Hey there.. I have been having alignment issues with my 97Civic Ex and have been told it is my FRONT LCA's that have been bent a while back. Was looking around on amazon and ebay and places like that to get a general idea of what I am looking for and price..


Does anyone here have any good suggestions as to where and how much to pay for these? I do not need anything super fancy.. my car is just a DD. Depending on the quality looking to pay around 85-200 a pair? If that sounds right?


Thanks!

 

Why not search for another set of OEM arms from a junkyard or parts car if you don't want anything fancy? If you are looking for aftermarket arms then, I would look into Function 7. They are a little bit out of your price range but, their arms are very nice.

Function 7 LCA

 

You are looking for Front or rear LCA's?

Fronts list around 250 each from most parts stores(maybe more depending on commercial/retail pricing)
I would suggest Pulling a set of used LCA's off a wrecked car, and replace the bushings. You can do that within your price budget and get OEM quality.

 

At:

http://www.hondapartsnow.com/Page_Pr...1633%201236703

You can order the factory front lower arms pretty much only from the dealer and have them modified by another company for performance if you like.

You neglected to post whether you needed FRONT or REAR LCA's which has cause some confusion. The front stock LCS's can be had for $226.42 each plus possible tax and definite shipping. If you're looking at REAR LCA's there are TONS of aftermarket possibilities, though the stock ones are $68.98 (again from the above source) each if that is truly what was bent.

Give us some clarification and we can likely be of more help.

 

Thanks everyone that has chimed in so far.. it is the front Lower Control Arm that needs to be replaced... wish it was just the rear as I keep seeing those pop up everywhere like you stated.

Lets say just the right side was bent.. would it be okay to just replace one side for now and then get the other one replaced later on?

 

Yes, that would be ok as long as the one you leave isn't extremely worn out. Maybe replace on and freshen up the other. As long as the dimensions are the same and they don't alter your camber/caster/toe then you will be fine. I would do as suggested and buy used OE part and freshen them both up. Just be weary of used ones from a wrecked car as you may end up with another one that is bent.

 

Yeah.. I really want to keep away from the used parts, i dont mind buying the new OEM ones for around 200 each.. as long as i can just get one to start with.. just not a big fan of buying used parts.. especially those that have been in a wreck. =O

Being not very savvy have a feeling id just screw myself over with that one..

 

What do yall think about these from autozone?

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/par...4_416126_4281_

Yeah.. I know autozone.. I usually try to avoid them if possible.. the price for that one shows its for front/lower and seems rather cheap.. any luck with this maybe? =X

 

Autozone is carrying it, but it's Dorman that is the manufacturer/brander.
I'd say this is just fine, plus it will allow you to replace the pair at the same time plus any other parts in the area that might need replacing (check ball joints, top and bottom).

I normally I avoid them too, but I've seen the quality and it's just as good a cast part as the original Honda piece.

DO IT!

 

So far that sounds like a plan.. question though regarding all of this.. my mechanic gave me a print out showing the measurements of the Camber, Caster, and Toe before/after. The one that he said he cannot correct is the "Caster" .. now is do I just get the lower LCA alone or is there something else I may need.

Have a feeling this is a dumb question but just want to make sure before I purchase.

 

The only way to adjust caster is to buy an upper control wishbone that has a caster adjustment. Is it that far off? you may have bent more parts than you think. Can you scan the alignment sheet or type the numbers in here? I could get a better idea from that.

My '95 Civic DX has SPC Forged Aluminum Upper Control Arms, adjustable caster & camber. You don't even want to know how much they cost.

 

I went ahead and took a picture of the Current Measurements on the sheet..




.. Thanks btw.

 

He said the main concern was the caster on the Front Right.

 

It is a major concern... you should NEVER have a negative caster number... EVER.

BUT at the same time the most likely component to have been bent to cause a negative caster number is that lower control arm. But you also may have bent the upper wishbone as well. If they are providing 6 weeks of free alignments (a lot of places do) I'd start by replacing the LCA and see what happens, if it improves marginally or brings you back to normal, success. If not, the upper wishbone also needs to be changed out. Then you would have to have it checked again. Start with those two.

 

Sounds like a plan.. I'll order those LCA's from autozone now and go from there.. thanks a ton!

 

You're welcome... if you need any other advice or parts let me know, we'll try to track down the cheapest good ones we can find.