billydpowe

iTrader: (1)

well I ran into a snag on my new bushings (it is just a time snag) I dont have all the equipment I need to pull the arms off, remove the old bushings and press in the new and put it back together..
my old body cant do the work anymore (without a lot of pain), SO I just bought a pair of new arms for 150.$ (probably made in china or some cheap country that makes them for china).. I will put them on,
and see how they do while I do the R&R on my 28$ bushings and then decide if I continue or change them out.. I will keep you posted... the original arm/bushing lasted 210k, and I (at 83 in june) will never
approach that...

Losiracer2

Having driven on my new LCA bushings for a hundred miles or so, just got it aligned 4 days back, it really improved the highway stability a great deal. Taking moderate bumps in the road is no longer cringeworthy. The LS just absorbs them and isn't unsettled like before. I do have new KYB shocks and strutmounts to help out with that also though. But you'll like the feeling, everything feels more planted and secure now.

billydpowe

iTrader: (1)

thanks Losiracer2, for that info, looking forward to it being quiet again.... at 200k I had the motor supports, tranny & tb/wp & all bearings & pulleys on front of engine and I had to look at the rpm to see if it as running, plus brakes a few weeks ago.oh, new plugs and VC gaskets too.
my rear brakes lasted 208k without and damage, exe wear sensor....HAPPY MOTORING Guys....

Scraape

these are the lower control arms i have on my car. Got them off ebay. Haven't given me any issues so far.

$150 shipped for a pair as opposed to $400 a piece from the dealer lol

billydpowe

iTrader: (1)

YEP, that 150$ got my attention also

Scraape

totally forgot to mention, the drivers side lower control arm did not fit properly. Needed the be ground down a little in order to fit. But the other side fit fine. lol

Banshee365

Thats why I don't even think about bothering with aftermarket suspension components.

dicer

Not everyone can pay the Lexus dealer inflated price. And on a $1000. car its not a smart thing to spend 3 times the value of the car in suspension parts.

Losiracer2

I would still recommend doing the Febest bushings over the Chinese LCA. At least that way, you'll have a quality Lexus control arm made of high quality steel.

Even if the Febest bushings fail 10 yrs down the road, the failsafe on that is the eccentric bolt is still there to hold the assembly in place.

If any part of the casting on the Chinese LCA fails, it could cause an accident by collapsing the front suspension putting you into a ditch.

YODAONE

A manufacturer of suspension parts that does not attend to its business of providing parts that fit...?

This does not inspire confidence....at any price.

In fact simply dangerous...

Wonder about the vendor's attention to metallurgy compositions

Not interested in installing ****** on my car at any price... dangerous in steering or suspension

Made in China?

Not sure cost savings is a proper substitute for safety, but if the car is not worth maintaining then sell, donate or crush it but don't cause others to suffer the consequences.


"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey."

John Ruskin

oldskewel

iTrader: (1)

This is how I would think in this situation, for me, my car, my time, my preference for fixing rather than replacing.

Different people will have different optimal solutions depending on whether they do it themselves, how much their car is worth, how long they plan to have the car, whether they are the primary driver of that car, etc. All the preceding opinions seem rational, even though they reach different conclusions.

I'm glad Febest makes the bushings, and the discussion would be a lot simpler if Lexus sold bushings separately.

billydpowe

iTrader: (1)

read my opening post and you will see that was my intentions, but I cant do it like the old days, so it was worth $150 to allow me to put the febest bushings in asap... because we are now a one car family and aging so I cant be without a car for emergencies...(hope you understand) (some day you will)..

Banshee365

Then don't go to the dealer. OEM parts are available in other places than the dealer. And you talking about a car being worth $1000 sounds purely like a KBB number. You have to look at value in a different way when it comes to weighing options on repairs. You must look at the value of the car based on what it would take to replace it. For example, you have a car that has a market value of $1,300 but is otherwise a very nice luxurious car that is reliable except for the problem at hand. You're looking at $400 for parts to repair it. You could easily think that's 33% of the value of the entire car. Screw it. So you go out and buy a new car with a $300 per month car payment when you could have spent the $400 once and probably never had to deal with that particular part again.

If someone truly sees the car as having a personal value of $1000 to them then they better keep trying junk yard parts until they find one better than what they had to spend as little as possible.

billydpowe

iTrader: (1)

where did you grind?

billydpowe

iTrader: (1)

Candrells installed my new arms yesterday for $260.. now I need to get it aligned and I can give you my comments.. ..

PS, no grinding necessary..