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Lower Control Arm Bushings - Replace?

48K views 32 replies 11 participants last post by  Buzang 
#1 ·
A couple of weeks ago, my car got to take advantage of the CVT extended warranty coverage (torque converter lockup issues). While the car was in to get a new TC, they did their standard courtesy check. I was informed that the car needs new lower control arm bushings due to excessive wear.

I hadn't felt anything wrong with the steering. No steering wheel shake, no vagueness or wandering. No odd noises either when cornering. I've been trying to do research on this issue and how to replace the bushings myself. The dealership wants $500 to do it and that doesn't include the realignment after it's done. I haven't really found anything on here relevant to my model so I thought I would post up my own topic. So, questions...

1. How bad can the bushings get before needing replacement? I took a look last night and both sides have tears in the rubber. The interior is still connected to the outer ring of the bushing, but it is torn.

2. Does anyone have a good DIY guide to doing this? I have the Factory Service Manual, but their procedure uses specialized tools that I don't have. I was planning on making my own press out of a threaded rod. Anyone have any tips?

3. Is it worth it to stick with the factory bushings or are there better aftermarket offerings? I'm not interested in making my car faster. I just want it to last a long time and tolerate the occasional off pavement adventure.

This forum helped me tremendously when I was prepping to replace my timing belt. I'm hoping y'all come through again. Thanks!
 
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#3 ·
I went ahead and ordered two OEM replacements this weekend. I figure the car is a little over 108K and the original bushings lasted that long. I was worried about going with poly bushings and making the car too harsh. I like the idea of the Mevotech LCA's but I couldn't justify it when I could get the OEM parts for $18 ea. If this next set goes bad quickly I'll probably go that route next time.

So, along with the bushings themselves, I picked up a Pitman Arm Puller from Harbor Freight to disconnect the ball joint. I don't think there's anything wrong with the ball joints so I plan to just take the castle nuts off and pop them off that way. The last thing I want to do is damage them with a pickle fork.

Once I have the LCA free, I plan to either make my own bushing press out of some all thread and sockets or take it to a machine shop and have them do it. Which ever route is cheaper I guess. I'm doing this on a shoestring budget. I've got to save my pennies for a new set of tires and an alignment!


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#4 ·
How has the quality of mevotech been? I've seen them in aftermarket offerings for a while, and now see that they offer at least two quality lines. I would never consider their standard quality parts since they appeared to be an economy offering with a 1 year warranty. I'm all about getting an improved design that lasts longer than factory parts.
 
#7 ·
i'd favor just a bushing swap as well in most cases like this as well, in my eyes the mevotech is a likely downgrade in long term reliability,

you already have it in mind, so i think you got this. it's a standard press out and in deal so google it and you won't need much time to find some suitable ideas and threads of how others have done it.
 
#11 ·
Weak LCAs would be a concern to me considering where I go but how many people take an OB into 8-10" rocks?

Of the few options available, Mevotech is the only one that is not obviously an economy solution. RockAuto lists them as equivalent to OEM. The ball joint has 50,000 mile warranty (void if DIY installation but says something about expected quality). They claim to have re-engineered the bushing in question, which is a well-known weak part.


Assuming it was all in alignment before the bushings tore, that makes sense. Something is off right now though because it doesn't look like my tires are wearing evenly and my tire pressure is spot on. I figured I would get an alignment as a precaution, I don't want the new tires to wear prematurely. Am I being overly cautious about this?
Staying on top of alignment is always a great idea. Checks should be free. Also, some places offer 1 year warranty (so long as it does not look like you go offroad, no one gives me warranty!). Some even offer lifetime warranty.
 
#12 ·
Weak LCAs would be a concern to me considering where I go .
I specifically said materials wouldn't matter - just that "new" shouldn't be considered a benefit either.

Of the few options available, Mevotech is the only one that is not obviously an economy solution. RockAuto lists them as equivalent to OEM. The ball joint has 50,000 mile warranty (void if DIY installation but says something about expected quality).
Good catch, the warranty voiding if installed DIY is fairly common.
i'd give them a whirl for the improved bushing - if it's actually improved.

