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i have been noticing lately that my car has been handling poorly. so i took my car to tireman today for an alignment check because i thought that was what was wrong and they cam back and said alignment is alright how ever we think your problem might be something else.

the following is what they found and think is my problem

control arm bushings pulled out $120 per side and link pins $40 x 2 plus tax. (this is their first suggestion to fix it with prices.)

if problem still persist recommend starting with rack-n-pinion replacement and alignment $700. (second option.)

i do believe all prices are for them to fix it at tireman.


so what i want to know is does anyone agree with this or have any ideas of what else to look for. also what are some prices on the bushings and link pins that are of good quality or that work well on our cars.

any help is appreciated thanks in advance!

Just buy prothane bushings and take day off and do them. Deff is the cheapest best solution.

ok so you think the bushings might be the only problem but the best place to start

Its more then likely that they are popped out. Its a good starting point specially if your hearing a banging noise at all in front.

SlvrACR wrote:Just buy prothane bushings and take day off and do them. Deff is the cheapest best solution.

x2

yea its sort of a banging sound i guess. it sound more like a manual in reverse when im turning kind of like a whine. i guess i could buy and replace the bushings no matter what right.

Ya I work for Tireman/Belle Tire and I know in MI basically every neon has popped out bushings lol

ok i went to the one on monroe street in toledo and i think they said one of them is pulled out. im going to look under it tomorrow and see if i can see whats up. if they are all nasty looking ill get the new bushings and replace them. hopefully i dont break anything when im doing this repair!

If you jack it up you will see it since there is no load on the suspension. Ive done 4 in my driveway and never broke anything

where am i looking exactly? lower on the axle assembly (meaning the whole thing holding the wheel on) or just on the c-arm

tank you occasional

http://www.modernperformance.com/protha ... -1280.html

would this be worth it for my 5 year old car or no?

Its worth it but the rear trailing arms are a bitch.

lol. should i buy it to have them and then adventually replace the back or would it be more wise to do it all at once if i buy it

I did the whole kit on my car but the trailing arms. The MI road salt made them a bitch to get out so I stopped.

the trailing arms are the whole four metal arms that hold the rear end correct.

Ya. The Tension struts are nice to have but the trailing arms is didnt do

ok ill see if i can get the funds for the whole set if not ill just get the C-arm bushings

once you have the control arms out check also the ball joints. could be you also need to change them.
not a big deal!

how would i know they are bad? if i spot a crack or alot of dirt?

You can check the ball joints by leaving wheel on, jacking up the car, and seeing if you can move the wheel by pushing in and out on the top and bottom back and forth. Like try to make it wobble it.

You can check the tie rod ends the same way, only pushing on each side instead of top and bottom.

You can also visually inspect them and see if any of the boots are busted.

awesome im going to put it on ramps later today to check the bushings then ill jack it and test those other things.


edit:

i just got done checking the ball joint and the tie rids and they dont look like they were the problem.

i know this might be a stretch to ask for but does anyone have a picture of the bad bushings and a picture of the new ones installed so i can compare to mine?

if you remove the control arm and the ball joint rubber sealing is broken, the inside is rusted and the rod is totally flubby - time to change it.
a new ball joint is very hard to move - the older the more flubby it will be.
and that will cause shaking wheel hub, bad handling and the tires will last less.

Here is the how-to for the ball joints
http://www.srtforums.com/forums/f75/how ... nt-559301/

don't forget:
to remove the pass side control arm you need to remove the lower motor mount. not a problem - but only way to reach the screw.

yea im not thinking its that ball join i still think its the bushings

bushing comes first and makes the most rattle - but it is also very clever to check the ball joints!
mine were absolutely death!



AND:
Let them check the wheel alignment after changing those parts!!!

lol ok i looked again after calling my buddy and it is definitely my bushings they are horrible looking and after i order the parts i will be doing the fix as well as checking ball joints and such along the way.

prothane complete bushing kit here i come

SlvrACR wrote:I did the whole kit on my car but the trailing arms. The MI road salt made them a bitch to get out so I stopped.

What part was hard to get out? The bushing?

It is the long bolt that goes through the rear crossmember. They tend to rust in place.

I think he was referring to the lateral arms tho. The tension strut would be more of a trailing arm.