91cruiser

Hey all,
When i had the timing belt replaced in July, i had then do a full inspection and they noted that the front lower control arm bushings were cracked. I had the oil changed today and had them send me pictures of the bushings. How do these look? Need replacement? Would this cause any handling problems? Has anybody had this done who can give me a ballpark on how much it’ll cost? Thanks in advance.

05 RX330 104k miles

iMSQ

It's not urgent if you don't have intensive wear outside of your tires (bad alignment).

91cruiser

Got it. I got the car in June and the tires are pretty new (7/32" as of yesterday) and I don't see any irregular wear yet. It does seem like the alignment is a little bit off sometimes but it isn't bad enough to be bothersome.

Mesquite77

Looks like surface cracking, not a big problem. A truly torn bushing will be separated with visible gap between inner and outer metal all around.

Felix

You just bought it a bit ago, If your going to keep it for awhile, I replace both of the A-arms as they come w/ balljoints as well as the bushings....when you can......

FinLIFE

iTrader: (8)

Any brand reconditions? Do people replace the complete arms or just the bushings?

Felix

You can't beat getting the complete A-arms= new bushings/ball joints.....one & done. Do both sides since your there.

evident

my 07 bushings have looked like that since at least 2014. I either haven't noticed anything weird driving or I just got used it, LOL.

91cruiser

Thanks guys. Probably won't worry about it unless tires are wearing weird or I can see daylight thru the bushings. Quite an expensive repair to have a shop do on a car that I bought to keep maintenance down!

BillUK

New user here, and at my last Lexus health check my bushings looked the same. Although it was noted on the report, along with a high cost to fix, I was told there's no need to do anything unless they caused other issues. Apparently they can stay like that for years, and new ones can get to that state quite quickly, so no point changing until needed.

I read elsewhere that silicone spray can help reduce any cracking, does anyone have any experience of this, good or bad?

Margate330

[QUOTE=BillUK;11209913]Although it was noted on the report, along with a high cost to fix, I was told there's no need to do anything unless they caused other issues. Apparently they can stay like that for years, and new ones can get to that state quite quickly, so no point changing until needed.
/QUOTE]

All great posts already, can I plz add.

My new ones I put on a year or two ago are already getting small cracks. I didn't relly need to replace mine as they weren't torn thru yet but just wanted new.

Probably could've waited on it but don't believe the "book time" on this job if you get an estimate for replacement as they make the job sound waaaaaayyyy harder than it is.
Rock Auto sold me complete control arms(MOOG) cheap and they only took an 1-2 hours(per side) to install taking my sweet time at home on jack stands so I know that a tech with a car lift can bang these out in 45 mins per side. Yes it does take 5 mins to jack the engine up a half inch with a floor jack and block of wood for clearance(carefully) but they make it sound like the engine has to come out to replace them lolol

There are walkthru's done on here by generous members with pics for anyone wanting DIY.

matts6887

my indy shop that i usually go to noted a similar thing on mine; the manager who i trust very much told me my front lower bushings are 30 percent torn and im like oh great! fortunately they arent in danger yet of completely going out on me. my rx is closing in on 179,000 miles and after 5 years of ownership its still going strong despite the fact i will eventually have to bite the bullet and spend big bucks to have my front transfer case taken out and re sealed; but thats another story for another day.

Felix

[QUOTE=Margate330;11211506][QUOTE=BillUK;11209913]Although it was noted on the report, along with a high cost to fix, I was told there's no need to do anything unless they caused other issues. Apparently they can stay like that for years, and new ones can get to that state quite quickly, so no point changing until needed.
/QUOTE]

All great posts already, can I plz add.

My new ones I put on a year or two ago are already getting small cracks. I didn't relly need to replace mine as they weren't torn thru yet but just wanted new.

Probably could've waited on it but don't believe the "book time" on this job if you get an estimate for replacement as they make the job sound waaaaaayyyy harder than it is.
Rock Auto sold me complete control arms(MOOG) cheap and they only took an 1-2 hours(per side) to install taking my sweet time at home on jack stands so I know that a tech with a car lift can bang these out in 45 mins per side. Yes it does take 5 mins to jack the engine up a half inch with a floor jack and block of wood for clearance(carefully) but they make it sound like the engine has to come out to replace them lolol

I don't get why alldata says that for, I could kinda understand the manufacturer thou.....

MattRX

Prodemand says it too, while in reality - it isn't too bad of a job if everything comes apart as intended.

Felix

Whiteline offer a replacement bushings, press out the old & press in the new improved ones. I saw these @ http://Tirerack.com