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Suspension Replacement? Help!
Hey, I’m new to this forum other than a few threads I’ve read from google searches, but I’m in need of some help. I have a 2003 G35 coupe, 114k, everything is stock besides exhaust. Honestly I dont know much when it comes to cars, this was my brother’s car, he passed away a little over a year ago and I bought it as a way of keeping him with me I guess you could say. I love the car but there’s one pretty big issue I’m having. An ongoing annoyance has been that my car is very bouncy back and forth coming out of parking lots, streets, over speed bumps, anything like that. Sometimes there is a creaking noise associated, sometimes there isnt. But its always been very bouncy since Ive owned it the past year. I’ve been told to replace the bushings, and ive also been told while youre having that done to also do the struts. I was also wondering, should I just have the bushings replaced or the whole control arms as well? Do i need new struts? I apologize that this may be vague, but my question is: what do you guys suggest might be the problem AND what parts will i need AND a rough estimation on cost of parts & labor Again I know this is vague but ANY help would be so appreciated, thanks! |
Sounds like the struts and shocks are worn as well as the sway bar end links. Buy quality replacement parts.
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Sounds like you have a few things going on, I know my G's suspension had numerous issues in the front end when I bought it stock with 110k.
You should just rebuild the whole front suspension while it's apart; otherwise you're going to have to do the same job multiple times in 10k, 20k, 30k miles as things break and you get looseness, alignment problems, or clunks. There's no reason why the engine can't go another 100k so might as well drive something that feels like a brand new sports car to drive. If you don't know much about cars and aren't willing to do some serious research or ever better do the job yourself, it's going to cost probably $700 in labor alone. I can get you a parts list but if you're going to have a mechanic do it, why bother. |
Glad to help ahow35! Find an "Independent Alignment/brakes shop in your neighborhood, all they do is suspensions! You'll need shocks from what you describe, with your mileage there's a good chance other suspension parts are worn out needing replacement!
Gary |
Cswlightning, yeah thats another thing, my alignment is off and the inside of my tires are wearing faster than the rest.
But, there is a guy in town that actually is willing to work with parts i purchase and bring to him (ive found that can be cheaper). If you could give me a list that would be awesome.. or even just to know what exactly I probably need done |
You can save about 70% of your money if you just press in new bushings vs changing out entire arms. Does your local guy have a press that can do that? |
Aside from simply replacing everything:
FUCA Lower ball joint Inner/Outer tie rod ends Compression arms Wheel bearings Sway bar end links Struts You're probably better off taking the vehicle to either Nissan for a 1 hour diagnostic so they can pinpoint exactly what's worn out, OR, taking it to a local reputable alignment shop and tell them that you have worn components that need to be identified so you can replace it. Both places will probably charge you about the same rate of $130 total for the diagnostic and you will know exactly what to replace. Personally I'm a big believer of just replacing everything at once, then you have a front end that won't need to be touched for another 80-100k miles. However if you are paying a mechanic to do the work it's going to add up labor hours pretty quickly, I bet the estimate will be about 8 hours for the entire front end if they're doing it all at once. Reasonable parts on rockauto.com $90 FUCA $50 lower ball joint $100 ball joints $150 Compression rod (most places call this a "front lower control arm rear" $120 wheel bearing w / hub (recommend buying them with the hub, you will likely save money on labor) $50 sway bar end links $150 Struts, recommend KYB Excel-G or equivalent and none of the really cheap brands or you will end up replacing them early when they fail. Those prices are for both sides so a total of about $700 in parts you have an entirely brand new front suspension, however if you tack on an additional 10 hours of labor at $100/hr that pricetag is going to skyrocket. |
If you're looking to buy your own parts to give to your mechanic which is a good idea, here are some parts suggestions optimized for cost with reasonable quality:
Moog end links are very high quality and inexpensive, their inner and outer tie rods are also reasonably priced and high quality Mevotech Supreme (blue boots) compression rods and lower ball joints are relatively inexpensive compared to Moog but appear to be very well made (thick boots, good machining, lifetime warranty), I've got both on my car and they're holding up very well so far. Don't buy new lower control arms, have the mechanic press out the old rubber bushings wherever possible (LCA, Compression rods, UCA) and replace with Whiteline. You don't have to replace your sway bar or steering rack bushings, but replacing these with poly will improve your steering feel and prevent further deterioration. Doing both of these should take much less than an hour. You don't need to replace your upper control arms with everything else as they're really easy to do so I'd leave them in until you find a killer deal on used parts and install with poly bushings. |
Originally Posted by cleric670
(Post 7161502)
Personally I'm a big believer of just replacing everything at once, then you have a front end that won't need to be touched for another 80-100k miles. However if you are paying a mechanic to do the work it's going to add up labor hours pretty quickly, I bet the estimate will be about 8 hours for the entire front end if they're doing it all at once.
Reasonable parts on rockauto.com $90 FUCA $50 lower ball joint $100 ball joints $150 Compression rod (most places call this a "front lower control arm rear" $120 wheel bearing w / hub (recommend buying them with the hub, you will likely save money on labor) $50 sway bar end links $150 Struts, recommend KYB Excel-G or equivalent and none of the really cheap brands or you will end up replacing them early when they fail. Those prices are for both sides so a total of about $700 in parts you have an entirely brand new front suspension, however if you tack on an additional 10 hours of labor at $100/hr that pricetag is going to skyrocket. I'm leaning toward replacing everything to rebuild my suspension, but I'm afraid of making it worse if I get the wrong brand of parts. My 2003 sedan doesn't drive that badly with 147K miles on the original suspension. Both front lower control arms are shot, a ball joint is leaking grease, and putting KYB dampers on seems like the right thing to do at this point. But, even as-is it still feels better than every rental car I drive. I'd like to get a few more good years out of it and leave it in decent shape for the next owner. |
Beck/arnley offers reliable equipment.
I avoid moog i would recommend updating bushings to poly as the rubber ones have about 60 to 80k life span. Megan racing makes good ball joints z1 has quality suspension parts. Shop, and do your homework on best prices. eBay has some good deals but don’t skimp on the quality of the parts. Especially if you like to drive your G spiritedly |
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