Help!

I hit a curb (front right) this morning because of the snow and now the alignment is pretty off. I took it to STS to have them take a look and they said the front right control arm is bent, bushing has play in it, and the struts need to be replaced. He said that the driver side bushing is actually also bad so they want to change both sides (control arms, bushing, struts).

Labor is $450 and total comes out to ~$1360. Anyone know where I can get this done cheaper or how much I can do on my own without a lift? Would it be better to go aftermarket for the bushings?

Any help you can give is appreciated!

 

Over in the "stock problems & issues" and the modifications/suspension forums, there have been a number of threads regarding replacing the LCA bushings. Stinks you need a new LCA. Seems odd that you needs struts as well, but can't say w/o loooking at the car.

The entire job can be done without a lift, if you want to, but it's a fair amount of work even with one. All things considered, $1360 for parts and labor doesn't sound bad.

Look on realoem.com for the LCA part numbers and plug those numbers into the Pelicanparts.com ordering system. I've discovered their prices are pretty close to the dealer figures. With a hit like that, I would replace the LCA as well as both inner and outer ball joints. The shop likely wants to replace everything on both sides to keep everything age-even. Probably not a bad idea. Depending on how many miles your car has, "scope creep" with a job like this can be bad.

Another shop in Central NJ is Autobahnauto in Lakewood (ok... sort-of Central NJ...), but I can't say for certain they would be any cheaper. Another possible shop would be EG Tire in Dayton on Rt 130.

 

You can order Powerflex polyurethane bushings for the front control arm, lower engine support and engine to gearbox bushing. I got my kits from www.waymotorworks.com a NAM sponsor.

I recommend going aftermarket for the bushings because the OEM soft rubber ones are crap and don't last longer than 30K-50K miles. The Powerflex bushings will dramatically improve your car in terms of handling, braking and tire durability. Poly bushings last 10 times more on average than OEM rubber bushings. Well worth the money, IMHO.

 

Thanks for your input!

I've been searching through the NAM threads and have come across some pretty good ones:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...placement.html
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...g-install.html

It's looking like I'll just have them do it. Considering I may need special tools it may not be worth it doing it myself.

 

Do the powerflex increase road noise? I've just started reading up on the bushings so don't know too much about them except what you said about the OEM ones wearing out fast.

 

They don't increase road noise. They do make your steering incredibly sharper because there is less play in the suspension and the tires maintain full contact with the tarmac at all times. Added benefits are better braking stability and improved tire wear. If you add the poly insert for the engine/gearbox insert, you'll notice how much better the car puts down power/torque to the wheels. The difference from OEM is not even funny.

Downsides? You may have increased vibration as now you have rigid polyurethane bushings instead of cheaper soft rubber ones. I personally do not recommend adding upper engine mount poly bushings because they tend to increase vibrations too much for a street car.

My setup of poly is basically lower front control arms, lower engine arm insert (Plus new rubber bushing because mine was gone at 52K miles) and the poly insert for the engine/gearbox which I highly recommend.

When the polys first go in, you may notice vibrations and hear things you did not have before. However you need to allow the poly bushings to settle in and the car will get smoother.

But overall, how much tighter and responsive the car becomes with the Polys is well worth the 5%-10% trade off in NVH.

I will never go back to soft rubber OEM bushings.

 

After the new bushings go in, it is highly recommended to perform a full 4 wheel aligment.

 

I think I'll go for them. I wonder if the shop will install it for me, otherwise I'm doing this myself. Could I just do the lower control arm bushings for now and install the other ones later or is it easier to do them all at once?

 

IMHO, no. But when they were installed, I installed new Koni FSD struts as well and the car runs either 16" non-RF's in the Summer and 15" non-RF's in the Winter. The car is not my daily-driver, but the car's owner (my g/f) thinks the car rides smoother overall.

I've only installed the PF LCA bushings. Haven't installed engine mounts other than an OE replacement upper in an friend's '04.

 

I need to change out my brakes, rotors, and get new rims and tires. I'm thinking I might as well do it all now if the car is going to be down.

Front lower control arms - factory
bushing - powerflex
struts - factory? or any affordable suggestions?
brakes - don't know
rotors - don't know
rims - don't know
tires - don't know

this is going to cost me a pretty penny...I think I'll do this myself and then get the 4 wheel alignment done afterwards.

 

I don't know your skill level but the subframe needs to be dropped and the job is generally a PITA. Allow 3-4 hours to complete.

I would have the shop install them. That's what I did. It is much easier to get them all done at once and you'll be better off letting a pro dealing with the installation.

Waymotoworks.com can ship the poly bushings directly to your shop and do it overnight as well. I spent $198 with shipping included and they were shipped to my independent MINI shop, no problemos.

 

See what I mean about "scope creep"?

 

Yeah, I think I'll just have the shop do it. I keep going back and forth but if I do it myself I may be getting in over my head. Plus, like IanF said, "scope creep". I'll start wanting to do everything else. Let me just get this stuff taken care of first.

 

Trust me, I know all about it... I'm facing that with my little Spitfire project... I have a set of GT6 brakes and some urethane bushings to install... but I need to replace the right suspension tower while I'm doing it... (long story...) ...and while that's apart, the passenger side of the engine is wiiiiide open... which would make installing a new stainless steel header and exhaust system much easier... since, you know... the existing Pacesetter 6-1 is kinda crusty... and new shocks and springs would be nice... to better support the heavier GT6 engine... and maybe a 1" front sway bar... since - you know - it'll all be apart anyway... and the next thing you know, installing my $250 brake kit costs me over $2500...



and I haven't even touched the engine or installed the new tires ...so I'll install the minimum for now and install other parts as the funds allow...