Jack it up, make sure its on a jack stand, and physically move the wheel left and right while either filming the bushings or having a helper film for you behind the tire.

 

I'll have to give this a shot either tomorrow or Monday. I'll update the thread then.

 

Those are called compliance bushings. Those arms look like aluminum. If they are aluminum you definitely cannot replace just the bushings.

Otherwise there is a special Lisle screw press you can get to push them out/in.

 

I do understand that. I also believe the ball joint is part of the arm. My concern here is whether or not the bushings are bad to the point they require replacement of the arm.

 

Also don't expect to move those bushings by hand. They are pretty stiff. Symptoms of them going bad tugging of the steering wheel over uneven surfaces.

 

I've experienced none of this when driving the van myself and my wife has likewise not complained.

 

Take it somewhere else for the alignment and see what they have to offer without being told of the first shops' findings.

 

This was exactly the thought I had when the first shop originally told me this.

 

If isn't clunky or having steering/tracking issues, just take it elsewhwere. Dealership is a good option for alignment. Ours is same price as everywhere else.

 

OP, if you plan on keeping the van for some time, maybe it’s worthwhile to buy the Firestone Bridgestone Lifetime Alignment. $200 something. Used to be cheaper. I heard Pepboys had something similar. Just an FYI.

 

We've owned the van since 2011. No plans to get rid of it anytime soon, so I'll look into that. Thanks!

 

A tire shop is no place for suspension work or perhaps even an alignment. Take it somewhere else. Don’t go to a dealership.

 

Every mechanic visit is a "cash grab scheme". They should always be handled as such. The mechanic of course is going to shake down your car. It's their job. They're trying to get paid time for work, and let you know everything they've found wrong with your car hoping you'll approve the work. A vehicle with suspension issues cannot be aligned. It's flat rate pay life. When you hear what they've found, it's as easy as saying no. It's even easier if you let them know they don't have to inspect your whole car because you can't buy anything today. $200 is pretty sweet for lifetime alignments. And my favorite part; finding out what you need to take care of without having to do anything yourself. "No thank you."

Edit: Flat rate mechanics LOVE when you say you're not buying anything today so they don't have to check anythjng because they get paid for the whole job without having to perform an inspection.

 

I didn't see it mentioned earlier, but those bushings look good to me just from the pictures.

OF

 

I agree. Those bushings look similar to those on my 07 EXL at 192K miles. No issues to speak of.

As an aside, suspension components that are worn so much that they prevent alignment typically manifest themselves strongly in other ways such as pulling on one side, clunks, vague steering, badly or unevenly worn tires, etc. If you experience none of these and the van seems to drive fine (especially at high speeds), you are probably OK. If you want to be sure, have someone experienced (a trusted mechanic for example) drive the van.

Many "mechanics" follow a playbook. For example, "if the customer's car shows cracked bushings, then do not perform alignment and advice the customer" or something similar. Playbooks are not bad, but they rely on the experience of the mechanic to work properly. Couple that with the desire to gain business, and you get much misuse.

 

I apologize. What I meant was to shake the wheel left and right rather than change the steering angle. I don't see any issue with the front bushing in your video though.

 

I did actually do that on Saturday night. It didn't move...on either side.

 

Just a thought, but could they have quoted a control arm because the ball joint is bad? That is also common practice.

 

I specifically asked them what the problem was with the LCA. The fellow who helped me said "the bushings. The ball joint is fine".

 

Strange. Have you checked the rear bushing as well?

 

Ya the rear bushing of the front arms had a huge tear in one of them-couldn’t see it until it was out.

interestingly, when ordering it aftermarket, the same front control arms fits a 2015/2016 Honda crv, so it’s definitely stressed out on a minivan

 

I have an appointment with another shop tomorrow for an alignment. If they have the same / similar concerns, I'll go from there. Obviously, if it needs replacing, I'll do it, but I'm hesitant to throw money away if it isn't necessary.

 

I replaced my LCA bushings and ball joints at about the same mileage and the ones I took out weren't in too bad of a shape. I just did it for the hack of it but they were mostly still fine. However, if one side needs to be replaced the other side is not far behind. When the other one needs to be replaced you will need another alignment (ideally) which costs you $$$.

I decided to press the bushings and ball joints in and out but I doubt the show will do that.

 

I replaced my LCA bushings and ball joints at about the same mileage and the ones I took out weren't in too bad of a shape. I just did it for the hack of it but they were mostly still fine. However, if one side needs to be replaced the other side is not far behind. When the other one needs to be replaced you will need another alignment (ideally) which costs you $$$

View attachment 179962

Because of a family funeral, I had to cancel the alignment appointment I had. I'm thinking I may just go ahead and have the arms replaced, but do both so they're done and I don't have to (in theory) deal with them again for another 16 years.

I appreciate everybody's comments. I'll update once I have the job completed.

 

My best friend was told the exhaust noise he was hearing was a crack in his headers/cat. Turns out they were just BSing their way out of a shoddy welding job they did. I replaced his headers/cat and found no leaks of any kind. He was pretty pissed.

Perhaps whoever was going to do your alignment was BSing for one reason or another to not have to do it. Or they were being honest. How sure are you that they are being honest?

 

That's a reasonable question. I've used this shop for many years for tires and alignments. I've never felt like they were trying to stick it to me or otherwise act in an unethical manner. I'm simply questioning this because until now, I haven't had any issues.

That said, a few months back, this same shop caught an issue with a part of the subframe that was lose (I missed it, in spite of my wife mentioning a 'funny noise'). They tightened it up and everything has been good since.

This is one of those things that MIGHT or MIGHT NOT be an issue. Maybe I simply cannot see what they are seeing.