How Long to Leave In Torn Control Arm Bushings?

[fallingreason]

Hey AZ,

I just got my state inspection and the only thing they found worth mentioning to me (but didn't affect my inspection) was that my front upper control arm bushings are tearing. At least 2 out of the 4 are torn.

I am wondering how long I can let these go for? It's a big job to get in there and do that and would like to wait until I put in new suspension to replace the control arms since it will all be taken apart and realigned anyway.

Is it critical to replace once they start to tear? Or can they go for another 5-10k miles? Less? I don't drive very hard and my car has about 89k miles on the clock.

I have not noticed any noises and the steering does not seem sloppy to me, but I'm sure it would feel different with new front end components.

Thanks for any input!

[blmlozz]

Depends on how far they're torn. If it wasn't enough to fail inspection, you can wait. Even with completely failed uppers this type of suspension geometry maintains enough angle to be able to drive the car normally.

[fallingreason]

Thanks for the reply. Is it common to replace just the bushings, or do most just replace with a new control arm kit?

[blmlozz]

Thanks for the reply. Is it common to replace just the bushings, or do most just replace with a new control arm kit?

You *can* replace the bushings, but the ball joints usually warrant replacement by the time the bushings are worn. So people just buy all 8 CA's in a kit.