Control Arms

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M32H32IS

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A 20 ton press costs less than $500 and doesn’t take up much garage space. Just saying…
 

txfromwi

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Unless you really want to mess around with new bushings to change how it rides, it's just not practical to press the bushings in and out.
You would need to remove the arm and replace both both bushings and the ball joint.
In my world it's just easier to replace the assembly.

I have now done this on the 2013 and the 2016.

Hot off the press, just finished this video today - everything you ever needed to know and more.

I hope it's helpful!

 

t3s1a

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If Front bushing and a ball joint is ok there’s nothing wrong with changing only rear one
 

BigBriDogGuy

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I've wanted to go back to OEM bushings on all my control arms. One of the previous owners switched over to orange poly all the way around. I got a quote for doing the forward control arms with the OEM bushings and it was a little over $2,000 with an alignment. The labor was pretty modest, but the parts were hefty - a bit over $500 for each side. I've seen aftermarket lower forward control arms for under $200. Probably not the same quality, but I'm trying to get a sense of what I should be paying. Plus, that was just for the forward lower control arms and didn't change out bushings on the rear or upper.

I'm good where I sit with the orange poly. They get the job done. But it's been on my wish list to get the nicer ride from oil-filled. Got a couple questions I'm looking to find help with. First, are lower front control arms all that really matters when it comes to bushings and ride quality? Is there a big difference between OEM control arms and aftermarket? Do you need an LR mechanic to do this job or can any competent shop swap out control arms because they are just a normal part of suspensions and all vehicles have them? Is it overkill to want to swap out all the bushings, front and back, lower and upper? If so, what would make the most sense to swap out? And, again, how much should I expect to pay?
 

ftillier

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Do you have the orange bushings for the upper arms too (I hadn't seen those before)? You can get Lemforder lower control arms with the liquid filled bushings from FCPEuro for about $180 each. Lemforder makes them for Land Rover, and the ones you get direct from them have had the Land Rover stamp ground off of the control arm before being painted. These come with new bushings and a new ball joint. Any competent shop should be able to handle this in theory. If they're including the upper arms, then maybe $500 per side makes sense though. I only had the poly bushings on the front lower in my LR4, and as I do go offroad away from everything and had seen reports of stress fractures likely caused by lack of compliance from the poly, I decided to go back to stock when my ball joints wore out. It added to the expense, but adds peace of mind, and at that point was an incremental cost.
 

BigBriDogGuy

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Thanks @ftillier I'm not schooled up enough on this stuff to know what's what. I am willing and able to take care of a few things right now (and have), but I don't want to be foolish about it, just throwing money at the LR4 because it's something that could be done. I've been trying to focus on consumable items that could lead to damage or catastrophic failure if not replaced. The fact that they are "consumable" means they would need to be replaced eventually in any event and the worst case scenario is that you replaced something a bit prematurely. My understanding is that lower forward control arms fall into that category. It's not a matter of if they are going to fail, but when. Eventually, they will need to be replaced. Now might not be a bad time while I am in a position to do it.
 

ugmw177

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You might consisderr the Meyle HD LCAs. I put them on ours a year and half ago. They are solid, bushings supposed to last longer than LR, and the ride is great [no harshness etc.]. I think they were about $200 or so apeice.
 

itsaguything

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But, the housing for “some” of the bushings in the arms are rather “light” and can be “mangled” if the bush isn’t switched appropriately… which is why LR and others provide the bush attached to the arm.

@BigBriDogGuy , perhaps just live with what you have until it is “swap it out” time. It is easy enough to have the bushes checked (in fact they should always be) everytime the vehicle is on the hoist.

And you should know me by now… I’m an oem quality (or better) guy… chinesium replacement parts are made for others.
 
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