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I recently had my brakes done and had them quote me on the replacement of my a arm bushings and sway bar links. This is what they came up with. Anybody used the Moog brand before?
Last edited by user 73921; 10-27-2017 at 11:48 AM.
Moog are great, if real (there were some fake parts some time ago)
they are easy to replace (unless the nuts are frozen and you strip the hex that holds to shaft while removing the nuts)
the control arm are also quite easy to replace, if you get the ball joint removal tool, but same as the sway bar links, if they are frozen in place... Mine took 3-4 days with the toll forcing the ball joint, tightening the tool everyday a little bit, until one day i heard a loud "clang!" and when i went to see what had happened, the ball joint had come off.
but my car spent two Canadian winters, so salt and rust.
not sure for labor/hour, but it could be ugly if they rusted.
MSRP price for the sway bar links FROM HONDA are only $25 each. (You can check this on just about any Honda parts catalog site, but shops are fre to mark up prices to whatever they want..... bkhondaparts.com?)
Add $3 for the four nuts to do both sides.
Save $74!
Better quality!
MSRP price for JUST the LCA compliance bushing (the one that always goes bad) FROM HONDA is only $19 each
Save $260.....wait wait wait, did they only include ONE of the LCAs in their estimate? I only see one arm. Bzzzzt red flag
Factory LCA is outrageous money though. Aftermarket is cheaper, if you really want to replace the entire LCAs. Cheapest way is just replace the bad bushings.
If it were mine, I'd pull the arms and just replace the bad bushings in them. Should be only a slight additional labor fee to press the bushings out and in after the arms are removed from the car.....if they can actually do that.
These look pretty cheap, i found a shop that rents lifts and tools by the hour and it looks easy enough to do. Anybody have a good website for stock nuts and bolts?
Go factory on the swaybar links and nuts. If you get them thru the internet they are cheaper than msrp (not including shipping) and factory is always better quality IMO than any aftermarket links I've seen.
I was thinking the exact same thing as far as the 1a auto parts, especially them bieng so inexpensive. I have never heard of the moog brand, but im new to the aftermarket honda game. So the Moog than bieng a good alternative.
My own lcas (their called lcas not a arms?) Are not worn out completely but should be replaced, my sway bar is rusted broken link on the right side but it doesnt seem to be a mandatory fix right now.
I just found a shop i can rent lift and tools and am excited to start doing some car work again and this doenst seem like a bad place to start .
Not just Honda.
Moog is a very well known brand and has been around for decades.
Well known enough to counterfeit, and that's a problem if you cannot identify genuine vs. fake.
My own lcas (their called lcas not a arms?)
Control Arm,, Lower Control Arm, "A" Frame, there can be many names and abbreviations.
If the suspension design also uses an upper arm then you usually need to clarify which you are talking about, upper or lower (UCA/LCA)
Are not worn out completely but should be replaced,
Rusted away? The arms are steel. Unless it's bent or rusted or the ball joint taper has been wallered out, you can replace just the bushing(s) (or have them replaced) and keep using the same arms.
But yeah if you're trying to do it all quick then bolting on complete arms should save a little time.
broken link on the right side but it doesnt seem to be a mandatory fix right now.
The best time to do it is while you are doing this job. You will probably have to cut the link hardware off of the sawybar (and LCAs if you are going to reuse them) and you will want all the extra room possible to work with tools of destruction. Cutoff wheel, sawzall, torch, etc.
Off topic question, this lca job i have is more of something to do to the car for fun. I just bought the car and am just tinkering with it
Im not sure when the timing belt was replaced, the altermator and power steering pump look stock, but i noticed the other day i have a new head gasket and was wondering what else they might have been dome for regular maintenance to unbolt the head and replace the gasket?
PS pump might last forever. Alt will probably fail long before the pump.
i have a new head gasket
Head gasket......or do you mean valve cover gasket?
What do you see that gives you that clue?
If it's already had the head gasket, they are well known for failing. Search the forum for overheating, you'll see tons of threads about it...most people replace everything they can think of but cannot believe the head gasket is the cause....because they don't ever give the symptoms most people think to look for.
And yes, one can replace the bare minimum for a head gasket job.....without replacing other important stuff like the timing belt. Cut expenses at all costs.
10-26-2017
