I was reading on here somewhere but cant find it where a guy was going to replace his control arm bushings because his were shot, Im in the same spot as him. A member said it was cheaper just to change the control arms rather than replace the bushings, Can someone give me some insight on what brand aftermarket would be ok every day driver. 99 camaro.

 

Try BMR. They make everything for the aftermarket sus. Cheaper to buy new aftermarket.

 

It's not necessarily cheaper to buy aftermarket.

Aftermarket upper and lower control arms run about $600.

New bushings from a local parts retailer (Advance, Autozone, O'Rielly's etc.) run about $150 for both sides, upper and lower. Depending on where you live, the price of having them installed can run some money. But this depends on location. Where I'm at, it's $20 to have them pressed in.

Advantages of going aftermarket is you get stronger control arms, as well as new ball joints. They also come with polyurethane bushings, which, depending on who you talk to can be a plus or minus.

Disadvantages is that they are expensive and overkill more most daily driven cars.

Advantages of going OEM rubber bushings is they are cheap and if properly maintained can last 15 or so years before needing replaced again.

Disadvantages is you do have to find a shop to press them in if you can't do so on your own.

Personal opinion, if you're building a car that'll see a lot of track time, then they are an upgrade. For a DD, not really needed. My car will be run at the strip, on the street, and at some point a road course. I've already bought OEM style bushings to replace the current one's, but I also have a press, so installing them is free. If I really felt the need for tubular control arms, I would have spent the money on them.

Take this info for what you will, but as stated, BMR is one of the top aftermarket suspension suppliers.

 

Tex, I've never heard of a shop pressing in 4 bushings for $20. Average labor rate is $90 per hour. Then you must ad instalation. The labor to press and install the bushings is generally the same price or more than just buying new arms. The main reason I went with new arms is because in all the shops I've worked in, I've replaced many oem bushings in various cars and more often than not, the holes in the arms become stretched from removing the old bushings. The new bushings many times do not fit quite as tight as the original ones leading to premature wear. If this happens, (which most likely it will), the cost of the job will more than double. I've never heard of getting the same amount of time out of a replacement set of A arm bushings as the original ones. The guarantee is to simply go aftermarket and be done. And he's asking me if I know that an A arm goes up front,roflmao.

 

You are more than welcome to come by my hometown and talk to the half dozen shops that charge only 20 bucks for small things like that. U joints and mount/balancing of tires is about that price here too. But again, this is why I said it depends on location. It might be the same price as aftermarket control arms where you live, but not where I do.

To the OP, call around to some shops and see what they charge in your area to work like that.

I'm going to take this as poor insult but also let you know that saying this goes back to how you treated flowride in another thread. You are acting as if others don't know what they're talking about or what they've done. You don't know me and I don't know you. But questioning that shop where I live won't charge 20 bucks to press in some control arm bushings makes it seem like you know more about them than I do and I've lived in the same area for the last 20 years. Pressing in bushings, u-joints, mount/balance tires, tire rotation, oil change (oil and filter included) all run in the area of $20-30 depending on who you go too in my hometown. I've also lived in a bigger city where prices are a little more, but still not so much that they'd cost the same price as new aftermarket control arms.

That is why I said it depends on location in this post, and the other two posts I've replied on dealing with control arms. It'd be best for the OP to get prices from a local shop and then make a decision. If it does end up costing the same as new one's, then by all means, by new. As far as the bushings not fitting right. I've never encountered this problem when I did them on my mothers Grand Caravan or the F-150 I used to own but most shops will do what they can to make something like that right.

 

As for the pricing it can be expensive if the shop has to remove the arms and reinstall them back on the car. But with some basic hand tools you could easily remove them and bring in just the arms, that way all the shop has to do is press in the new bushings. Shouldn't take more than 20 min.

 

didn't mean to insult you mk. You are right. But I don't think he will be doing the job himself. If he pays to r&r the arms, it'll cost as much to just buy new arms is all I meant. Btw, I really like the color you chose for your car. Do you mind if I ask, what color it is exactly?

 

It's fine. Stuff happens. I understand the point you're getting at, I do. But for most aftermarket control arms are a little overkill. It's why I never bothered to buy them.

To the OP, call some shops and see what they charge to put in new bushings if you take the control arms off and if they do it and compare it to the price of going aftermarket. You could by OEM control arms, but hell, they run the price of aftermarket so there's no contest there.

As for the color, it's stock color and if I'm remembering correctly, GM simply called it Bright Red until 2000 then they renamed it Bright Ralley Red. Black on the stipes, roof, sail panels, mirrors, and below the headlights is a black with silver metallic. At some point in time it's going to get repainted to a Candy Apple Red with the black/silver metallic.

 

It was me asking about the bushings. Still have not done them....those shot bushings cause all kinds of popping sounds....lol...it's the only thing I have not replaced in the front end. Hopefully soon.

 

I think you were first J, then Flowride asked, and now here we are, 99 problems, but a mean girl ain't one.