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Thread: Ball joint failed, safety reminder and repair unknown

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    UT USA
    Posts
    53

    Ball joint failed, safety reminder and repair unknown

    Control arm ball joint failed. Just a safety reminder to not let it go to far. (Original control arm
    104K miles)

    Only 2mph starting from a stop and not aggressive. Wheel obviously flopped, puled CV axle off from inside and snapped a new stabilizer end link off sway bar.

    Feel like an idiot because I knew it was going bad and was a weekend away from replacing lower control arms. Happy I did not die a fiery death on the highway.

    Dropped off at a shop close by because the tow truck situation was not the best. Guess my one question is what do you think is a fair markup for a shop to source the parts? $60 RockAuto part becomes $120? I don’t have quote yet but was guessing +50-100% is probably normal for parts?

    Need to decide how much to spend to fix a reliable $5000-$6000 car. Kicking myself for not getting on the control arms quicker. With the other unknown damage, I think this project is more then I want to handle myself. I’m preparing myself to get a call that control arms, stabilizer link, CV axle and possibly a Tie Rod will set me back $2000?

    Anyway, just needed to write this down
    2012 6spd crossover

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    UT USA
    Posts
    53
    I was wrong. Stabilizer end link did not snap off, it was getting dark at the time.
    Figure the hardest part will be finding or getting the CV axle rebuilt

    Pic1.jpg
    Pic2.jpg
    2012 6spd crossover

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    Toronto, Canada
    Posts
    887
    Your control arm ball joint broke at a good time as you say it would have been worse if you were driving at speed. I started hearing clunking noise late last year after I changed out sway bar links and bushings. Purchased 2 control arms but waited till this past spring to install them and got lucky with mine not breaking. I had also done a road trip to Rochester December 2021 with it clunking a bit.

    I bought my arms from partsavatar.ca (canadian site), at the time I bought them for like $40 each and were Transit parts. So far so good and even if they last 2 years or longer I will be happy with them. I did this vid shortly after they were installed:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiJ1ZEkG36E

    Most shops will mark up stuff at least 35-40% probably even more if retail....................my advice just get the parts yourself and do it yourself if you can or give the shop the parts for them to replace so you just pay the labor. Get a price for the labor before you mention that you will supply the parts so they can't try to charge you more to do the work.
    10 SX4 6sp AWD, 17 CX-3 AWD
    19 Corvette ZR1
    09 Z06 (gone), 13 Shelby GT500 (gone)

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    Toronto, Canada
    Posts
    887
    Which side broke???

    Read a bit more of your first post................no way replacing controls arms, sway bar link, tie rod and CV axle(s) is going to cost $2k for parts and labor. Parts will be the most $$$$ part of this job labor should only be a few hours (I don't think even more than 4) so even if a shop charges $100/hr that's only $400 bucks. A sway bar link is like $20 each, tie rod also around $25-$30 bucks, control arm is like you said $60 and axle will be the most expensive probably around $200-300 bucks SO:

    Control arm (just do both) $120
    sway bar link $20
    tie rod $30
    axle (just 1 side) $300 that's only $470 in parts + $400 labor + alignment you are easily under $1000. Your car is a 2012 with 100k+ miles it is still perfect car for dailying and reliable no reason to not spend that amount to fix and get it road worthy again.
    Last edited by Cman; October 9th, 2022 at 08:46 AM.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    UT USA
    Posts
    53
    Apologize for not following up.
    Passenger side failed, replaced both control arms, one axle, rebalance wheel because inside weights got knocked off.
    $1020, car failed in the city, shop was more expensive then who I would go too if I didn't do it myself. Life was busy at the time and I did feel a bit ripped off but that bad feeling is long gone.
    2012 6spd crossover

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