I brought my car to a mechanic this morning for a $16 (w/coupon) oil change and free a/c check. I was not having any issues with the a/c, but since it was a free check I figured might as well. I also asked him to inspect the front and rear control arm bushings.

The a/c was fine and high and low readings were in range. They used Havoline 5w/30 oil and a Puralator filter. He said the control arm bushings are worn (no surprise there) but, in his opinion not worth replacing. He did told me the front left (driver) side lower ball joint's thread is stripped and he couldn't get it to tighten. He recommended I get it replaced as it could be a safety issue. He said his price to replace it would be $85 labor and the part (Moog from Carquest $30) . I called autozone and their Duralast lifetime part is $20. Obviously not the OEM part but cheap enough and lifetime. A youtube search provided this repair video (3 part series) that will be helpful if i do it myself. which leads me to my questions

A) What is the OEM part and price range
B) Is his price good if I decide to have him do it
C) anyone use the duralast, if so what is your opinion
D) Should I eventually replace the control arm bushings and what can I expect the results to be if I do

 

Ball Joints are kindof a pain in the butt, not fun to do them over again. Just spend a few extra dollars and get OEM and be done with it. I would definitely consider ball joints a safety item, so why compromise on safety? Do a google search to see what it looks like when a ball joint breaks while driving - not pretty.

 

what is the car??

oem is the best.. cant go wrong.

i personally think the oem will last longer than the duraslast.. sucks to spend the extra cash.. but if you have to turn around in a year and replace them again.. kind of a pain in the *** and time

ive personally changed ball joints on a 93 civic and it wasnt too hard wit the specialty tool from any local car parts store. had to get a alignment after. but was worth it IMO.

 

There some good DIY write up's here: https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-civic-del-sol-1992-2000-1/when-replace-lower-ball-joints-99-dx-3161493/

 

I replaced both of my lower ball joint with the duralast ball joints and it hasn't given me any problems. $85 for labor is a lot I would look somewhere else I paid $10 to get both of my ball joints pressed in.

 

I actually think that is a fair price about an hours labor he has to take out the knuckle and then comes the fun part with taking out the ball joint and putting them back in. HE probably will use an air hammer for both.

and the OEM will run you about $45-50 with shipping I think Moogs are fine though.

 

I took out the knuckles myself and took it to firestone to get the lower ball joints pressed in

 

1998 Civic Ex coupe.

I must have worded it wrong as the part is included with labor for a total of $85. Labor is $55 and part $30 (moog from carquest)
Who is the OEM manufacturer? Is it a dealer part only?

 

the factory part number is

51220-s04-003.. $42.40/each at majestic honda.. $55.90 after tax and shipping

well thats tax and shipping to me lol may change depending where you are

also may be different at your local dealership.

 

in that case I would let him do it...especially if you are not comfortable or just beginning to DIY your car...this is not really a beginner job for DIY. $55 for labor would you value your time that much considering you will likely take much longer than him without the tools or a lift like he does?

 

agreed ^^

 

Musashi

If you want Musashi yes. They are a far superior ball joint, something you should easily get 100,000 miles out of. Generally the cheap aftermarket ones wont last anytime. Moog will usually last longer, but still not as good as OEM.

As far as control arm bushings go, sometimes it's cheaper to just replace the whole arm than it is to just replace the bushings.

 

I went to RockAuto and bought the Raybestos Pro Grade. When you see the inferior gusher type used compared to the Pro Grade, the chice is easy. they were 28ea at RockAuto and a pain in the *** to install!

www.youtube.com/embed/FK4PxADJXzw

 

Thanks for all the replies and sorry for the late response. After the feedback given I am going to let the mechanic do this one. His price is good and from the feedback it sounds like Moog (although not OEM) is a good quality manufacturer. I am going to ask the owner if he will allow me into the bay to watch the repair. I'll understand if he doesn't due to a possible liability issue, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

 

I would just trust the tech to do his job....I know I would not like someone looking over my shoulder while I do my job!

PS: you can ask to see the newly installed part while the car is on the lift after he has finished with his work.

 

If I'm paying good money I'll be looking over his shoulder every step of the way questioning anything I wasn't comfortable with. Just because someone calls themselves a tech doesn't necessarily mean they know what they're doing.

 

grumblemarc: if I offered you $55 to change out the lower ball joint would you do it? of course I want to be looking over your shoulder every minute of it!

 

The looking over the shoulder isn't the issue. Trusting a "tech" to do his job correctly is.

 

Good point.

If they don't allow to observe during the installation I will ask to inspect the new part before and after installation and the old after it's removed. I set up an appointment for the upcoming Monday morning. I will report back afterwards.

 

I ordered this part Sankei 555 W0133-1635443 (OEM) Ball Joint for $42 without money down which will be in tomorrow. I figured it will give me time to look around in case I find a Musashi for a good price. I found this http://www.hondapartscheap.com/oem-p.../51220-s04-003 plus $13 for shipping which I going with instead of the Sankai. So the labor + part total is $105 to $110. Now I am considering just doing the labor myself.

 

Sankei/555 is usually good stuff. It's Japanese and they're an OEM supplier for Toyota IIRC.

Also, in regards to Moog being better. Moog doesn't always make their own stuff. I've personally pulled Sankei tie rod ends out of Moog boxes before.

 

my bad about the sankeis ...........

 

12 beans more (than the Sankai) for the Musashi OEM seems like the best way to go. My ride only has 133K on it at this point and I am expecting it to get 367K more before it gets scrapped..lol