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I have been burnt before but...... I need to replace the knuckles, control arms, bearings and bushings on the front end. We are talking at least $1000 in parts. I am thinking of checking the price on after market parts. Thoughts anyone? Anyhow, the dealership seems to think that since the bushings are so shot that things should be replaced. I kind of agree. I have been hearing the noise since I bought the car 80,000 ago...... The dealer indicated it would be about $900 in labor. Soooo if I could do this myself and save on parts too the wife would be very very happy. Thanks for any reply.. Well almost any.

 
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Search/Look for the DIY about changing your bushings. There is one on here on how to do it with pictures and everything. I have Energy Suspension bushings and i have done the front ones myself. A little patience and the right tools and it's pretty simple.

 
Rep Power: 366

knuckles?!?
they might be trying to rip you...
shocks - look for KYB GR2's? Or the better tokiko hp?

bushings are in here, from our mad chemical buddy sl33py ()
https://www.civicforums.com/forums/1...-bushings.html

 
Rep Power: 252

You dont need knuckles or lca. All you need is complaince bushings like sdaidji said. If you can remove the bushings you can bring them somewhere to have them pushed out and new ones pushed in for ALOT less then $900

What gives you the idea your bearings are bad?

BTW you can visually inspect the bushings yourself.

 
Rep Power: 366

lca's might be possible, but needs to be checked. (i have a cracked one, they stamped sheet metal) and they might bend depending on impact force).

knuckles... welll, whole different story, these are cast iron thick metal pieces... I wonder if dropping a car from 50 stories high would bend one of these... If they broke instead of bending, i do not think you would be here asking anyways... knuckles will face catastrophic failure, not bending.

bearings are wear items, search sites for "wooo noises" or similar.
bushings also are pretty common wear items as well, being the fact we have DIY articles...

just a matter of searching before asking, helps on "being burned".

still pretty sure yer being ripped. So, on that, have yer trying to get a 2nd opinion in another shop instead of asking in just words in the internet?

 
Rep Power: 233

You don't need new knuckles, just hubs (includes wheel bearing). And if you can get the LCAs out then you can get someone to press the old bushings out and the new ones in. The only hard part is getting the balljoint on and off but, that's remedied with the right tools (pickle fork and balljoint press, both of which can be had for cheap at Harbor Freight).

 
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Really....Really? This was a dealership thing and it was all in their recommended services. They wanted me to spend a little over $4000 before my car exploded while driving.
It states that the sway bar bushings are worn and the left lower ball joint was worn/loose. One of the repair shops that I trust.. indicated that they knew the guy that did the inspection and he was trustworthy. Suppose another opinion would not hurt considering the prices we are talking about here....
Yes, I did some searching and found posts about replacing the bushings. I suppose I believed that the knuckle and the lcl were shot because it has been banging around down there for so long. Loud banging, I have read about people chasing this noise until they replaced a good bunch of the front end.....
I had three different people look at it and all but the dealer said things were fine. Others thought that the knocking noise that has been going on for so long could could be a number of things but nothing serious because everything seams tight under there.
I had the struts replaced on the front and the guy saw nothing else wrong up there.....?
No I have not done my own visual yet.
OK then long weekend must wind down. Thanks for the replies! They made my day and made me feel like a fool at the same time....

 
Rep Power: 252

Sway bar bushings could very well be worn, ball joints could go bad.

Nothing "bangs" around unless its bad. Thats why the bushigs are there to take the abuse. Bushings and balljoint are wear items and need to be replaced in time. The lca, and knuckles are not wear items and only need to be replaced in extreme cases (Accident).

I would guess your front mount may be bad, does your car vibrate alot? Steering wheel vibrate at stop lights?

Pop your hood and look behind the radiator there is a little "C" shaped bracket. Put your finger inside the rubber part and see if it feels cracked.

 
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No vibrating in the front end.... Not cracked. So I am planning on bushings.. That should not be too bad. Man, the wife will be very happy. I am thinking that the dealership was wanting me to just break and buy a new car. Those bastards have my cell phone number and call me every few months to tell me that they have 'people' that want my car really bad!

No indication that bearings are bad. It was stated that the bearings would just be part of the whole deal....knuckles and lca's. The comments posted make a lot of sense.... I have always been intimidated by front end work, I think it is because sometimes specialized tools are needed.

 
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Finished the work... new lcl bushings, lower ball joint and stabilizer links. The rear bushing was stuck to the bolt with rust, had to cut it out. Other than that the work was not to bad. One guy told me to pound the bushings into the lcl.... THIS is NOT possible with the fronts! He must have been laughing after I left. That took a press.... But there is still knocking at bumps sooo what could be next? Off to do the search thing! Thanks for any help.