So I was driving around at a decent speed on the highway at night and nailed a raised piece of asphalt. It was hard enough that the water bottle flew out of my passenger door cup holder. I couldn't see much at night and thought I was fine, but I checked today (two days later) after feeling clunking upon turning the wheel and hitting bumps. Turns out the upper ball joint is shot. Do you need to change the whole upper control arm or is it just the ball joint that needs to be replaced? If I do need to change out the control arm, what aftermarket ones would anyone recommend, or should I just stick to OEM?

 

If you want to do a Lexus part, it's sold as a whole control arm with new ball joint. I'm completely unfamiliar if there's any aftermarket availability as far as if you're looking for an upgrade, but I would assume there are some third party companies that offer control arms as a direct replacement. No matter the route, once replaced definitely check that alignment!

- Shane

 

Assuming your IS is RWD, there are several options for upper control arms.
There's Megan, Godspeed, and Figs (I believe) just to name a few. Any of those would be fine.

 

I just sent it in for an OEM replacement part at a shop I trust. It turned out to be quicker and cheaper than waiting for the aftermarket parts to come in. Definitely will get that alignment done too! The wheel had some negative camber when aired up on the affected side as well so def gonna get that done. Thanks for the Help!

 

Forgot to mention mine is AWD. I might look into those brands eventually depending on what future wheel specs I go with in case I need to adjust anything. Def want to go with a reputable brand. I've cheaped out before and learned my lesson the hard way unfortunately.