Did you get the aluminum ones - those would be nice to avoid rust though with a used/older vehicle isn't likely to have time to get bad in most cases, but still looks nice.

companies are routinely throwing around OE/OEM and "improved" and attractive warranties, that's largely marketing, not materials science or engineering. I've seen MOOG ball joint failures - and they're considered reasonable quality and offer lifetime warranty so by the warranty logic they're "better". they can make one little change and call it an "improvement" even if the materials used are lesser. they can make them to "OE" spec's and dimensions and still be lacking in design, materials, assembly, and QC that can't be copied.

i've heard of mevotech failures, i've never seen an OEM failure. but for the price and aluminum and ease of replacement, maybe a bushing improvement, and with the thumbs up they've gotten here I would try them.
 
#13 ·
I specifically said materials wouldn't matter - just that "new" shouldn't be considered a benefit either.

Good catch, the warranty voiding if installed DIY is fairly common.
i'd give them a whirl for the improved bushing - if it's actually improved.

Did you get the aluminum ones - those would be nice to avoid rust though with a used/older vehicle isn't likely to have time to get bad in most cases, but still looks nice.

companies are routinely throwing around OE/OEM and "improved" and attractive warranties, that's largely marketing, not materials science or engineering. I've seen MOOG ball joint failures - and they're considered reasonable quality and offer lifetime warranty so by the warranty logic they're "better". they can make one little change and call it an "improvement" even if the materials used are lesser. they can make them to "OE" spec's and dimensions and still be lacking in design, materials, assembly, and QC that can't be copied.

i've heard of mevotech failures, i've never seen an OEM failure. but for the price and aluminum and ease of replacement, maybe a bushing improvement, and with the thumbs up they've gotten here I would try them.
Actually, I think that you have access to an aluminum Mevotech LCA but those of us with 2010+ do not.

My bushings are in no need of immediate replacement, so I will keep them as long as I can. When the time comes, I will re-evaluate my options.

The Tribeca does need the bushings replaced sooner rather than later but for the Tribeca there is no aftermarket LCA available. In addition, it is not lifted so going with the stock bushings on stock LCAs is just fine with me.

I have read that Mevotech quality has improved over the last few years. However, I agree with you that greasable ball joints are not a plus on a car with no other such parts.
 
#8 ·
If you want a trip down to San Antonio I have a hydraulic press you can use. Not sure it'll save you much over taking it to a shop though :)

as for an alignment afterwards, I can't see that you'd need one unless you had to remove the outer tie rods. if you do, just count the number of threads showing on the inner tie rod before you undo the outer, then put it back the same.
 
#9 ·
Assuming it was all in alignment before the bushings tore, that makes sense. Something is off right now though because it doesn't look like my tires are wearing evenly and my tire pressure is spot on. I figured I would get an alignment as a precaution, I don't want the new tires to wear prematurely. Am I being overly cautious about this?
 
#16 ·
So, reading your posts brings up some other questions.

I do enjoy getting my outback dirty. My offloading opportunities here in TX are limited to compared to states with a greater percentage of public land, but when I can find it I enjoy getting off the beaten path. That said, would aftermarket bushings (Mevotech or poly of some other brand) be better for increased suspension movement and rougher roads? I'm wondering if the reason mine are torn is from flexing the suspension too much. I've three wheeled the car a few times going through ruts and up short ledges.

When checking my bushings, my sway bar end links looked fine. Are those a weak part?
 
#17 ·
According to my Subaru master techs, there are three components to keep an eye on: the top hat bearings, the endlinks, and the LCA rear bushing. They replace a ton of bushings so they are a known weakness on all cars, off-road or otherwise. When it comes to the endlinks, they say that offroad does put a lot of stress on them. I would not worry much without a lift though. I just replaced mine with RalliTek adjustable end links, setting them 0.5" longer than the stock ones. One of the stock endlinks was leaking something. Are they filled in with liquid? However, I think that Subaru did improve the endlinks on Gen IV from earlier models where they had some plastic so they should be fine for stock cars.

