gracieanne

Princeton Acura identified that the front lower ball joints needed doing in the near future, and quoted me for the parts ($70 for both) and labor.. when i went to an independent for a quote on the labor (honda factory trained) they called around for the parts and all the dealers (including honda and acura) said the oem part was only available as part of the knuckle (at close to $800 for both sides for the parts alone).

The owner is shaking his head saying, 'I don't remember it that way' which I didn't either from searching online. So finally I went back and had them call Princeton Acura parts dept (which was not one they had called for a parts price originally) and they verified that the front lower ball joints could be purchased independent of the whole knuckle.

When my independent asked him why the other dealers didn't sell it that way, Princeton Acura told him that there was a Technical Service Bulletin out now on selling and repairing just the front lower ball joint on its own. They are faxing the TSB to my independent mechanic for his use.

Just goes to show... I am female and only do the small stuff myself as opposed to the majority of people who post here, but don't believe you have to go for $1000.00 on this repair as that is not the correct information.

NSXNEXT

iTrader: (2)

Justin and the parts guys at Precision Acura are the best. I buy all my stuff from them. They even price match the online sites.

Ryons02TLTypeS

i had to buy some after martket ones, because i was informed by acura that i would have to buy the whole thing after.

360 something each.

gracieanne

yes i know, delray acura sells parts online at 20% off of list plus 6% shipping and even they said that it was sold as part of the knuckle (375 each at 20% off). Anyone who needs to verify for the dealer to do the work I would call the Precision Acura (Princeton) parts department and they will fax the TSB to your dealer.

poohlikeshunny

i just went thru this recently....i was quoted 800 to have it done (parts/labor) and I ended up buying just the balljoint and taking it to an independant shop to do it for 60. The balljoint was 28 bucks...pays to educate yourself!!!

acitydweller

hi, anywhere i can get a copy of this TSB to show my mechanic?
Does anyone have the part number for these ball joints Sans knuckle?

Thanks,
AC

acitydweller

Paragon Acura in NYC is asking for $45 for each ball joint. Maybe i should order online as i am not in dire need to get these installed immediately and could wait a few days...

I will call westchester acura for the prices now.

Brent1202

i'm actually changing all my ball joints tomorrow. lower and upper. some parts places want to sell you the whole knuckle, others will sell you just the ball joint. just call around. the shop next to where i work is going to press out the old lower and press in the new lower ball joints for me at no cost. gonna cost me 50 bucks to do both lower.

gracieanne

Yes, I believe if you call the Precision Acura (Princeton, NJ) parts department they will fax you the TSB for fixing and selling just the lower ball joints alone; Justin is the parts department manager, Brian is the main guy in the service area I deal with...

fsttyms1

the only thing i might be tempted to replace would be the upper control arm. That has rubber bushings where it attaches and they can wear out. It might be a good idea to replace the whose arm the knuckle though i would just replace the ball joint

Brent1202

i replaced my lower and upper today, just the ball joint. i pressed out the old lower and pressed the new back in. wasn't bad at all.

3.2TLc

hey Brent1202, did ya use aftermarket ball joints for both ? How was the upper arm's bushings ? Is an alignment necessary after removing the strut assembly ? Thanks !

fsttyms1

Aftermarkets are fine. You can get them from napa cheaper than the dealer. It would be hard to notice the bushings condition. They are small, but any noticable movement would be bad. If you have enough miles to need a ball joint the bushings are probably worn as well. (after replacing just my ball joints im going to replace the whole arm due to the bushings being worn/having too much movement)

acitydweller

I ended up ordering lower ball joints from Westchester Acura for $35 each side (delivered). It definitely paid to call around. Thanks for the tips.

My TL has nearly 100,000 miles so the front suspension is pretty much worn. I have replaced the upper control arms which eliminated much of the noise. I considered doing this after taking out my shocks and seeing virtually no resistance on the upper control arms to stay up. They basicially dropped down and were completely shot.

Are the upper ball joints a part of the upper control arm or does it connect to the upper control arm?

fsttyms1

yes the upper ball joints are part of the new arm when you buy it.

Brent1202

i used aftermarket parts. i didn't replace the bushing, they were in good shape. wasn't a bad job, i had all tools i need though. thats the difference.