I've had good luck with Mevotech, I just buy the whole control arm assembly which comes with all new bushings. At your mileage chances are the rear lower bushing is torn or close to it so changing out the whole control arm with all new bushing and joints may be the best option,

 

Agreed. Mevotech complete lower control arms. If not mevotech or moog for just ball joints.

 

Another vote for the whole control arm. I'd go so far as to say do both sides. They have equal wear and tear.
Moog has always been my choice .

 

I am not a Moog fan. If you buy ball joints, I'd use OEM.

 

Thanks all. I'm not a moog fan either and as expected most part stores here carry that one. Mevotech is a "specialized" brand it seems and it's far too fancy for here to be carried, I can buy it online but that takes time that I don't have (argh...).

I'm going to do one oem today and perhaps order some MT assemblies to have. Thought I'd ask in case there is some fantastic manufacturer left (they are getting more rare).

 

I just see subjective opinions on "best" brand. You can Google it and find out more.
Here's one Googled under "ball joint parts ratings".

The Best Ball Joints (Review) in 2021

If you have a problem finding the right ball joint for your vehicle, our panel of automotive experts is here to help. Keep reading and get the best one.

www.carbibles.com

 

Not subjective in the least, real-world experience.

I have been active in the Dodge CTD world for a long time, and when I needed ball joints for my old '05 I went with Moog. The truck never tracked right again, and it was NOT due to an alignment issue. It was a common complaint then, and some were bothered by it enough to swap them back out to OEM, or more expensive boutique brands, and the trucks tracked correctly again. I just hung in there with them. There was something in the fit/finish of the Moogs that made them notchy or draggy. Moog is just another in a long list of companies living off an old, respected name while pawning off mediocre stuff.

 

Not a big fan of Dodge. Every make I've used them on has performed fine. To each his own.

 

I didn't ask you to buy one, simply pointed out that the Moogs performed poorly where the OEM, and other brands worked fine with all other things constant. Pretty simple stuff. By all means, run what you please.

 

I'm seeing that for the whole control arm it is less money to buy the OEM one from subaruonlineparts.com then to buy the Mevotech brand. Are the Mevotech better than OEM?

 

At some point the rule of diminishing returns kicks in. If you can get OEM cheaper, do it.

 

Rock auto discount code:
132212083122863607
Expires May 10th

 

Just replaced entire lower control arms on mine from RockAuto. BTW, the ball joint is a b**** to get back in. And don't plan on using any of the press kits from the auto part stores, they won't fit.

 

Did you just employ a big hammer or something else? Could you push a pry bar into the split joint to separate it a bit and allow the ball joint to slide in easier?

 

Didn't factor in the rust as well as I should have, I can see the knuckle pinch bolt head move but the thread side not budge. Deciding now if I want to press forward with it.... Let see what the penetrant does.

 

I did just ball joints on my wife's Crosstrek. pain in the @$$. Especially without removing anything that will require an alignment. definitely had to undo the sway bar end link which will likely cause need for replacement as well. Be prepared to replace end links. For my outback I did complete control arms. Left the strut bolted to the knuckle an no alignment required. No alignment on the wife's either but almost just as if not more difficult. End links gave the most trouble aside from getting the ball joint back into the knuckle. I have lots of tools at my disposal.

 

Considering I've lived in Pittsburgh for the past 5 years and all the salt hasn't been kind, maybe I'll let the shop have all the fun and just work some overtime.

 

That may be the best idea depending on how bad you want to do it yourself. Sometimes proper tools/torches a mechanic has can make a tough job much quicker.

If possible, have them coat everything in antiseize so if you need to do it yourself down the road it becomes much simpler.

I also forgot to mention that the through bolt holding in the rear control arm bushing is well known to seize into the sleeve it passes through. There is no easy way to navigate this, it happened to both of mine and had to be cut with a sawzall once the rubber bushing is turned or chipped out. Nasty job and not something I ever want to do again.

 

Yeah, I'm working overtime and just taking it on Monday. My job is easier on the body than trying to wrestle with rusted and frozen joints.

 

Update: after soaking, I tested the knuckle pinch bolt and it felt like it would suck hard (break, need to drill, new bolt..). Called the dealership and they cleared an 8am OCI for me, to my surprise.