That said, you are at 100k. So you may want to decide if you will want to hunt for the right price of a variety of suspension parts and replace them all within a short period of time, say around the 120k maintenance, or if you want to be making piecemeal replacements.

Our Tribeca is at 140 and only now I am starting to replace bushings and endlinks. Struts still seem fine.

Personally, in order to keep my car as a dependable adventure vehicle, my plan is to replace everything preventively at about 120k or earlier if one big component requires it: struts (and thus also springs, OEM are good and cheap), control arms. I don't want to be doing something all the time and I do not expect my car's suspension components to last as long as on one that never does 4WD HC roads. Beyond that, I will also preventively replace starter and alternator in 4-5 years because not being able to start 20-30 miles from pavement is not an option.

That's my plan anyway. Hard to tell what tomorrow will bring though.
 
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#21 ·
I just checked the compatibility table on that Ebay listing and it says that Mevotech bushing is not compatible with my '10 OB 2.5i. I wouldn't get them this time around anyway. I already have a pair of OEM bushings, and it's not worth it to justify paying the return shipping on them. Maybe next time.

Middleagesubie, I'm not sure what you mean by using a wrench. This is basically the method I'll be using...
How-To Install a Bushing Without a Press - Suspension.com
 
#23 ·
Well, I did the swap on Saturday. After going back and forth on whether to press the bushings myself with a DIY press or take it to a shop to use their press, I chose the latter and took it in. In the end, it was the cheaper option and after the effort involved using the shop press, I'm not sure my DIY solution would have worked. Those bushings were in there tight! It was nice being able to have a 20 ton jack assisting me. The only issue was finding a set of drifts/fittings for the press that would fit the ~60mm bushing. And keeping the setup straight while pressing them proved to be a real challenge. I think after doing it, next time I'll just buy whole new LCA's with the bushings already included. By then, the front LCA bushing will probably need to be replaced anyway.

One thing that helped make pressing in the new bushings easier was that I packed the new ones in a cooler full of ice packs. It might have been all in my head, but I think they shrunk up just enough to help. That combined with lots of grease and they pressed right in.

I broke my HF torque wrench though in the process of tourque-ing down the bolts during reassembly of the LCA. Luckily this weekend was their tent sale so I just went and got the bigger one for $10. I needed it anyway to get the bolts to the spec'd 103.3 ft-lbs.

I'll drive it around this week and probably check the bolts again next Sat. to make sure everything is snugged up correctly. That job combined with a power steering flush and new air filters saved me around $700 from the dealership quote!
 
#24 ·
Storing new components in the freezer overnight made all the difference in a couple of suspension parts replacement jobs that a buddy and I did on two of our vehicles in the past couple of years. So no, this was not all in your head. It can be a very helpful strategy.
 
#25 ·
Definitely an overnight freeze would have been better. I'm not sure how effective putting them on ice only an hour before pressing helped. That's more where I wonder if it was just in my head. I had meant to put them in the freezer but forgot the night before. :p
 
#28 ·
So, I went on and replaced the entire LCAs of the Tribeca. Since there is no aftermarket option, that cost me almost as much as bushing-only replacement at the dealer but for a car with 140,000 the new ball joints and other bushings cannot be a bad thing. I also replaced the stabilizer bushings, the end links are new as well.

The good thing about AZ is the fact that there was no rust to speak of, I did not use any fluid and did not have any problems taking out any bolts.
The bad news is that the rubber becomes stiff as plastic, the old stabilizer bushings broke on removal. Oh, and 104F in my garage in the morning helped ensure a leisurely pace. There is no way I would have experimented with bushing removal at these temps...a full LCA replacement is an uneventful plug-and-play.
 
#26 ·
If the bushing are worn so much that there is a little sloppiness in the wheels...get them changed...ask them to show you...take you into the garage and have them do a a grade 6 show and tell comparing them to new ones...
 
#27 ·
I too need to look at replacement bushings or just replace the whole enchilada of A-Arm, ball joints etc.

Maybe looking at a better A-Arm with a slight stiffer bushing, nothing too firm, don't want to destroy the entire front end and struts. Just enough to take a bit of the numb feeling.

Guess I'll have to start looking.
 
#31 ·
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