Good morning everyone. I am new to the forum although I've been browsing for a while now. Over the weekend I caught a flat tire while in the process of fixing my flat I realized the compliance bushing on the lower control arm is almost torn off. Please see pictures. My question is, should I simply have a mechanic change just the bushings or should I just change the whole LCA to get new bushings and ball joint? I am planning on purchasing Moog. I am also thinking of changing the stabilizer links as well (Moog) as I have a clunk sound which I would like to resolve as well. Thanks for your comments in advance.
It should be cheaper to just replace the Compliance bushing. The lower control arms are expensive and a little more labor to replace then the Compliance bushing.
Thank you for your reply Greg1c. Less expensive fix is my main goal. Can you see the pictures I uploaded ? As I can't see them after posting. Newbee question 101.?
Thank you Rocky. I plan on purchasing via rockauto and have my mechanic install them ASAP. Please view picks ??. I am thinking of changing the stabilizer links as well to get rid of that clunky noise. Hopefully my mechanic will not charge extra since he's already down there. When is the recommended time to change my tie rods. I had one break on my Honda Accord 97. Luckily, I was pulling out of my drive way. It was a headache to get the car out of the street. Lesson learned.
I just changed the Compliance bushings on my 2006 Pilot. I purchased a tool that allows you to replace them without removing the arm totally. Here is the link
I just changed the Compliance bushings on my 2006 Pilot. I purchased a tool that allows you to replace them without removing the arm totally. Here is the link
I installed Dorman LCAs last year. My bushings looked he same as the photograph. The Dorman parts seemed well made, I would use them again and I recommend them.
They have made no difference in the way the car drives.
That bushing is still ok, even though you can see a slight crack/tear in it. Mine looked like that for many years and caused no problems for me. It would have to be completely separated before you would have any noises. Whatever noise you have is more likely the sway bar end links or bushings, which do often fail. Also, I eventually did replace my entire lower control arms myself with aftermarket ones since that was the better cheaper option in my instance. They work great. No problems after many miles on them.
i had an 80-85 mph vibration that is definitely reduced after changing the LCAs. That is why I did it, there are other posts here giving that as a possible solution if balancing the tires does not solve your problem.
I never drove 80-85 mph, maybe that's why I never noticed a problem with my bushings. However, because they looked bad, I did eventually replace the entire control arms and my ride comfort was slightly improved.
I also have been told that I needed to replace the front compliance bushings on my 2006 Pilot EXL. The dealership quoted be $425 to replace just the bushings. I was thinking that I should probably replace the front lower control arms since it includes the bushings and ball joint. A local shop quoted be $240 labor to install the control arms. (I do not know if this is a good price.) Rockauto has control arms for $70 - $80 each.
Rockauto has control arms made by Dorman, Moog, Mevotech and Beck/Arnley. Amazon has ones made by APDTY (auto parts direct to you). Does anyone have any experience/recommendations with any of these manufactures???
Also what did you guys pay for your control arm installations? Are there any other suspension parts that would be worth replacing while replacing the control arms?
Good morning fellow plotters. Just wanted to give you a brief update. I ordered my control arms (Moog) from rock auto parts. Great service by the way !! I got them installed this morning for $240 with an alignment. Thus far, the ride feels 100 times better. Also, the clunk sound went away. I will be changing the stabilizer links soon. I kept my oem control arms and realized the Moog feel like it's superior quality. Thx all for your help.
??? You spent $140 for a tool to save $40 worth of steel??? I too used the Dorman parts from Rock Auto and replaced entire LCA both sides of our 08 and then back in to tighten up and check the alignment. We already noticed a little more feedback from the road into the steering which is what poor LCA bushing will show up as most of the time since it will allow extra play in the knuckle it has to go back somewhere....and that somewhere is the tie rods...
I thought about press tools for bushing....then realized one can obtain cheaply control arms for nearly all vehicles with new bushings already in....faster time of repair, no need to invest or own a bushing press tool, and I always recycle old parts to the steel recycler in town. The guys always tries to pay me for it, but I give it for free. Just to know that the steel will see new life in the machine eco-system and save us some more mining holes in the ground somewhere....(doesn't sound as nice as recycling paper to save trees....).
Also - the replacement LCA has both bushings renewed, so while we all get locked into the one which you can see visibly is damaged - there is another bushing in that LCA that should be replaced when the bigger one fails....bet most folks who press there own skip it.
P.S. - Mr. Moderator peeps(like Mr. Rocky); why is 03-08 all lumped together as one gen? My FSM from Honda only applies to 06-08; just sayin! And I have been bamboozled on two occasions to receive parts that were purported to fit 03-08; but really only fit 03-05...and Honda OEM parts listing confirmed it after the fact....please could we clarify or clean up this forum to emphasize this reality? Like the forum, but bothered that you keep trying to convince folks it is 03-08 as a generation, but seems 03-05 and 06-08 would be more correct.
Not sure about Moog, but when I fell for paying extra for Beck-Arnley LCAs for my minivan, I had to do alignment although all reviews on Amazon said they got away w/o alignment.
Next time I am not paying that premium.
You may want to consider something with a lifetime warranty if you plan to keep the Pilot for a few years. I first noticed cracking on the compliance bushing at 60k, but only recently replaced the lower control arm at 111k. Wish I did this sooner because it took less than 2 hours and made a tremendous difference in the handling. We plan to keep it for another 100k, and it seems many folks have cracking with <100k on the clock so I went with lifetime warranty.
I went with NAPA because they had them in stock at the store, I had a coupon, I wanted to get the job done quickly before our vacation, and NAPA has lifetime warranty.
Ended up just ordering OEM control arms. Moe expensive but def worth the piece of mind knowing that the ball joints won't snap from an overseas product.
I have another question, many have recommended the SPC rear control arms (upper) to adjust camber. Are the front camber bolts also needed?
I certainly can't argue with that logic but I'm probably gonna go with Proforged LCA's since they have a strong following on the muscle car forums not to mention I've been using their outer tie rod ends for several years on my '98 CRV without issue. They're $144 per side on ebay. What scares me more than anything with aftermarket LCA's is the ball joint but Proforged is known for their high-quality ball joints so that isn't an issue with their products.
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