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Control arm Tesla or OEM Subaru
Reviews
I just had my front lower control arms + bushings replaced on my 2017 Forester two weeks ago. The vehicle was shaking pretty hard at highway speeds. 56k miles.
Pros: shaking at highway speeds
Vehicle:
Subaru Forester
Mileage: 90123 km
You can get a set of lower front control arms for a Crosstrek from as low as about $110 although you may want a better quality set for around $200. DIY is not complex but can be a PITA with the sway bar links and ball joint retainer bolt. Took me about 3 hours each side on my Forester.
Pros: affordable parts, DIY possible
Cons: can be a PITA
Vehicle:
Subaru
I immediately knew this was a subaru because subaru seems to be plagued by these issues. Mine failed at 26k miles and only 4 years out of factory. Yours needs to be replaced really soon.
Pros: common failure point
Cons: needs replacement soon
Mileage: 26000 km
Honest mechanic here. This is about 10% separated as seen near the bushing sleeve a real tear developing. The surface cracks all over are not concerning. I tend to recommend control arms once they are 50%+ separated; at that point stability and tire wear are considerably compromised, and should be addressed before complete separation of the bushing. Once the bushing is completely separated, braking will cause severe wandering, and going over speed bumps will make a notice “banging” like clunking. With that said, these arms being only 10% separated, and Subaru bushings, they will easily last to 100k+ miles without serious consequence. Now, a BMW or German built car with bushings like that would be more urgent, as the rubber deteriorates more quickly on those & gets a lot weaker even without severe separation. But, this softer rubber is also how they have a much smoother ride when everything is in good shape. $1600 is slightly on the higher end of price though not excessive depending on part brand used. Shops will mark up parts around 2.5x wholesale pricing, and using book time for labor, including alignment, is around 4 hours. At an average $150/hr labor rate, that’s $600 in labor roughly $850 in parts, then tax and shop supply fees ends up at $1600. You can find someone to replace them much cheaper, but they will most likely use in-house parts store brands which are notoriously garbage and have the ball joints fail in under 3 years, which is an even greater safety concern. The absolute best quality part you can get is OEM but that would be even more expensive at the dealership. Delphi and Mevotech Supreme are quality aftermarket brands. Everything else is not worth the time and money.
Pros: good quality aftermarket brands available
Cons: high price, potential for garbage parts
I replaced the lower control arms in my 2016 Forester at 150k. The car would rumble at 75mph+ and that’s what caused me to replace them. If you don’t feel any rumbling, then you can hold off on replacing them.
Cons: car would rumble at 75mph+
Vehicle:
Subaru Forester
Mileage: 150000 km
I had upper control arms replaced on my Model X 3 times in 3 years under warranty.
Pros: replaced under warranty
Cons: frequent replacements
After warranty expired, only issues were paid for was upper control arm replacement in the front because of squeaks and tail light went out because water got in.
Pros: no creeks
Cons: control arm replacement
Mileage: 128000 km
Had both LCAs replaced a little over a year ago. I have noticed the clicking sound has returned so I probably need to take it back in.
Cons: clicking sound returned, issue persists
Vehicle:
Subaru
My 2023 YLR has premature cracking on the front driver-side control arm. I’ve scheduled an inspection, hopefully it’ll be covered under warranty and won’t cost anything out of pocket.
Pros: warranty may cover
Cons: premature cracking
I have 51,900 miles on my car and it just started to squeak like a 1970's car when I turn the wheel- REALLY LOUD. So I've read all the articles and I know this is a known issue for control arms...
Pros: known issue, control arms
Cons: squeak like 1970s car
Mileage: 83525 km
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