Problems on the front control arm/axle. Need parts.

[robdancarter]

At the Infiniti Service center this morning I found out my 2001 Qx4 needs some work. Here is what I was told: 1)Both front CV boots are torn; 2) There is play in the front ball joints on the lower control arm; 3) the bushings are cracked in the lower front control arm; and 4) the bushings are cracked in the rear links. Labor and parts add up as follows: $750 for outer CV boots, $1180 for front lower control arms (if I repaired only the ball joints it would be $750), $820 for rear links, and $150 for alignment- for a grand total of $2900! I know this is a dealer price so parts and labor are going to be extra high. I want to take it to an independent repair shop but I am considering ordering the parts myself to save on cost. Is that a good idea? Does anyone know where I could get the outer cv boots, front lower control arm, and rear links for cheap?

[jyeager]

Wow!
I would have been sure that a dealer will repair CV boots by installing new CV axles, but that price for both makes me think they will remove it and install new boots.

The price for the lower control arms must mean they will replace the control arms completely. If you buy bushings and ball joints it should be pocket change. For instance, $30 for ball joint, not sure about the bushings.
Same with your rear links.

Assuming a total of 8 bushings, 2 ball joints, and 2 CV boots, the parts should be under $200. It would be 3 hours or so of labor (total guess).

http://www.rockauto.com/

cv boots $7-8 each
ball joints $18-$40 each
control arm bushings $8-$12 each

[robdancarter]

Is it common to replace the CV boots without replacing the entire axle assembly? Is it common to replace the ball joints and bushings without replacing the entire control arms? It would be great if I could have my mechanic only fix the bushings, ball joints, and cv boots. I think that would be way cheaper.

On RockAuto I found the CV joint boots for $5 and the front lower ball joints for $40. I could replace the entire front lower control arms for $50 each. I don't think that includes the ball joints but it does include bushings. Then the rear suspension control links are $45 each.

It seems like I could save a lot of money by using replacement parts. With my car at 13 years old and at 150,000 miles, I really just need something to get me to 200k without costing what the car is worth. Of course I'll still have to pay a high rate of labor, and hope the mechanic will use the replacement parts I order on my own.

Is it safe to go with these types of non OEM parts?

[jyeager]

I would say that yes, the parts are safe...I noticed AC and Moog replacement parts and they should be solid.
Of course, the metal control arms don't go bad, so replacing them only makes sense to the extent that it saves you in total cost (parts and the labor to remove and replace bushings).

I would have expected a dealership to recommend replacing whole CV axles rather than just boots, but I am pretty sure that the price they quoted you ($750 for both) that they were talking about only boots. That is a reasonable price to be expected for full replacement at a non-dealership...just don't expect something so reasonable from a dealership.

Check out RockAuto on the ball joints again. The first item in the list is $18 I think. The list is laid out in a confusing manner, with the first hit being a different font and format and leaves the impression it's just a header or something.
And once you know the actual part #s, you can do a wide open google of the part numbers and might find even better deals.

If you provide the parts to the mechanic, some shops will refuse, and other shops will tell you right up front that there won't be any warranty. But that is OK. They will tell you that if their labor was bad they will still stand behind it...it's just that they could argue whether it was their work or the part that caused any problem you might have.
Still worth it IMO.

[robdancarter]

Thanks. Yeah you are right about the quote being on the boots rather than the axles. They said they could replace the boots and grease up the axle and it should be fine. They did say the would prefer to replace the entire axle but I think they gave me an estimate only on the boot because they knew I was looking for ways to make the repairs less expensive.

I will shop around and find a local mechanic that will use replacement parts. I will also find out what it would cost to replace the bushings and see how it compares to replacing the entire control arm. Thanks for the help. I'll report back when I know more.

[fueler]

way too much. front boots are like $25 a pop and take a couple hours to fit. It may be easier to just put new axles if you have multiple boots broken. You can also invest in a set of warn hubs ($85 a pair) to prevent the front boots from ever breaking again, and you will also get a 2mpg increase in fuel economy, so the hubs essentially pay for themselves in a matter of months.

The rear bushings, you can buy aftermarket polyurethane bushings from 4x4parts.com for about $80 for a full set (to do both ends of two links). They are not easy to fit, I paid like $300 labor to have a shop install them. The end product is a rear end suspension that will be stiff and responsive, and the poly bushings will outlive the car (whereas stock bushings are guaranteed to fail again)

You may not agree with me but balljoints are BS, shops have been telling me to replace them for 10 years on my QX4 but i'm now at 215k on stock balljoints and they still holding up great. And i've done a ton of hard driving!

[fueler]

PS you say that "both CV boots are broken" but there are four CV boots up front, 2 per axle. Did you look at them yourself to see which 2 are broken, and how bad damage is? If there is a ton of dirt in the CV joints, you may as well spring for the new axles, and research the Warn freewheeling hubs, like i mentioned in my last post.

[robdancarter]

Thanks for the response. They are the outer boots. The inner boots are fine.

I have a couple of follow up questions. I'm trying to get the parts ordered and I want to make sure I have the right equipment. I'll need a front lower control arm and the ball joints, right? I think Im just going to buy the entire CV assembly so I don't have to worry about any damage that may already be done to the joint with the cracked boot. And I think it will probably equal out in labor costs since putting the assembly on should be easier than putting on a boot and regreasing it. Instead of getting new bushings for the rear control links, I'm just going to get two new rear upper control links. That should address the cracked bushings, right? Once again, I think that will equal out on labor anyway. I'm hoping that RockAuto will take returns if the mechanic can't work with the parts I get. That might be wishful thinking though.

JYEAGER I found balljoints for $25 but not $18. The cheapest I could find is ULTRAPOWER Part # K90662.

[fueler]

Sounds like a good list to me. I guess I should have asked you, how does the truck drive, anyways? If it drives fine, maybe you shouldn't dump TOO much money in the suspension since you just want it to make it to 200k....

Truly broken rear bushings will cause a VERY noticeable sway when cruising at 50mph+ if you don't have the "death sway", then I wouldn't get into the rear end just yet...

replacing the rear arms in their entirety will be easier than just pressing new bushings... but how much do the arms cost? I can't remember... I'd recommend to also buy new nuts & bolts from nissan as you won't want to re-use the old ones. The old ones will be corroded and may even break on removal. They are a few bucks each at dealer, mine had to be ordered in from L.A. which took a day.

and yeah, replacing whole CV is easier than doing boots, and may give you more peace of mind...

[GRNMACHINE]

I would not buy the cheaper Chinese made parts, go with Moog Problem Solver line. Verify they are Moogs Problem Solver line and not the "wholesale/clearance" list. THERE is a BIG DIFFERENCE in quality. All the Moog Problem Solver suspension parts replaced recently were made in US/Japan EXCEPT the lower control arms. The lower control arms are now Made in Taiwan, they look exactly the same as OEM but I not a big fan of Taiwan parts on my truck!