lower front control arms

[eljefe]

anyone change the lower from control arms out? I think mine might be bad. anyone know the symptoms?

Thanks,

 

[Bostonian]

I have an 06 LR3 and did mine about 18 months ago. It started with a clunking sound when going over bumps and washboard ruts. Not long after that one of the rubber fittings completely broke open, leaking fluid that I believe is in the rubber fitting. If you let them go beyond that I have heard you hear a metal on metal clunking sound when braking, with the control arm bumping up against the frame. It's been discussed in a number of threads here that it is more labor intensive to replace the rubber fittings than it is to replace the entire unit. I had an indie do both left/right with OEM parts, along with a right tie rod and the price then was about $1400. This was done at around 75k miles.

 

[PaulLR3]

As Bostonian noted, it starts with a clunking noise when going over bumps. I also had a few drops of oil leaking from the bushing at the rear of one control arm. I was also getting a howling noise from a bad wheel bearing which requires a new wheel hub.

This all went bad around 65K miles on our LR3. We frequently drive on a rough, rutted beach access road which I'm sure caused much of the wear & tear.

While it was all apart they also replaced the tie rods, ball joints and a few other parts. So the cost for an all-new front suspension was just under $3K including dealer labor. It did drive and handle much better when done.

 

[elrocko]

I had one replaced under warranty on my 2010 at 35K miles - clunking sound on washboard roads.