The bolt predictably snapped and it took him a while and many bits to get the corroded remains out. 2.5 hours for 1 ball joint.... Only charged for 1 hour, somehow.
Good news is new joint (quiet) and it is held with a bolt and nut now. A lot easier to cut a bolt than drill 1 inch in the knuckle. What a shitty design......

 

Good call testing out the bolt first and knowing when to take it in to the shop when needed

 

My Moog BJs with less than 40K miles are popping with split joints. I was looking up to see what was better, thinking I would replace them next weekend or something. Apparently I was sufficiently traumatized the last time around to block out the memory of how much fun it wasn't. Thanks for jogging my memory, I'll be paying to get them replaced.

 

just buy one from the dealer...they are cheap. why be a cheap skate on that part? its a pain to do in rust areas

 

At 70K miles I installed new Subaru Control Arms on both sides. I had just bought the car and I wanted like new front suspension. $95 ea from local dealer. The Car spent a fair amount of time in NJ so before I even thought about turning the pinch bolt or the rear vertical bolt I used heat.....propane ..... for at least 15 -20 mins. It was time well spent since they all came out without snapping. Personally, I think that the heating of rusted nuts or bolts is more important then liquids. I use them both but it's the heat that does the "heavy lifting".

Always have a fire extinguisher at the ready! Always pay attention to where the flame goes and the residual heat. The front wheel bearings are pretty close to the ball joint pinch bolt, as well as the CV Boot. I use a heat shield to protect the boot and I spin the wheel every 30 secs or so( I've also used a bag of ice to keep the wheel bearing cool). Best to think it through carefully before you start with heat. Things can go wrong quickly... On one occasion I accidently heated a rubber brake line when I wasn't paying attention and that added time an some expense to the project. Live an Learn!

 

Just did the entire front end on my 3.6R...

Mevotech LCAs
Timken bearings
Mevotech driveshafts
Mevotech end links
'13/'14 swaybar/bushings

The difference is astonishing, which shouldn't be a surprise I guess at 130k. Ball joints and bushings rattled and one axle had a wobble under power. Now she's smooth and silent again.

Mevotech parts seem to be of good quality and there were no fit issues whatsoever. I did clean up bearing and ball joint mating surfaces with emery cloth and lightly grease. Southern car, so thankfully the old parts came out easily...so many horror stories about stuck bearings or rear LCA bolts.

 

Mevotech TTX (TTX9513) are heavy duty/fleet and have lasted so far twice as long as the original ball joints that came with the mevotech control arms

 

I've been looking at those Mevotech aluminium LCA's, thinking about whether to swap the ball joints out and wondering what to use if so. You think it's worth the premium for the TTX? I don't offroad, but do drive one particular gravel road that is notorious for washboard and potholes during spring ski season. Any thoughts would be very much appreciated.

 

this is exactly how I would remove them old joint joints. if you live in a we salt the roads for entertainment area, the left side will be a pitb.

1. park car
2. chock wheels
3. raise car up via front sub frame jack point in center of car right under radiator, jack stands at jacking points and lower car onto them but keep jack in place as a backup.
4. using impact spin castle nut off, who cares about cotter pin as you are not reusing it.
5. using this

put pressure on ball joint and tap the control arm with sledge hammer
6. remove axle and tie off to the side
7. spray copious amounts of penetrating into the slit on the knuckle were the pinch bolt goes through
8. using a torch heat that knuckle up and let it crackle a lot
9. using impact work bolt back and forth until it comes out. be careful as if it breaks you are going to have more fun that is humanly allowed.
10 using air hammer work the ball joint until it starts to rotate, then use the hammer at and angle to rotate it out.
11. clean where the joint goes
12. copious amounts of anti seize on new joint before going in
13. copious amounts of anti seize on the BOLT SHANK of the pinch bolt before installing it, keep off of threads

to remove the LCA

1. front bolt will come out easily
2. top nut of rear will come off easily
3. heat the daylights out of that rear bolt, to the point the bushing is starting to melt
4. use the largest air driven impact hammer you can get your hands on and hammer that bolt back and forth until it drops out.

 

buy oem ones from a subaru dealer on e-bay... they are by far the best choice