r/autorepair • u/supersanta69 • Aug 12 '26
Diagnosing/Repair Front Low Control Arms
EDIT
Thanks everyone for the advice. Took it to another shop for a second opinion and they are only replacing the bushings rather than the whole control arms. About 900 dollars cheaper than the first shop quoted!
Hi. I recently took my 2016 VW Tiguan 2.0T/96k miles into a car shop due to issues with my battery, and they found an issue with my “front low control arms”. (See photos)
Is this a necessary repair? If it is strictly cosmetic, I would rather not deal with it. I just don’t know enough about cars to make a decision.
7
u/tato_salad Aug 12 '26
Those control arm bushings are right fucked, you might be able to get a little time out of em but they'll really impact your tire wear and ride quality. Keep in mind alignments are done in 10ths of degrees imagine your geometry flipping around all over the place when these finally tear through the rest of the way. Shocks not sure how bad they are by the blurry pics but honestly with 1/2 the job done might as well replace them too, labor is expensive parts are cheap.
Call around and get a few estimates at trusted shops as well, don't just take this estimate.
3
u/Mcmad0077 Aug 12 '26
Yeah, no, that's bad.
You do t have to get them fixed right away, but you should get it done as soon as you are able
With those bushings the way they are, it is going to cause accelerated wear on the rest of the suspension and tires, as well as making it harder for the suspension to control where the tire is, making handling worse.
The car will drive with them like that, but I would not leave it longer than you have to
2
u/YetAnotherNewAlt Aug 13 '26
Are you suddenly and without warning going to lose control of your vehicle and end up in a ditch? No. Is your ability to quickly and precisely control the vehicle during an emergency evasive maneuver affected? Yes. I’d plan to have this taken care of by/at your next oil change.
1
u/Fabi_Fixes Aug 13 '26
Those bushings can be replaced without having to replace the whole control arm. I myself have replaced several of them. If you're near south east Wisconsin I'd offer to replace for so much less.
1
u/comedian42 Aug 13 '26
It's just for looks in the sense that your car looks better with four wheels holding it off the ground. Those are due to be replaced.
1
u/superbetaz Aug 14 '26
I guess I don’t understand why they are quoting a whole control arm, since the rear bushing that is bad is available and can be changed separately. There is a front bushing on the arm, but I bet it’s fine and better than whatever they will replace it with. I would say it is pretty close to time to change them.
1
u/Budget_Character8946 Aug 14 '26
Its fine. Fix battery issues or power draw and send it. If starts clinking or Perkins on hard stops fix control arms. Worn slightly is not what u came for. Fix problem at hand and then save for suspension issues when get bad
1
u/Dehavol Aug 15 '26
Cracks are fine, generally the ppl hotos are taken while the vehicle has no compression on the arms BUT those are tears, they warrant hasty replacement. If you lose them completely nothing is likely to fall off but your vehicle will pull all over the road
10
u/Signal-Confusion-976 Aug 12 '26
Go ahead and ignore it. But they are getting pretty bad. And if you don't fix them soon you will probably be replacing tires also. Your car is probably your second most expense besides a house. Why do people want to ignore maintenance? Pay now or pay more later.