Question-Control Arm Bushings

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One of my friends has a 2006 Hyundai Sonata that allegedly needs upper control arm bushings. The dealership wants $400 for the bushings and an alignment.

I'm fairly certain they said the cost was for the bushings (both sides) only. My question is "why not replace both upper control arms instead of just the bushings?"

The 3.3L V6 has about 78k miles on it.

Fortunately, I've yet to replace those parts on any of my rides over the years.
 
BECK/ARNLEY are only $40 and Raybestos Pro are $60 a side for this with ball joint.
Doing just bushings is penny wise and dollar foolish, swap the control arm, its a very small job.

Less than $200 with shipping and the alignment, save $200 for less than an hours work and get new upper ball joints in the bargain.
 
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I agree with you! But, I'm not there to see the bushings as compared to replacing the whole upper control arms so, IDK! Maybe the whole control arm assembly really doesn't need to be replaced.

I have replaced just upper control arm bushing in an old Accord when it was 16 years old and, they were quite expensive at my local AAP parts store. IIRC, they cost me around $80 for both sides back in around 2004 though, the upper control arm/ball joint assemblys were fine.
 
The 2 upper bushing together cost $22.I don't know about you but I am not fooling around pressing the bushing out/in to save $18.
Then there is the issue of possibly damaging the boot removing the ball joint from the spindle.

I don't know either if the joint is gone but it doesn't matter at that price.
 
Originally Posted By: Trav
The 2 upper bushing together cost $22.I don't know about you but I am not fooling around pressing the bushing out/in to save $18.
Then there is the issue of possibly damaging the boot removing the ball joint from the spindle.

I don't know either if the joint is gone but it doesn't matter at that price.


I agree. You have to take the control arms off anyways, so why not replace them since the price difference is not much. This is what I would do.
 
On a forum I frequent a lot, the bushing route is very popular. A few years ago, oem arms and aftermarket parts were very expensive. Oem/aftermarket oem replacements are rubber bushings, and many opt for poly instead.

My opinion is OEM quality parts usually are better than a majority of the box brand replacements. So if that arm has another 50k? Left in it, why not reuse? I had my bushings pressed in less than an hour on two occasions. It isn't that horrible.
 
On the Hyundai forum I frequent, I don't really remember any people replacing just the bushings in the upper arms because the replacement arms are cheap. I've read good things on Hyundai-Forums about the B/A arms for this car. Supposedly they're made in Taiwan and beefier than the OE arms.

Search on the forum I mentioned for more info.

My Sonata is at 111k miles and my upper control arms seem fine, but I know lots of Sonata owners have to replace them.

The lower control arms for the NF Sonatas are more expensive for a decent brand, so I chose to replace just the bushings in the lowers.
 
The dealer is most likely quoting new Control Arms.

Right....
To 09/21/06
544203K000 $146.05

From 09/21/06
544203F601 $215.87



Left....
To 09/21/06
544103K000 $146.05

From 09/21/06
544103F601 $215.87
 
I'm surprised a dealer even has bushings. Usually they only sell the entire arm, even if clearly you could remove the bushings with a press.

Even if you could get them it might not make financial sense. The labor to replace bushings on a control arm often exceeds the savings of not buying an arm.

I like the idea of using the Raybestos pro control arm. Low labor costs, plus a design that is as good or better than OEM.
 
Hyundai Sonata has upper control arms?

I'd replace the arms myself and then take the car in for an alignment.

The dealers make big money off people who are not mechanically gifted.
 
You may want to consult the FSM and see if a special service tool is required to properly press out/in the bushings.

For instance, on the compression rod bushings for the G35, it's almost impossible to press the bushings in/out correctly without using the factory tool.
 
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