I'll be replacing the upper control arms on the right side. There's a lot of play there. Is it common practice to replace the lowers as well? Or, is that something that I can get away with when they go bad? How many hours of labor can I expect to be charged for such a job (just the upper control arms only on one side)? Thanks...

 

honestly, if you have slop or play in one side the other is bound to go, and if you are going to pull apart the assembly for the upper, you might as well change the lower, dealer cost on just the upper right is probably close with labor at least as a whole kit.....

i would say about 150-200 for the c/a, and at least 1.5 hrs of labor via the dealership, but i have never had to change mine(knock on wood) so don't quote me.... you got alot of real handy guys up there in the tri state area(mainly ny) that for beer and food, maybe some cash would help you out


pm hiwords or imthedevil

 

yes you should change upper and lower if you're gonna get the kit. spend some extra money and time to do it right the first time so you don't have to spend time and money to do the others. don't just replace one side. if one side is gone, so is the other. as far as how many hours of labor goes i'm not sure. it takes 4 of us about 3 hours to do the whole front end including the sway links and outer tie rod. the lower CAs and pinch bolts can be a huge PITA and sometimes the outer tie rod. be prepared to spend at least 800 for parts and labor at a shop. don't even think about the dealership. where in NY are you?

 

Definitely get all thoughts of a dealer out of your head. I got mine from www.fcpgroton.com for a great price. Hiwords is right about time - it can take a lot longer if your tie rod ends are seized (my passenger TRE took three of us 2.5 hours to remove by itself). Like he asked, where in NY are you? I'm sure we can make arrangements and take care of the job.

 

I'm in Westchester county, just north of NYC, and always looking out for a good backyard mechanic. Really, there's a lot of play only on one side, oddly enough. I'm making a long trip this week, and it was determined that only the uppers on the one side were bad. Additionally, I've only ordered the 2 uppers, and I don't want the wheel to fall off on the long road trip, naturally. Hopefully, replacement will quiet the racket from up front too, as the wheel bearing replacements didn't quiet things too greatly.

Sure wish I were closer to Binghamton!