Need help selecting best aftermarket lower control arm replacement for 08 TL
 

Hi everyone, I sold my beloved CL-S after 11 years of ownership and bought a 08 TL (base). One of the LCA bushings is completely torn and the arm is resting on the sub-frame. I've called around a few mechanics/shops and they all suggest replacing the entire arm since they don't want to mess with pressing in a new bushing (or don't have the ability to do so). I could really use some recommendations for the best aftermarket lower control arms. I checked and Moog doesn't seem to make one for an 08 TL.....otherwise I would have gone with that choice. What other brand do people recommend? Also, does anyone know a good Acura/Honda mechanic in the Chicago area that they would recommend? Thanks in advance for the feedback.

After digging a little more it looks like Acura changed the lower control arm assembly for the 2007-2008 models. Its looks like the control arm compliance bushing is a different acura part number. nDoes anyone have experience using Beck/Arnley lower control arms? Do you think they are decent quality comparable to OEM? Any feedback/suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Press a new bushing in yourself using the homemade tool I made: https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-p.../#post14334091

Highly recommend going with Fastline PCI compliance bushings instead of the OEM...

lazy shops... :rolleyes: find a shop that has a press that will do it for you.

Buying the entire control arm is going to be a lot more expensive than buying just the bushing and having a shop press it in. Depending on which bushing it is, the cost ranges from $21 to $38 for OEM (Acuraoemparts.com). However, the entire assembly is $375. And it's not as if the arm itself ever goes bad. Just the bushings.

You could purchase the entire LCA assembly for around $150 on RockAuto. It looks like they offer Mevotech and Beck/Arnley. But there's no guarantee they're built to the same level as OEM. I've used some aftermarket suspension parts - so far with good luck - but we're talking things like sway bar links and upper control arms, which are cheap and easy to replace. The LCA is a bit more work. I think I'd probably go OEM for something like that. If it were me, I'd purchase the OEM bushing and have it pressed in by a shop. Even if you have to find a machine shop with a press.

I own a 2007 Acura TL Type-S. I just had the compliance bushings on each side replaced. Acura sells them separately for a reason. It's unnecessary to replace the entire control arm. Yes, the 2004 - 2006 bushing is a different part number. Buy 2 of 51394-SEP-A11 and have the old ones pressed out and the new ones pressed in. The difference in ride quality will be very noticeable. Also buy these bushings online from an Acura dealer. PM me for which websites to use.

Beck Arnley is *probably* the best aftermarket OE replacement alternative in this case.

But everyone is right. The factory bushings and castings are in another league of quality and proper operation.

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions everyone. I purchased some acura oem bushings in the event i can find a mechanic with a press. I'll probably have to supply the press adapters so I like the homemade press suggestion as I might need to purchase the 2 1/8 socket. I'm not able to readily find beck arnley arms in stock, but it sounds like most people dont think the other 2 bushings ever need replacing so maybe I'll just try to have the compliance one replaced. Any other places to get a 2 1/8 socket other than tractor supply?

Ehhhh the chassis side bushing probably sees the least action and doesn't need replacement for a while. However, the shock bushing is almost for sure completely collapsed if it has much more than 100K miles on it. It won't affect the way the car handles too much....but its good practice to replace all the bushings.

Remember to clock the arm properly when you re-install (tighten the shock and chassis bushings at ride height. DON'T just tighten the bolts with the wheels drooping down).

Beck Arnley should be available on rockauto.

New bushings are a lot more difficult to install than a full arm. But...OEM bushings will work for sure. Aftermarket is a total crapshoot.

Yeah, read a few posts/pages after my post. There's a link to the socket from Amazon IIRC.

I ran Mevotech on my old TL and the bushings had no cracking after 50k miles and rode smooth. Installed them on my current TL as well. Partsgeek sells them.