Ok. I have been searching the internet far and wide but cannot find an answer to this. When reversing if I hit the brakes I can hear and feel a decent clunk noise. I took it to a shop and was told that it was my control arm bushings but that replacement was not necessary if the problem did not bother me. Is this safe? Is the bushing failure just a nuisance and not a safety concern? My 1992 sc400 has roughly 215,000 mi. on it and it would ease my mind to know if I am safe in this car. Thanks.

 

well, it's not like the control arm will fall apart or anything...

however, tire wear and handling will be severely compromised...

 

Replace the bushings. That mechanic is a hack that told you not to. Run, don't walk away from stupid advise like that.

 

its not stupid advice. its pretty costly to change out bushings. and if youre driving a much older car its most likely not worth your while since its not gonna up the value much or any at all. its still safe to drive on, but like mitsu stated, it will kill tire wear and handling.

 

iceman1112,
More lame advise for you, if you want to take it. If you bought your SC, or most any other car for monetary appreciation, that is not very wise either. Driving on worn suspension is never safe in my opinion. Might as well never change anything and just drive it into the ground if you follow hoebag's mentality. In the end, you will do what you want.
Good luck!

 

uh.. i never said drive it into the ground, but alright. its smart to weigh the monetary pros and cons. if one buys an inexpensive car, it wouldnt make much sense to spend $1000 on it to change bushings out if its only worth $3000, unless of course you plan to drive the car for another 100k miles. like i said, make sure the cost is worth your while.

 

I was just asking because I don't have piles of money like some of you on here. I am an average 20 year old living out on my own, getting the bills paid with little extra money and expecting a baby in december. If it's safe I'm going to drive it whether my tires wear faster than normal or not. I just replaced the tires and the ones that were on it were on the car since I bought it nearly 40k miles ago and they were by no means new at the time. Thanks for the replies so far.

 

In your situation, you might want to consider getting something more practical four your family. These cars are expensive to maintain and they are not very economical on gas. Premium Fuel is not cheap. You might want to think about getting a four door Honda. A 2 door coupe aint to great for car seats and getting the kid in and out of the car. Good luck with the new baby!

 

I know it isn't the best choice but I'm trying to work around it since I haven't owned a car I like as much as this one. It's paid for, gas isn't really a concern since I work ~2 miles from home. If it comes down to it in the future I will change cars but as of right now I'm happy with this one and plan on keeping it.

 

I am happy to hear you will keep your SC and that it is not going to be a burden to you and your family. You are young and I am sure your economic situation will improve as you get more established. Again, good luck with the new baby, My wife and I are expecting our first next month.

 

congrats and good luck with yours too

 

you dont need to replace them man

but for comform you may want to start putting a lil to the side..and change them down the line...its not OD important

my rear control arm bushings need to be replaced
BUT
the thing with the GS's is they dont sell jus the bushings you have to buy the whole control arm.

I am 20 as well...and cant afford the new contorl arms currently since I just quit my job -- but will get it done in the coming months.


Dont worry abt it now! all it affects is ur handling.... and as hte other guys said ur tire wear...

 

You're mechanic sounds either lazy or very honest. It is "safe" to drive, but will cause a lot of wear like others said. Hoebag is not wrong, no harm will come to you because of this, but it may be cheaper in the long run to replace the bushings (not the whole arm like a dealer will suggest) instead of continuing to drive and find excessive wear.

Most mechanics jump on a $ job like this so I am surprised he gave you honest advise. He was either looking out for your wallet or was too busy or lazy to take on the job.

Bushing replacement is not extremely expensive if you can do it your self, there is some pain in the *** labor involved.

Good luck with the fam, I've got two little ones. Glad to hear you're not taking the advice to buy a Honda.

Most the time drivers "know" if something is wrong with their car. Some chose to ignore it. A clunking sound is not normal and bushings is the place to start to take care of that problem. Let us know which route you go, there are a lot of bushings to chose from.

 

well said !

 

I'm getting a little clunking noise that I notice when I make down hill turns. I was hoping it wasn't the control arms but oh well there goes my my navigation