The rear lower control arm bushings on my 92 Civic are badly worn and need to be replaced. I've looked into what's involved in replacing them and it looks like a lot more work than I'd like to do, and like it needs a lot more specialty tools than I'd like to buy. I got an estimate from a shop to do the work and it's $600, which is also a lot more than I'd like to spend. Is there any reason not to just replace the whole arms with aftermarket ones, which come with new bushings? If this is the way to go, what should I look for to make sure I get good ones?
asked Jan 16, 2013 at 3:05
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2I'd be surprised if bushing replacement is even considered an option from the factory. The only place I ever hear about people doing just the bushing is among car guys with their own equipment who enjoy a project. Everybody else replaces the whole arm because it's faster (and cheaper unless your labor is free and you already own all the tools...). :-)– Brian KnoblauchCommented Jan 16, 2013 at 12:44
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Absolutely - I've never done the work on a Civic, but you're probably going to have to take them off to swap the bush. I'm in the UK, but those LCA's are coming in at £100 ea, so at those prices, you could do the work yourself and get shiny new arms and bushes for half the price of what the shop is quoting.
Personally, as it's a 20 year old car, I'd just buy whatever arms your local autofactor sells.
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I've seen several aftermarket ones on Amazon for $80-100 for the pair. Going to check out what the local Advance Auto has before I decide which to buy. I hear the bolts have a tendancy to break when taking off the old ones, so that's the only part that sounds like a pain... Commented Jan 16, 2013 at 21:25
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Local Napa has what seem to be OEM-equivalent parts available for $130 each (comparable to what you cited). I found this on Amazon: amazon.com/Blox-Lower-Control-Delsol-Integra/dp/B000HUIM4Y - does it look legit? Being lighter and cheaper sounds like a good thing and according to the description the bushings are rubber (as opposed to polyurethane, which I've read elsewhere has very short life). Commented Jan 18, 2013 at 2:11
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2I bought the Blox LCA's and installed them and so far they've done the job just fine. Turned out it wasn't just the bushing that was bad; the bolt through it was completely broken in half. Commented Jun 10, 2013 at 1:12