Control arms /one inner tie rod $750 Buick

[TmanP]

Well, when I went to get my tire patched today (a small screw), I asked the guy at the tire place to check over the front end while it was up on the lift, as the car (Lacrosse in my sig) feels odd when somewhat hard braking on a bumpy surface. Sort of hard to explain. They found that one (left) control arm bushing was fairly badly worn, and the other halfway there. Also I knew that it needs a new inner tie rod end and was planning on having that done soon. The quote was:

Total vehicle alignment- $74.99

Inner tie rod end- $73.99, labor to replace this- $89 (1 hour)

MEV Control Arm X2 $298 ($149 each)--- was told that this includes ball joints
Control arm- front suspension- replace control arm- inspect balance of related components- $136 (1.6 hours of labor)


This totals $750 after tax and shop/enviro fees.

I am probably going to have my mechanic do it as he will be somewhat cheaper. But does this seem in the ballpark for 2 control arms, (incl. ball joints, and an inner tie rod end, and an alignment?)

I plan on keeping the car forever. It's got 140k miles on it.
In the past year (when I bought the car) I've replaced the:

-sway bar/stabilizer bar
-outer tie rod end (left)
-the previous owner replaced the right outer tie rod end.


Thoughts? What would you do? And this doesn't leave many old front end components other than the shocks, right?

 

[Olas]

Buy the parts and fit them, then pay 75 for geometry. Imagine what you could do with the extra 500ish notes in your pocket

 

[Rand]

Originally Posted By: Olas
Buy the parts and fit them, then pay 75 for geometry. Imagine what you could do with the extra 500ish notes in your pocket

considering parts and alignment were over 450$ of the 750$

it wouldn't be 500$

not everyone has tools,knowledge and a place to work.

 

[KrisZ]

Parts alone are almost $450, so to me the $750 seems reasonable. If you save another $100 or so, as I don't think it will be much more, from your mechanic, I suspect the difference will come from the price of parts.
Personally I would DIY, and since keeping forever was mentioned, I would spend more on quality replacements. Trav may chime in with which brands to get and which ones to avoid.

 

[Bgallagher]

If you plan on keeping the car longer I would opt for the AC Delco or Moog prolem solver control arms. It seems like Dorman and Mevotech's quality has taken a slight dip as of recent. Plus you can order the Delcos on rockauto for 67-68 a piece for the control arms. 22-27 for the inner tie rod.

I say purchase these parts online and have your indy mechanic install them and do an alignment.

 

[Olas]

Originally Posted By: Rand
Originally Posted By: Olas
Buy the parts and fit them, then pay 75 for geometry. Imagine what you could do with the extra 500ish notes in your pocket

considering parts and alignment were over 450$ of the 750$

it wouldn't be 500$

not everyone has tools,knowledge and a place to work.


So you buy the tools and have chage out of the 350, and, if you have somewhere to park you have somewhere to work.

 

[rshaw125]

DIY. You'll need the extra $$ to have the trans solenoids replaced.

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: TmanP
Thoughts? What would you do?


This is what I did, and I don't think your suspension is much different than my 2000 LeSabre:

Moog front lower control arms from RockAuto
$102.79 x 2 = $205.58

ACDelco outer tie rod ends from RockAuto
$33.79 x 2 = $67.58

Alignment $50

Total $323.16

 

[Trav]

MEV Control Arm X2? Mevotech? Don't put that garbage in the car, these are the worst on the market.
Change the bushings and ball joint if necessary. Moog has a new front bushing for these that is basically a Heim joint, the control arm will be even better than new, this joint will not fail from lifting.
The front bushings on these can fail when they are just a few years old just from lifting it, they are easy to change. Total cost per side including AC Delco ball joint and the new bushings is $75 or $150 for both.
The Delco inner tie rod is $28 plus about $4 for the OE Oetiker clamp, your under $200 for really decent parts and about 2.5 hrs labor. $450 would be a fair price for this job out the door plus alignment.

http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=4796937&cc=1432026&jsn=412

http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=355118&cc=1432026&jsn=458

http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=389685&cc=1432026&jsn=423

http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=356718&cc=1432026&jsn=406

Edit: Moog offers control arms but I don't know if they have the new improved front bushing. The Original arm IMO is higher quality and worth rehashing, its not a big job.

 

[Ihatetochangeoil]

^^^^ What Trav said.

 

[Lubener]

Originally Posted By: rshaw125
DIY. You'll need the extra $$ to have the trans solenoids replaced.


I didn't see any mention of tranny issues. Why mess with it if it isn't broke??

 

[eljefino]

Pay to have it done. The captive nut up in the frame can break loose and tick ya off pretty good.