automatic Transmission Output Shaft Seal (1) $44.97
AAR CV Axle Shaft Assembly (Front Passenger Side) (1) $692.98
CV Axle Shaft Assembly (Front Driver Side) (1) $419.05

Subtotal = $1,869.83 + estimated tax $86.26
Total = $1,956.09

My Questions:
1.) From what I've been able to find so far, Ford doesn't install AAR (Advanced Angle Articulation Roller) CV Axles from the factory, and they use 2 standard CV axle shafts on the front end when assembling the vehicle.

I am correct? Or is the shop right, and since the Front-Passenger side CV is longer than the other due to engine/transmission placement, it should be an AAR CV axle for added durability? (In my mind - it would result in unbalanced handling/power delivery between the Right/Left sides)

2.) If I was to install front-end CV Axles - they should be a matching set and both of them should be AAR CV's or both of them are Standard CV's, right?

3.) I understand the AAR type is for higher performance & off-road vehicles, offers increased angle of steering, and they perform a bit better than Standard CV axles with a longer expected lifespan than standard ones.

But is this actually necessary for 2.0 EcoBoost AWD Fusion? It's not like it's a beast with bi-turbo's, so I'm not sure what is actually necessary here.

4.) The prices on these parts are crazy, and from what I could dig up using the partial part #'s the shop gave me (#8220 & #86006), it looks like they're quoting SurTrack/TrakMotive axles (at a premium price markup apparently..) So I'm thinking of providing the shop with the parts instead of paying their markup's and letting them order the seals and providing the warranty on those in case of future seal issues.

What is your opinion on these prices and what would you do? (other than install the parts yourself, because I have no access to ramps or a lift in the foreseeable future.)

Thanks for reading all of this, and Thank You in advance to any and all opinions on this matter. I appreciate the help guys!

[boosted_diesel]

Man parts and labour in your country are crazy.
The prices for those cv axles are nuts.
But I guess that’s just how it is in the USA I presume.

I would bet you could do those repairs yourself for about a quarter/third of the price. Even if you had to buy all the tools.

You don’t need a ramp to fit cv axles. I put a transfer box in my landrover in the street with just the wind up Jack and one axle stand.

I would call the Ford dealer and find out how much they charge for cv axles. If European companies like autodoc deliver to the USA you might be better buying parts from them. I get the same parts for half price delivered from Europe mainland compared to buying locally. There has to be an online cheaper option for you too.

[NightShift]

Man parts and labour in your country are crazy.
The prices for those cv axles are nuts.
But I guess that’s just how it is in the USA I presume.

I would bet you could do those repairs yourself for about a quarter/third of the price. Even if you had to buy all the tools.

You don’t need a ramp to fit cv axles. I put a transfer box in my landrover in the street with just the wind up Jack and one axle stand.

I would call the Ford dealer and find out how much they charge for cv axles. If European companies like autodoc deliver to the USA you might be better buying parts from them. I get the same parts for half price delivered from Europe mainland compared to buying locally. There has to be an online cheaper option for you too.

Yeah I definitely agree these prices are insane right?! Most of the shops around here charge $200/hour and I'm in the South Eastern United States. Around here they charge an arm and a leg for silly stuff, it would blow your mind. The last time I went to the dealership, they wanted $1,200 for brake pads & rotors... I almost collapsed laughing at them.

I ended up finding the parts on a few websites, after sifting thru the many old superseded parts for my car (apparently Ford realized half of the car was weakly designed and had to re-think the parts quite a few times). It was tricky, because the dealerships around here try to refuse you the part numbers (first time I've ever ran into that issue is when I moved here from Detroit).

I have heard great things about AutoDoc but since they're Euro based, I haven't had the stomach to pay for the shipping with the current international shipping rate - but the prices seemed much more reasonable when I converted Euros to USD.

Rock Auto had the sway bar links I was quoted (Moog), along with the MotorCraft CV Axles for my '13 Fusion Titanium (instead of the TrakMotive aftermarket axles the shop quoted) and with shipping the total is about $440 for all of these parts.

Most stores want around $50-60 each for the Sway Bar Links so I'm a little suspicious due to the low prices but since I probably will sell/trade this car this year I'm not too worried at this point as long as the parts work and they're authentic.

Has anyone have any issues with Rock Auto and should I look elsewhere for the parts such as Ford Parts Giant or Ford OEM Parts Online? These were my second and third options due to the price being slightly higher but they offer Ford's Warranty on the MotorCraft parts which is good news. I haven't dealt with Rock Auto before and as far as I know, they only offer returns for shipping mistakes and damaged parts.