Front Control Arm Bushings That Don't Fit?

[Steevo]

I saw this thread
http://gmtnation.com/forums/topic/7605-front-control-arm-bushings/

which mentioned some aftermarket Prothane bushings. I am not planning on ordering those.

I had my 2003 Envoy XL at the alignment shop today for a set of Bilsteins front and rear. They are a *very* reliable alignment shop, I have been dealing with this guy for about 30 years.

They showed me the upper control arm bushings are shot, spring insulators, something called a shock mount (I think) and a couple other minor things. I saw it all and sure, looks shot to me.

The guy at the shop says they had some trouble with that vehicle and the fit of the bushings available, so they changed the whole bracket in past repairs on the trailvoy platform.

Has anyone had trouble with the fit of replacement bushings on that top control arm? They had some no-name brand at Oreilly, and they had Moog. I was unable to get any today, Oreilly didn't have them, offered to order them in but with the question as to them not fitting, I'd rather not fool around. It would sure be a problem for me if that car was down, it's the only one I have.

Anyone had this before? Those parts that do not fit, I mean? Trouble in that area?

 

[blazinlow89]

New MOOG upper control arms are about $35 shipped from Amazon. It is quicker and much easier to replace the entire arm.

 

[Steevo]

New MOOG upper control arms are about $35 shipped from Amazon. It is quicker and much easier to replace the entire arm.

I realize that, but what I asked was does anyone have experience with aftermarket bushings that do not fit? I heard allegations that some do not fit.

There's no problem mail ordering the control arm, I realize that.

 

[blazinlow89]

The amount of labor that a shop would charge to replace just the bushing would be more than a set of new arms. As far as aftermarket bushings not fitting, I have not heard any stories about that. There have been a few members that have installed the Prothane kit with no issues.

Just saying that for $70 you can have the new arms swapped in a couple of hours. You would need to press out the old sleeve and bushing, and then press in the new ones.

 

[Steevo]

Well, yeah but I am not doing the work. The shop is, and they have *all* the equipment there at their fingertips.

I am not going to mail order parts to give them, but if there is no problem buying the bushings they can install them.
To order the arms through them is much more than the lowest price available online for mail order arms.
This work will be done today or tomorrow which completely eliminates the possibility of ordering online for cheap.

So we can just stop discussing that. I only want to know if some bushings do not fit, not a workaround.

 

[The_Roadie]

Good luck. I think your circumstances are unique, and almost everybody here just swaps out the whole control arm, so there's not much experience on individual bushings. The thread you linked to discussed the Prothane UCA bushings being a good fit. I bought some leftovers from blazinlow89, but haven't had time to try them yet. I assume they're going to work. Prothane has a very, very good reputation.

Where did you read there were some vendors that didn't fit?

Added: If it was just the "guy at the shop" I'd be a bit skeptical. Especially if they get a lot more $$ for a total UCA replacement than the prices we see on Amazon or the local parts stores ($40-60 each)

 

[Steevo]

Yeah, the guy at the shop whom I have known for 30 years, they are the best, by far.
Alignment guys from other shops take their cars there. Heh. Pretty humorous.

I believe there was a problem with bushings if they say so, they are not trying to charge me for things I don't need.

I guess I will just tell them to get the arms, I think they are $79 each.
I didn't find those at a local parts store for anything significantly less. Who has them for less?

I realize mail order is less, there's an old saying "only a fool would buy mail order of the price wasn't right".
So sure, Amazon has to be less or no one would care.

 

[The_Roadie]

Nah, $79 isn't a total ripoff. The shops have to make profit on parts as well as labor. I objected to a local mechanic I sometimes use who told me I had a worn outer tie rod. I know when I have worn tie rod ends, and now I keep 2-3 spares with me at all times because I break them on trails and can change 'em in 15 minutes without removing the tire. I get them for $20-30 on Rockauto, and his best price from the local NAPA was $119. Sorry, but no.

 

[Steevo]

Nah, $79 isn't a total ripoff. The shops have to make profit on parts as well as labor. I objected to a local mechanic I sometimes use who told me I had a worn outer tie rod. I know when I have worn tie rod ends, and now I keep 2-3 spares with me at all times because I break them on trails and can change 'em in 15 minutes without removing the tire. I get them for $20-30 on Rockauto, and his best price from the local NAPA was $119. Sorry, but no.

I completely agree, as I said to them yesterday, I want people who do work for me to feel they were paid OK.
So when I show up they want to do more when I ask.

Though I am no pushover I like to let them make some money.

That said, if they can change the bushings and it costs me $100 less in parts but $50 more in labor, I like that. I save money and they make more.

 

[Steevo]

OK, so here's how this all ended up.
I got the guys that I have known for 30 years to quote all the work. It was close to $1300, which included a lot of new parts.
Including the upper brackets because they are for some reason afraid bushings won't fit.

I just couldn't put that much money in it. So I went to another place that is much cheaper, and I ended up getting all that work done including the alignment for about $575. I waited and watched.

As to the bushings, I watched them change them. Easy. Click, click. No issues at all.

It seems the other shop is somehow afraid of the parts, and that was completely unwarranted. They wanted me to pay an extra $304 because of their fears. It's not that these other guys are geniuses or anything, the parts were fine. No worries.

So I got everything taken care of, and if the cost at the other shop had been even $300 more I might have let them do the work.

But at the difference, and with that vehicle having 180,000 miles I have to be more careful.

 

[Sparky]

Odd that they didn't want to do the bushings... Weird. Kind of a shame that the ones you knew and trusted were like that...

At least you got it fixed without breaking the bank.

 

[jimmyjam]

i've swapped in moog bushings twice now, no issues.

 

[Enlightened1z]

i've swapped in moog bushings twice now, no issues.

A few years ago I swapped out the LCA Brackets on my TB because of the bad bushings. My wife's Envoy now needs the same work. As a DIY project I wanted to try pressing the bushings in to repair this time. My question is regarding the bushing orientation in the brackets. My Moog lower forward (Larger) bushing face has voids and a little rubber "button-like" node near the center which makes me think the bushing has to be pressed into the bracket at a certain orientation...How did you position yours when you pressed them in? My other question is about the pressing depth of the bushings. Is the larger bushing supposed to be pressed flush against the LCA bracket or should the bushing be pressed so it is more centered in the bracket? I've seen pics that show a centered bushing but none showed a Moog bushing having the voids. I received no instructions or specs with my bushings and was wondering if you can steer me in the right direction as to the proper way to install the bushings. I have searched online for info about pressing suspension bushings but have not found any "nuts and bolts" literature. Any assistance you or anyone else can provide would be much appreciated.