LeVeL

Been reading the forum all day but still thought I'd ask for advice.

In the fall the dealer told me that my compliance bushings are torn. Car drove fine so I elected not to do them. Lately it's been crashing over bumps, so to speak, so I figure it's time to get this done. Between wedding planning and house hunting I don't have time to do this myself so, reluctantly, I'm going to pay to get it done.

Dealer wants ~$700 (not sure if they would replace the bushings or the arms); local shop wants $500 for new LCAs. Dealer will use OEM parts; who knows what the local shop will use.

Thoughts on what I should do? I assume I'll need an alignment after this too - maybe I can bargain with the dealer to discount it if I go though them, plus make sure they install whole new LCAs.




Edit: thought I was posting in the suspension subforum, oops.

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

Another option if you want OEM parts but not dealer shop prices is to buy the OEM parts yourself and then take them to your local shop.

b15

Sounds like dealer is replacing the LCAs as well, mainly because it's quicker/easier. Honestly if you're looking for OEM and to save some money, order the bushings and have a local shop install them in your current LCA. Shouldn't need to replace the whole LCA unless it's bent or in bad shape.

LeVeL

Local shop said that the bushings are obviously cheaper but it takes longer to replace them. Whole LCAs are more expensive but quicker job. Quoted me the same price for either one - $500.

truonghthe

I don't know why your dealer charge $700 for LCA, I had my dealer replace just the LCA bushing and after alignment and tax the grand total come out to $485.

b15

I don't necessarily believe that. In my experience, a properly equipped shop can press out/in bushings/bearings in a matter of minutes. Other than that extra step, everything else is the same. Regardless, if same cost I would just get new LCAs as well.

LeVeL

Is that for both front LCAs or just one?

truonghthe

Both LCA bushing.

quantum7

My dealer did bushings and alignment...wanted $700 but applied a coupon and got it below $600....couple of years ago.

Levon05TL

LeVeL

Talked to a total of four shops today.

Acura dealer:
Compliance bushings - quoted me $709.40 two weeks ago; this week it's over a grand. Go figure.

Honda dealer:
Compliance bushings for $513

Local place #1:
Change whole LCA - $500
Change bushings - $500

Local place #2:
Guy tells me I probably don't need compliance bushings because Honda/Acura dealers just tell everyone to replace them no matter what.
Quotes Dorman LCAs at $185ea; says OEM is $531ea.
Says compliance bushings themselves are $60ea but the labor is "ridiculous" and recommends getting whole new LCAs.
Offered to take a look at the car and tell me right then and there if it needs work. Will know more tomorrow morning.



So who knows, maybe I really don't need bushings. Acura dealer told me to replace them in the fall and it was driving fine but now it's kind of crashing over bumps (possibly RSB links) and I get some vibrations at speed (might need to re-balance) but who knows.

Levon05TL

LeVeL

Sitting at local shop #2, waiting for my oil change. They were fine with me hanging around the shop so I took this time to look around the car while it's on a lift. The compliance bushings look perfectly fine and the lead mechanic concurs. The "rusty axles" that the dealer warned me about just have some surface rust on the driver's side; might replace them as preventative maintenance since moisture can get inside the boot but currently not too concerned. I've been suspecting that the rear sway bar links are bad but turns out it's just a single bushing that's letting the bar move up and down, which makes noise, so I'll easily swap that out. The loose heat shield that the dealer wanted $70 to fix is getting fixed right now with a $0.50 clamp. Just need to rebalance my wheels and I'll be in good shape (knock on wood). Next up: interior rattles (one I can't find is coming over my left shoulder but that's for another thread).

Now, back to the axles - I've heard great things about Raxles but as of yesterday they didn't have any in stock for a 6-speed. What's next best?

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

oem.

b15

Nice!!

I'm also looking to change my axles. Seems like OEM or Raxles are best. But various members have also had good luck with Advance Auto ones or Cardones from Rock Auto. They are more hit or miss quality wise vs OEM. If you plan on keeping the car longer term, OEM might be best. I don't so I'm just getting Cardone from Rock Auto in the next month or so.

LeVeL

I think I'm keeping it long-term. It's the perfect daily driver - looks good, drives well, quick enough in most traffic situations, comfortable, reliable, easy to work on... I'm a fan.

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

So, speaking out of the other side of my mouth...

I am an advocate for both OEM and Raxles, however, tomorrow I'm having a set of DuraLast axles put on. Why? A fellow member, EvilVirus, was selling an unused set of DuraLast axles for a very reasonable price, a price so low I thought it might be worth the gamble and I bought them.

stevemk07

I have been thinking about replacing my axles simply because there is so must rusting of bolts on this car that I imagine the axles will need to be replaced soon. Luckily the car looks near flawless on the outside and drives very well. Anyway, I am wondering how hard do you guys drive them things around corners? Will you test them this way?

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

I've only driven the car maybe ten miles since I got the new axles in and it is definitely much smoother. Regarding cornering and spirited handling, I didn't let the axles get bad enough to cause any extra vibrations compared to driving straight and smooth down the highway.

FWIW, I tested the CV joints on my original axles by simply hand rotating them around their axis, three of the CVs were super smooth, the fourth felt like it had a series of subtle catches during the rotations; I'm sure that's what I was feeling prior to having them replaced. At this point though, it is really hard to gauge how smooth the new axles are because the Comp-2 tires currently on the car are so rough. I'll be picking my new wheels up in a couple of weeks and get my new tires mounted, then I'll be able to give a full assessment.

DMZ

Forget rebuilt axles! You can buy new aftermarket replacements from rockauto.com for $100's of dollars less. I recently did and couldn't be happier! My best bud from high school owned an auto parts store for 25 years and claims he'd NEVER put rebuilt axles in any of his cars. That goes double for Paul, our star stellar master mechanic in Northern NJ.
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Levon05TL

DMZ

It is !