Front Lower Control Arm Replacement

[2005 Camry]

I have an '05 Camry LE, 4 cyl Auto, 125,000 miles, that I was just told I need to have both lower control arms replaced because of worn bushings. Dealer cost for the job about $1200. Wow. How difficult are they to change and can it be done at home or do I need a lot of special tools? I just found Advance Auto has them for $119 each, so I would guess NAPA does as well. I'm fairly capable of working on the car, just not sure what I might get into. I also understand it will need an alignment as well. The dealer says 8 hours for them to do it. How big a job is this? Thanks in advance.

[gdanaher]

You are going to remove the lower arm and the lower ball joint. You will need a tool to remove the ball joint but those are readily available. Replace the ball joint while you have it out. It's due anyway. Toyota shows the lower arm for about 131.00 and the ball joint for about 41.00. Use Toyota. You will need to align the car when you are done but you can get it close with a tape measure. $1200 isn't horrible unless you are skilled and enjoy broken knuckles. The parts will be about $375 with tax, an alignment will be about $80, and your time is worth something, but if you have the weekend, jack it up and get after it.

[2005 Camry]

gdanaher, Where did you price the OEM parts? The local dealer listed the control arm for about $188. Your price is much cheaper. Thanks for the info.

[gdanaher]

There are many places to buy parts from dealers on the internet. My favorite wasn't working just now so try this:

http://www.partswebsite.com/pagetoyo...=19&type=parts