Vehicle:
02 Camry XLE I4 219k
Description:
Rattle at the floorboards. Worse when its cold. Rapid outside tire wear on left front. (new tire lasts 20k before outside is bald). Not just the edge of the tire, a gradual wear from the middle. Had recent alignments in attempt to resolve it, no luck. No accidents.
Background:
Took the Camry to the dealer a couple of years ago to have it inspected. On the list of things that "could" be fixed, one was "loose control arm bushings". Now I'm picking up a rattle at the floorboards. I hate rattles. Because of the mileage I figured just replace all suspension parts like I have done with other vehicles over the years. $200 at the local garage, my parts, its over.
Figuring out ahead of time what the labor bill would be to replace:
2X control arms with ball joints
2X inner tie rod ends
2x outer tie rod ends
2X stabilizer links
By the book mechanics use, replacement of the control arm bushings requires a whole new arm. That doesn't bother me, the arms and new ball joints are relatively cheap. What bothers me is the labor. 8 hours a side. Why so much labor? To my shock and disgust control arm replacement requires the removal of the engine. That means close to $1,000 just for the arms.
Questions:
Because of the cost, I need to be (somewhat) sure what it is rather than assume its something the dealer tech pointed out 2 years ago. I don't know for sure the rattle at the floor boards is the control arm bushings.
What are the symptoms of a bad control arm/bushing?
What else could a floorboard rattle hitting small bumps be? This is away from the struts, low, towards the transmission. Its something on that list, but I don't know the symptoms for each.
Has anyone had to replace the arms? Is there a way to jack the engine up, say detach the mounts to get clearance?
Thanks in advance
02 Camry XLE I4 219k
Description:
Rattle at the floorboards. Worse when its cold. Rapid outside tire wear on left front. (new tire lasts 20k before outside is bald). Not just the edge of the tire, a gradual wear from the middle. Had recent alignments in attempt to resolve it, no luck. No accidents.
Background:
Took the Camry to the dealer a couple of years ago to have it inspected. On the list of things that "could" be fixed, one was "loose control arm bushings". Now I'm picking up a rattle at the floorboards. I hate rattles. Because of the mileage I figured just replace all suspension parts like I have done with other vehicles over the years. $200 at the local garage, my parts, its over.
Figuring out ahead of time what the labor bill would be to replace:
2X control arms with ball joints
2X inner tie rod ends
2x outer tie rod ends
2X stabilizer links
By the book mechanics use, replacement of the control arm bushings requires a whole new arm. That doesn't bother me, the arms and new ball joints are relatively cheap. What bothers me is the labor. 8 hours a side. Why so much labor? To my shock and disgust control arm replacement requires the removal of the engine. That means close to $1,000 just for the arms.
Questions:
Because of the cost, I need to be (somewhat) sure what it is rather than assume its something the dealer tech pointed out 2 years ago. I don't know for sure the rattle at the floor boards is the control arm bushings.
What are the symptoms of a bad control arm/bushing?
What else could a floorboard rattle hitting small bumps be? This is away from the struts, low, towards the transmission. Its something on that list, but I don't know the symptoms for each.
Has anyone had to replace the arms? Is there a way to jack the engine up, say detach the mounts to get clearance?
Thanks in advance